The French Riviera and Kodak Portra 400: a marriage of two things that are right with this world.

The French Riviera and Kodak Portra 400: a marriage of two things that are right with this world.

It’s not hard to find the romance in the French Riviera. It’s written in the shades of pink across the buildings that tower through Villefranche Sur Mer and blows through the air-dried laundry that hang from the terraces. It’s warmth beams down like the sun on your face as you lay on the beach with your eyes closed at Castel Plage, listening to the young couple next to you who is laughing over a card game with a box of pizza.

While it’s one of those, “you have to be there to feel it” kind of things, I found a way to capture and save it. There is no better way to romanticize the South of France other than through my favorite film stock, Kodak Portra 400.

Here is the magic:

a professional favorite

Kodak Portra 400 is a professional favorite for a reason. It produces gorgeous saturated colors and is so forgiving, making it possible to get incredible photos in almost any light condition. Some say Kodak Portra 400 is the best for replicating the most natural color of skin.

I personally love Portra 400 because I have never been disappointed with the results. I always reach for it because I know I want to bring the film I trust the most out of all the other film stocks I have tried.

I have tried metering Portra 400 at box speed down to 200 (to overexpose) and learned that you can’t go wrong with either choice. Kodak Portra 400 loves light, so as long as you aren’t underexposing, you will get great results.

Digital, but make it film

Fast forward to 2023 and the Kodak Portra film family can be challenging to get your hands on. You’ll have to jump at the opportunity to purchase when you see them available at your local camera shops. It also seems to annoyingly increase in price every time I need to restock.

But I have a secret — if I’m out of Kodak Portra 400, or am feeling strapped for cash, I simply turn to the Fuji X Weekly Kodak Portra 400 film simulation on my Fuji XT-5.

While a digital attempt is not going to be exactly the same as the real deal, it’s a pretty close emulation. All you have to do is plug the recipe into your Fujifilm camera’s custom settings, adjust your white balance, and bump up the grain.