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Film Stock Index

Film Stock Index

I started keeping notes on film stocks the way some people keep tasting journals for coffee or wine. On location, in old houses and light-starved hallways, the film you choose doesn’t just capture a room — it decides what the room will remember about itself. This index is a living document: a collection of emulsions I’ve worked with while photographing architecture, interiors, and the quiet presence of buildings. Nothing here is a technical review. These are field notes from real shoots, written for anyone who wants to understand how a particular film translates wood grain, plaster, shadow, and time.

Each entry includes the format I typically use, the kind of light it wants, and what it does to architectural materials. I update this page when a new stock earns its place in my bag or when an old favorite surprises me again.

Kodak Portra 400

The most forgiving film I know. In rooms lit only by north-facing windows, Portra 400 holds highlight detail in sheer curtains while keeping shadowed wainscoting from turning to mud. Skin tones aren’t the point here — it’s how the emulsion separates warm oak from cream plaster without making either feel sterile. I rate it at 320 for interiors; the slight overexposure lifts the midtones and gives limestone and marble a soft, almost tactile glow. Grain is present but never insists on itself.

  • Format: 120, occasionally 35mm for detail studies
  • Best light: soft window light, overcast days, north-facing rooms
  • Architectural materials it flatters: painted wood, limestone, aged brick, linen upholstery
  • Watch for: can feel too polite in spaces that need bite — old industrial sites, for instance

Kodak Ektar 100

Ektar is a landscape film that I’ve learned to trust for exteriors and for interiors with controlled, abundant light. Saturation is high but not cartoonish; red brick comes through with real weight, and painted shutters in deep blues or greens hold their chroma without blocking up. It’s less kind to mixed interior light — tungsten bulbs turn aggressively warm — but when the assignment is a sun-drenched facade or a greenhouse, Ektar delivers a vibrancy that feels true to the eye, not the spec sheet. I meter carefully and bracket when I can, because it has little tolerance for exposure errors.

  • Format: 120, 35mm
  • Best light: direct sun, open shade, any exterior where color saturation matters
  • Architectural materials it flatters: painted wood siding, terracotta, copper gutters, stained glass
  • Watch for: skin tones skew red; keep it away from portraits unless that’s intentional

Ilford HP5 Plus

My default black-and-white film for interiors with character. HP5 pushes well, but I prefer it at box speed for the way it records plaster cracks, floorboard wear, and the grain of unpainted wood. The grain structure is honest without being gritty — it feels like the texture of the building itself. In low light, shadows fall off gently rather than dropping to pure black, which preserves the sense of depth in hallways and stairwells. I develop it in Ilfotec DD-X when I want a slightly cleaner look, or in HC-110 for more bite.

  • Format: 120, 4×5 when I can find it
  • Best light: any daylight, especially window light that rakes across surfaces
  • Architectural materials it flatters: aged wood, plaster, stone, concrete, wrought iron
  • Watch for: can look too gray in flat light; needs some contrast in the scene

Kodak Tri-X 400

Tri-X is the film I reach for when a building has a story that needs a little drama. It deepens shadows and adds weight to ironwork, heavy timber, and rough stone. I use it primarily for exteriors and for interiors where the light is strong and directional — think a factory floor at noon or a church nave with a single high window. Grain is more pronounced than HP5, and that’s the point: it gives the image a timeless, almost archival quality. I rate it at 400 and develop normally; pushing to 800 increases contrast to levels that can overwhelm delicate architectural detail.

  • Format: 35mm, 120
  • Best light: strong, directional light; high-contrast scenes
  • Architectural materials it flatters: steel, exposed brick, heavy timber, slate roofs
  • Watch for: loses shadow detail quickly; not ideal for subtle interior tonal transitions

Fujifilm Pro 400H

Discontinued but still available frozen, and I treasure my remaining stock. Pro 400H had a pastel-leaning palette that made it exceptional for minimalist interiors and white-walled spaces. Where Portra warms, Pro 400H cooled — it rendered whites cleanly and gave pale woods a silvery undertone. I used it for modern architecture, gallery spaces, and any room where I wanted the light itself to feel like the subject. If you find a well-stored batch, it’s still worth shooting.

  • Format: 120
  • Best light: overcast, open shade, bright interiors with white walls
  • Architectural materials it flatters: white marble, concrete, pale oak, glass, steel
  • Watch for: can feel cold in spaces that need warmth; greens skew slightly blue

Cinestill 800T

Not a traditional architectural film, but I’ve used it for twilight exteriors and for interiors lit by tungsten or mixed sources. The halation around highlights — that faint red glow — turns streetlights and bare bulbs into something cinematic. It’s a niche choice, but for a historic theater, a neon-lit storefront, or a Victorian house with original gaslight fixtures, nothing else looks quite like it. I rate it at 500 for a bit more shadow detail and always warn the lab about the remjet-free base.

  • Format: 35mm
  • Best light: tungsten, mixed artificial light, dusk exteriors
  • Architectural materials it flatters: neon, glass block, polished metal, painted signage
  • Watch for: halation can overwhelm subtle textures; not a daylight film without filtration

Ilford Delta 100

When I’m photographing a building for its geometry rather than its texture, I load Delta 100. The grain is nearly invisible, and the tonal range is long enough to hold detail in both bright stucco and deep window reveals. I use it with a tripod and slow shutter speeds, often in the early morning when the light is clean and the building hasn’t yet been touched by the day’s activity. It’s a technical film that rewards precision — and it pairs beautifully with medium format for elevation studies and facade details.

  • Format: 120, 4×5
  • Best light: even, diffused light; early morning or late afternoon
  • Architectural materials it flatters: smooth stucco, glass curtain walls, polished concrete, steel frames
  • Watch for: can feel clinical if the building lacks strong lines; needs a tripod

This index grows as my work does. I don’t believe in a single “best” film — only in the right film for the light in front of you and the story the space is trying to tell. If you have a stock you swear by for architectural work, I’d love to hear about it. The conversation about how we see buildings is never finished.