Making Decisions

It was December 24th, and for the entire Latino world, that means Noche Buena festivities. Christmas Eve is a bigger deal than even Christmas Day in Latin America. And despite the fact that we live in South Florida, our Cuban family definitely keeps some of those old traditions alive. I had just ordered a few rolls of Kodak Portra 800. I was looking for some high ISO film to utilize for indoor low-light and outdoor nighttime shots and didn't want to use CineStill (I love the stuff, but variety is the spice of life). Despite the fact that I am lukewarm on Portra 160 - it is nice, but I like the results I get from other Kodak emulsions like Gold, UltraMax, and Pro Image just as much if not more - I wanted to give 800 a shot. And, wow am I glad I did.

Seeing Red

Something I wish I had done consciously, but was most definitely done accidentally, is chose Portra 800 for its vibrant reds. I was simply looking for a film that would give me an even exposure in low light. It did not occur to me that because red is such a popular color at Christmas, so many of our family would be wearing red at Noche Buena.


One of the first exposures from this first roll of Portra was one of Steph carrying our nephew, Ralphie. This is one of my favorite photographs from this roll, despite there being so many I really like, because it alsmost seems like this could have been done in a studio. The background is clean and the lighting, while low, is nice. The warmth in the colors, I have to imagine, is due to the amount of available light, but the colors are not far off from true to life. The reds, however, are popping beautifully.

A tender moment showing a sleeping baby being held against a shoulder.

The reds pop even more in this photograph of Link chomping down on this lamb chop. If you follow my social media, you'll see countless photos of Link taking bites of food and Steph taking sips of drinks. I don't know why these photos fascinate me so much, but they do. I have a folder in my external hard drive dedicated to just these photos. Seriously. It's weird. But I love it.


The red on Link's shirt, as well as on Steph's cousin Kathy's shirt, pop with a vibrancy that is kind of amazing here. I was surprised when I got these negatives back because this is definitely not how vibrant the reds were, however, it isn't unpleasant. Where I feel that Portra 160 can sometimes be TOO pastel (gasp! cancel me now!) I really enjoy this coloring. The skin tones are still very pleasing and lean towards pastel color tones - just take a look at how beautiful Link's skin is recreated here - it isn't overpowering

Young person in bright orange shirt eating or tasting something indoors.
Family gathering in a kitchen with decorative beads and holiday decor.
Two people standing by a TV console in a living room at night.
Person in orange sweater holding sleeping baby on striped pillow.

We didn't stay long for Noche Buena. Link got sick and Wes got tired. This is a recipe for disaster, so we went home and waited for Santa Claus. But I'm very happy I loaded this film into my camera that night because it allowed me to later utilize it the following morning.

A Holly Jolly Emulsion

Noche Buena may be a big thing for us culturally, but as Cuban as Steph and I are, we are also as American as they come. So, Christmas Day is a big deal in our house. Our tradition is that we open gifts together as a family and then while the kids play with their new toys, Steph and I make breakfast for the family. My parents, siblings, and in-laws come over for a big Christmas breakfast, which should more aptly be called a brunch. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The presents first!


This photo of Link, Transformers box held aloft, is possibly my favorite from this roll. There are so many photos of me and my siblings on Christmas that look just like this. It is, truthfully, not a special photo in that it isn't remarkable in any way. What it does, rather, is capture a rather universal image: the excitement of a child on Christmas. When I got the negatives back from the lab, this was the one that really made me come around on Portra as a viable option for low-light.

Child holding up a box in front of Christmas tree with excited expression.

Our little Miami home fills with love so easily, it seems like. And these Portra scans capture that. Once again, those reds just jump of the photo. Present in these, which is not in the earlier photos, is the color green. Soft and muted, this allows for the eye to really jump right to where those pops of red and inevitably to where the subject is.


This one of Wes figuring out his new tee-ball is a perfect example of this. There are certainly lots of distracting features in here. The tree branches off to the right, Steph's face hanging out on the left, the cat's tower sitting in the background, it should all be perfectly distracting. However, Portra 800 finds light and uses it amazingly. Wes pops really nicely here and the red of the tee ball stand seems to glow in his hands.

Child holding orange toy near Christmas tree and staircase.

Again, I write that there is nothing spectacular about these photos. They are snapshots of my point of view on Christmas morning. Whether that be of the kids or the wife.


Something about this photo of Steph handing me my gift really works for me, though. I'm glad she wasn't looking right into the lens at this moment. The final photograph would have been much too voyeuristic. By looking down at the gift she is handing to me, it again feels like a quick snapshot in time.


The color red, once more, seems to pop right off the photograph itself. The striped pattern of Steph's pajamas creates an almost mesmerizing color block. And her skin is given some rather beautiful tone here. Steph can be hard to photograph at times because her skin is so fair. But Portra gives her a lovely pastel pink. It may be deceiving because of the backlighting going on in this scene, but there really wasn't that much light here. This really is an amazing low-light film.

Person in orange pajamas sitting on floor during holiday celebrations.

Holiday Road

Two children sit together at night with festive holiday lights glowing in the background at Disney World.
A family enjoys an evening stroll along a brightly lit street during the holiday season.

We took off after brunch for Orlando. The last few years we have taken big, long winter trips right around Christmas. But this year we opted to stay close to home. I still had a few exposures left on the roll of Portra 800 and they were used up that evening at Universal Studios. The lights at Studios make for great photography. Position your subject far away enough and you get beautiful bokeh balls in the background of any portrait. I love the way this old Leica Summitar 50mm f2 lens handles portraits as the sharpness is not clinical but pleasing, and the bokeh is smooth and creamy.

Pushing Portra 800

I shot two other films while on this trip, but got back to Portra 800 just before coming back home. The night before we left, we were park hopping at Disney World and I decided to push Portra 800 one stop. I had never pushed Portra and so didn't want to push too much without having tested it. But I found one stop was more than enough to make photos around Magic Kingdom and Epcot.


This first photo of Magic Kingdom's Main Street is a great example of how pushing film can make all the difference in the world. The last time I had been at Magic Kingdom I had some CineStill 800T with me and had not gone down the rabbit hole of pushing and pulling film, always shooting at box speed. I liked the results, but didn't love them. But this is amazing! The warmth added by Portra is also a great factor that cannot be overlooked. It gives a sense of age nostalgia that is a big part of why I love film.

Crowds walk down Main Street USA at Disney World with holiday decorations and castle illuminated at night.
Colorful Christmas lights illuminate a decorative display at Disney World at night.
The iconic Disney World train station lit up with holiday lights against the night sky.
Small animatronic figures in a blue castle tower display at Disney World's Small World attraction.

I was overwhelmingly pleased with the way Portra 800 performed when pushed. I was also very happy that I had invested in what I believe to be the best bargain in Leica lenses, the Summitar 50. This portrait of Link and Steph on Main Street is a great example of how great it is.


I never look for technically perfect lenses. In fact, I avoid those kinds of lenses. I like sharpness in my images, but also like some softness to render an image that reminds me of the kinds of photos I was accustomed to seeing as a kid, whether from my own negatives or my friends' and family's negatives.


This image is one that means a lot to me. As a family unit, so much changed for us and I don't think anyone has worked harder at making our family stronger than these two. It makes me overwhelmingly happy to the smiles on their faces in this photo.

Family members share a warm moment together inside Disney World during evening hours.

As has become pretty standard practice with me, I don't worry about finishing a roll at any particular time anymore. I used to go nuts and start shooting away to expel all exposures before the evening. Now, I just leave the film in the camera until I'm ready to keep shooting. So I came back home with a few frames still left to expose.


We visited Zoo Miami for their annual Zoo Lights event, where this photo was made. At a small Christmas display near the bear enclosure, Wes called me over, sat in front of this fireplace, and said "cheese." Not even Steph enjoys being photographed as much as Wes does. The kid is already ready for his picture to be taken. This was pretty close to minimum focus distance with the TTArtisan 50mm f1.4, which allowed me keep shooting even when pushing to 1600 was likely still not enough light.

A young child sits in front of an illuminated electric fireplace with stone surround.

We visited some of Steph's family on New Years Day where I captured these next few exposures. The first is of Link with his much younger cousin, Gabriel. Link is such a mature kid in so many ways, one of which is his ability to be great with kids. He is so patient and loving. We see this with him and his younger brother, Wes. But it extends to his younger cousins and even the younger siblings of his friends.


Final Focus

My final thoughts in a word? Excitement. I have finally stumbled upon another fast film, but with an entirely different rendering to CineStill 800T. While I will likely continue to rely on CineStill for nighttime street photography, Portra 800 will likely become my go-to film for indoor shooting. The warm colors and balance of highlights and shadows is something that I want to continue to explore.

Two people play a board game together at a table in a cozy home setting.

More Kodak Portra 800

Visitors stroll down a palm tree-lined street at Disney World's Hollywood Studios at night.
Close-up view of a vintage car's front end at night with blurred lights and people in the background.
Illuminated nighttime scene with a stroller and holiday lighting displays.
Nighttime view of a waterfront with illuminated buildings and ornate lamp posts.
Colorful holiday lights illuminate a festive nighttime street scene.
Decorative fountain surrounded by string lights and holiday decorations in an evening plaza.
Pattern of orange and white lights creating a curved geometric display against the night sky.
Crowd gathering at night with glowing light-up balloons creating a magical atmosphere.
Warm-lit interior scene viewed through a geometric window frame at dusk.
Evening street scene with holiday lights and pedestrians walking along Main Street.
People walking along a dimly lit path with glowing decorations and lanterns.
A cozy houseboat decorated with warm glowing Christmas lights reflects on calm water at night.
Vintage animatronic display showing rustic cabin scene with mechanical figures.
Holiday scene with decorated Christmas trees and colorful lighting effects.
Children seated at a table with art supplies and drawings.

All images © 2020-2025 David Ulloa Studio. All rights reserved.