INDONESIA // SEPTEMBER 2018 // KODAK PROIMAGE 100
When we flew to Indonesia for a “working holiday” it was the perfect opportunity to experiment with 35mm film.
I knew I wanted to bring a 35mm film stock that would capture the vibrant colors and fine details that the Indonesian landscape could offer. Prices for the obvious choice, Portra 400 were prohibitive to my (fresh out of college) budget. The camera store rep suggested I try Kodak ProImage 100. A cheaper, daylight stock with fine detail and vibrant color.
As a low ISO film it would be perfect for shooting in sun-drenched Bali, there was only one problem: it needed to be stored in a cool temperature and we were going in the middle of summer where the average temp was going to be 27 °C (81 °F).
So with a fresh set of batteries, and my fingers crossed we set off on our trip.
The trip was incredible and my dubious [but enthusiastic] grasp of the Indonesian language was met with toothy grins and rapid-fire responses that I was not linguistically equipped to handle.
I smoked cigarettes with the crew on the top of the ferry to Nusa Penida. I held on for dear life as the boat pushed through wave after wave while a chicken clucked happily from somewhere in the luggage pile beside me. When we landed we learned the Nusa Penida way to say thank you; suksma instead of the more common Indonesian terima kasih. We hiked, swam, wrote, ate and danced.
Keeping my camera and rolls out of the sun was near impossible without a dedicated insulated bag [that on retrospect would have been a fantastic idea]. Ultimately, all I could do was pray to the film gods that my rolls were spared.
A few weeks after getting home to Melbourne, Australia I got the scans back from the lab.
I was crushed. Clearly, I was the worst photographer that ever lived. The photos were insanely contrasty, the colors unnatural and garish.
Boy with Fishing Net, Nusa Penida
Heading West via sea, Nusa Penida
I wracked my brain, trying to figure out where I’d gone wrong. I thought I’d over-exposed it to either light or heat or both.
A few years later in 2020 I started developing and scanning my own film at home. The Epson v600 was a fan favourite in the community so I picked one up cheap and started working through my archives.
After working through some old rolls of film, I thought it might be a good idea to try and rescan the ProImage 100. The idea of pulling those failed negatives out of the folder troubled me but I figured if I’m going to improve as a photographer I might as well figure out where the hell I went wrong. Maybe there would be one or two that I could salvage after all?
It was at this point that I learned that not all scans are equal and there is a surprising amount of choice when it comes to what’s called electronic post-processing.
After adjusting the curves to suit the high-key lighting, I managed to reconcile the stories I experienced with the photos on the screen.
The final images are in the gallery below.
Shot on Canon EOS 300 // 50mm f1.4 & 75-300mm f4
Developed in who the hell knows.
