Kodak Portra With Some Lens Flare

This past summer I was doing a lot of work with color negative film. Kodak Portra 400 speed film to be exact. On the day this photograph was made working with 400 speed film was probably not the best of ideas. It was hot, bright, and the sun was incredibly high in the sky as early as 9 o’clock in the morning. Pretty much all the conditions one doesn’t want when working with color negative film, especially high speed color negative film.

fine art nude portrait of a female model on color kodak portra film on a summer day.
Fine art nude portrait of a female model on kodak portra color film on a summer day in oregon.

So the best option I had on the table at the time was to take some shelter in an abandoned barn and work with the heavy shadows the structure provided to the scene. I was really thankful I also decided to work with my Mamiya C330 TLR that day as the standard 80mm lens on that camera has a tendency to flare very easily. Sometimes that isn’t such a great thing, but in this case I was able to take advantage of that characteristic quite nicely. In the top image especially I think the flare ads a little bit of punch and warmth to the image that just isn’t present in the lower image.

Camera: Mamiya C330 TLR.

Film: Kodak Portra 400 in medium format.


I support my photography in part with fine art print sales. All prints are limited edition and printed using traditional darkroom techniques on fiber based silver gelatin paper. If you like my work, consider supporting the arts and buying print via my Saatchi Store.

Alexis Kennedy

My name is Alexis Kennedy, welcome to my site! I have a passion for making images wherever and whenever I can. I seek to capture humanity and the world around me with a focus on the figure. Film, digital, pinhole, and instant photography are all fair game for me.


I grew up in the California Bay Area and started taking photography seriously in High School. I was one of the lucky few who had a chance to go to a high school with a working darkroom and a teacher who understood that making images was an art form – care and patience was a necessity in the image making process from start to finish.


Later in life I attended the University of California in Santa Cruz where I received a Bachelors Degree in the History of Art and Visual Culture. After having my fill of the California sunshine I packed up my life and moved to the Pacific Northwest. I quickly found the overcast skies, lush forests, cooler temperatures, and creative communities to be a perfect match for my work.


Over the years I have exhibited my photographs in several galleries and art shows including the Seattle Erotic Arts Festival and Cascade AIDS Project. I’ve published a few books and taught workshops up and down the west coast of the United States. Through this site I’m hoping to share my work and perhaps inspire others along the way.

http://www.alexiskennedyphotography.com
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Panon Widelux Portraits

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Slower Speed 35mm Film (Rollei RPX 25)