For those of you who've been following my work for a while, this post is going to be slightly different from usual. In this article, we won't only be talking about cameras and film. Today I also want to share with you a beautiful region of Ireland that I discovered recently.
It's called the Ring of Kerry. But before we start our exploration of the Emerald Isle, let me introduce you to our travel buddy: Kodak Ektar 100.
/Amazon
If you are not familiar with Ektar yet, it's a fantastic colour negative film, perfect for those of you who are into deep colour saturation and high contrast. Some compare it to slide film because of that feature but the main advantage is that it's a C41 film. This means that it can be developed anywhere for cheap, unlike slide films. The other advantage over slide film is the extended dynamic range. Ektar is capable of retaining more information, in both highlights and shadows, when capturing highly contrast scenes.
Its vivid colours make Ektar the ideal partner for landscape photography. That's why I decided to bring it along for this trip on the Irish coast. On top of that, it's also a fine grain film that produces very clean images, which is a bonus if you want to print to a large scale.
The only downside I can think of is its weakness at capturing skin tones. Ektar tends to lend a reddish colour to white skin which is not entirely pleasing when shooting portraits. I know that there are some photographers who get great results using this film for portraits but I haven't discovered the magic recipe yet (you'll be the first to know when I get my hands on it!). If you are more into muted colours and natural skins tones, I'd suggest looking at Kodak Portra 160. It also has a very fine grain and is less saturated and contrasty than Ektar.
When underexposed Ektar tends to provide a strong blue cast on your images. So to avoid this, it's recommended to expose for shadows. This will ensure that you don't end up with dark areas that look blue instead of black and it will also warm up the global temperature of your image. Here is an example of Ektar underexposed. The blue tint is due to the underexposure coupled with the blue hour but you get the general idea.
/Vincent Moschetti
The last point worth mentioning is that Ektar is scan friendly. It's honestly a pleasure to scan as it doesn't require any colour correction. Not all colour film handle being scanned so well, as you can see in this article where I explain how to correct colour negative scans.
Now that's all the basics of Ektar out the way, let's talk about our shooting destination: The Ring of Kerry.
The Ring Of Kerry is a circular, 180km long road that goes from Kenmare to Killarney. Most of it goes along the coastline of the Iveragh Peninsula and passes through many picturesque villages. The most popular attractions are the Gap of Dunloe, Rossbeigh Beach, Moll's Gap, and Ladies View, just to name a few.
Star Wars fans wiould also have a chance to visit Skellig Michael, which became popular thanks to the final scene of The Force Awakens, where Luke Skywalker appears.
/Lucasfilm
To avoid any disappointment, make sure that you plan your visit between May and the end of September. Outside of these dates, there is no way to access the island by boat. I learned that the hard way but it will be a good excuse for me to take another trip around there!
Our first checkpoint takes us to a tiny peaceful pier at a village called Sneem. We got there by accident trying to make a U-turn because we went the wrong way. However, we ended up staying there for a while exploring the surrounding woods and enjoying the serene atmosphere.
Vincent Moschetti
A few hours later, the weather changed and the dispersed clouds left us with this stunning blue sky. We had to drive for a while before reaching Caherdaniel and its stunning views but As soon as we got there, the sun broke through the clouds and as it came out, so did my camera!
/Vincent Moschetti
We then drove to Foilhommerum Bay on Valentia Island. This was probably my favourite part of the trip. On top of a beautiful location, I had the chance to see one of the most epic examples of lighting that I have ever seen in my life. In the second picture, you can see on the horizon a tiny island on the right side. This is Skellig Michael that you are looking at!
/Vincent Moschetti
Vincent Moschetti
Our journey ended in Killarney for the night but the day wouldn't be complete without capturing this delicate and soft sunset on the road.
/Vincent Moschetti
We decided to enjoy the following day to explore Killarney National Park. It's right next to Killarney and if you are nearby you can't resist stopping there for a few hours. It goes from lakes to mountains peaks and has a wide variety of wildlife to offer. Unfortunately, the day was a bit dull and the light really flat so we stayed around the lake and savoured this time to relax.
/Vincent Moschetti
/Vincent Moschetti
The last stop on our short road trip was the Ladies' View. This place took its name after a visit from Queen Victoria, who decided to make a stop there and enjoyed this scene with the ladies from her court.
Unfortunately, this picture doesn't do justice to this place but it's absolutely beautiful and a perfect to end your trip around the Ring of Kerry.
/Vincent Moschetti
We were there at the end of January which is probably not the ideal season to fully enjoy it but nevertheless, our eyes got plenty of treats! Before you go, here is a map I created for this trip showing the places worth to seeing (I'm sure there are many more!).
I hope you've enjoyed this journey with us and that it could convince you to discover Ireland. On top of stunning sceneries, you'll be welcomed by some of the kindest people I've ever met!
Vincent Moschetti worked exclusively with digital equipement until he had a revelation and discovered the beauty of shooting with film cameras. If you would like to learn more about his work, you can visit his website, Facebook, and Instagram pages. This article was originally published here.
Images Used With Permission
. digitalrev.com2017-2-28 03:00