Color negative films can give you interesting effects, but when you truly want to play with color, cross processing is the only way to go.
Photo by adam_g2000
Initially, cross processing can seem scary. Not knowing what you are going to get can freak some out, but isn’t that the spirit of Lomography?
After experimenting with various films, I now know which films are going to do what, so rather than be worried about color, I can play with it. Here are my top 5 films to experiment with:
5. Kodak Elitechrome EBX
This is at the bottom of my list; it gives a nice yellowy, sometimes blue shift. However, it is hard to master and large areas of highlights blow out easily.
4. Kodak E100 GX
I like this one particularly as it doesn’t really shift colour at all. It has a tendency to increase contrast instead.
3. Fuji Sensia 100
The infamous Sensia 100 pink. Everything Sensia goes a wicked pinky red. No other cross processed slide film is quite like it.
2. Fuji Sensia 200/400
I’ve put both the other Sensias as joint fourth; they are versatile as they are higher speed films, and both shift is slightly similar ways, 400 less so. Both enhance greens and yellows.
1. Fuji Provia 100F
My favorite slide film to cross process. Provia 100F enhances blues, yellows and greens, making for wonderful Marine shots.
8 comments
meryfromspain
Very interesting, thanks for sharing your experience! :)
neanderthalis
You really have a handle on your exposures and so I really enjoy your xpro albums. Some people really blow out their pictures and it just becomes overpowering. Thanks for another well done article.
adam_g2000
@neanderthalis thanks mate! That's high praise and I truly appreciate it.
lordlarry
Provia ftw. :)
bunit
I love the picture of the forge in Kodak E100 GX. Where did you take it?
adam_g2000
@bunit MOTAT, there is a forge that operates at the weekend some time. The guy there is really cool and used to do photography.
abdulhalimnasri
i never ask my slide to be cross processed. i'm quite blank here as i have no experience on xpro. I have few questions:
1. only by the look of a photo can we know it was xpro-ed?
2. is it true that the main point is to underexpose the shot to get a get xpro result?
3. do the scanning process effect the result of xpro?
adam_g2000
@abdulhalimnasri check out the raging debate on this article. http://www.lomograph(…)-processing