I know what you’re probably thinking. Film, 4th of July, fireworks. Well, sorry but no. Film yes, 4th of July yes, Fireworks no. In the past, my wife and I have gone with family to the downtown area to celebrate the 4th with food, a parade, and fireworks. Last year was cancelled due to COVID, this year it was back on. Except we decided to stay home. We didn’t feel like hassling the large crowd and our twins get overwhelmed with crowds and loud noises. Soooo….we decided to stay home. The kids have their pools, we have our grill, and I have the film and cameras.
There was one photo I wanted to make. I had it in my head and now was the time to create that photo. To make that photo, I knew it would take the Nikon F100 with its quick AF. The film selection was pretty simple too. I recently ordered some Arista Ultra EDU 100 that went on clearance from Freestyle Photo. Who can pass up a clearance sale right? So there we go. Nikon F100 with the Arista 100 ready to go.
I started with the grilling. Cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and asparagus. I had to take a couple of photos, sure was hot though lol After dinner, my twins and granddaughter were ready to play in their pools. So the fun began! I decided to roll with the Nikon 50mm 1.8G lens because of that one photo I wanted to create. I was determined.
It didn’t take long to finish the roll. I wasn’t sure of how everything would turn out but I was confident I would come away with some good ones. Would I be satisfied with that one photo I wanted to make? The answer is yes. Rarely do I have a vision and make it happen, this time it did. It will be the first photo below.
So the Arista EDU Ultra 100 35mm….you’re probably wondering what are my thoughts on the film? Well, we know it’s Fomapan 100. I love shooting the Fomapan 100 in 120 but don’t have much experience in the 35mm format. So I decided to develop the Arista EDU Ultra 100 in Xtol-R…my o my. The results came out better than expected. Everything was dead on as far as what I like. Minimal adjustments in post and the photos had a great look to them. I definitely will shoot more and try in different developers but I have a feeling the Xtol-R makes this film sing. Anyways…now you know why I shot this roll and some of the results are down below. Enjoy!
Nikon F100/Arista EDU Ultra 100/Xtol-R
Nikon F100/Arista EDU Ultra 100/Xtol-R
Nikon F100/Arista EDU Ultra 100/Xtol-R
Nikon F100/Arista EDU Ultra 100/Xtol-R
Nikon F100/Arista EDU Ultra 100/Xtol-R
Nikon F100/Arista EDU Ultra 100/Xtol-R
Nikon F100/Arista EDU Ultra 100/Xtol-R
Nikon F100/Arista EDU Ultra 100/Xtol-R