Kodak Summer Competition 2023: The Top 20 Winners!

We recently welcomed Andy Church from Kodak Moments to Analogue Wonderland HQ to join our Community & Content Marketing Manager, Amy, to discuss the WINNERS 🏆 of our Kodak Summer Competition 2023! If you haven’t already seen it, we shared a video on YouTube sharing what we liked about the top 20 images and revealed the winner.

This year, entrants submitted images shot on Portra 160 - whether that was 35mm, 120, or 4x5 sheet film. Andy whittled it down from a huge 800+ entries! All of the top 20 images were printed especially in our WonderLab and sent to each person to congratulate them, whilst the top 3 winners received some Kodak film goodies in the post (yep, we’re super jealous, but they earned it!)

Read on to find out more about the shortlisted winners… 🎉

Images 1 - 3

#1 Andrea Bieri - Icy Summer

 Our winning image was shot by Andrea Bieri on Portra 160 120, in the depths of the Swiss Alps at Aletsch Glacier. She commented, “I like the light and shadow pattern on the glacier.” Congratulations, Andrea! 

#2 Elliot Mariess - Last Days of Summer

 Our second place image was shot by Elliot Mariess on Portra 160 35mm. “I like the overall colour palette that came together beautifully with the last moments of light. That coupled with the detail from the 120 film made me super happy with the results.” Elliot’s Top Tip: I really enjoy overexposing it slightly to get really rich contrast.

#3 Millie Clinton - Before the Flowers Went

 Our third place image was shot by Millie Clinton on Portra 160 35mm. “I like the soft focus around the face.” Millie’s Top Tip: I shot Portra 160 in low light recently with surprisingly good results - it's more flexible than I realised.

Images 4 - 7

#4 Stefano de Tanna - Rocca Calascio, Italy

@thefallinforeigner

Shot on Portra 160 120. “I was surprised by the incredible colours, depth of field and details.

#5 Jonathan Rothwell - Purple Rain in Waiting

@joro.jpeg

Shot on Portra 160 35mm. “The fluffy imperviousness of the clouds gives it an almost dream-like feel.” Jonathan’s Top Tip: 160 loves sunny (even partially sunny) days, and it's flexible enough that you can play around with the exposure (I shot this roll at ISO 80 and had it pulled 1 stop in development.) Don't be afraid to play around with the scans in post either, I bumped up the saturation a bit to bring out the purples and really go for a more vivid vaporwave-like feel.

#6 Owen Reading - What's in the Pool?

@readingowen

Shot on Portra 160 35mm. “Perfect summer image of kids watching for fish. Also, the sizes are arranged from large to little from left to right.”

#7 John Angerson - Abandoned Porsche 944

@johnangerson

Shot on Portra 160 4x5 sheet film. “An afternoon walk can often bring surprises.” John’s Top Tip: Kodak Portra 160 in any format is incredibly forgiving and the colours never disappoint.

Images 8 - 11

#8 Hector Rivero - Poppy Field in Industrial Park

@hectorrezno

Shot on Portra 160 35mm. “This is the first reel I tried of Portra 160 and it was 18 years expired! I shot it at ISO 100 and the result… it managed to create an incredible dreamy atmosphere during a sunset in this poppy field that was hidden in an industrial park.” Hector’s Top Tip: I don't usually shoot expired film, but Portra 160 was the best I have ever tried even after 18 years.

#9 Anthony Highet - Contemplation

@anthonyrobertuk

Shot on Portra 160 120. “I Iove the colour tones and the transition between the bright background and the subject that you get with Portra 160. The tolerance of this film in high contrast situations like this is excellent.” Anthony’s Top Tip: Portra 160 has extraordinary exposure latitude so don't be afraid to experiment and make mistakes. Push it to 320 ISO for a touch more contrast to add a bit more pop to your images.

#10 Luke Henrys - Higger to Heather

@grainforecast

Shot on Portra 160 120. “The foreground rocks and the purple heather pop.” Luke’s Top Tip: Make sure to give it plenty of light! It doesn't handle underexposure well.

#11 Isaure Leroy-Avy - Les Gondeles a Venise

@isaureleroyavy_

Shot on Portra 160 35mm. “To take this photo, I used my mother’s old Canon point and shoot, not expecting much from it. When I received it from the lab, I was astonished by how the gondolier stands out in front of the misty and sunny background.” Isaure’s Top Tip: No matter what camera you use, Portra 160 will always give beautiful results: vivid colours, crisp contrasts, and a beautiful Portra feel!  

Images 12 - 15

#12 Steve Malpass - The Many Colours of Wheat

@stevemalpass

Shot on Portra 160 35mm. “I loved the colours of this field of wheat (blue, green, red). I'm used to only seeing wheat brown and dried as food!” Steve’s Top Tip: I found Portra 160 to be a fantastic, versatile film, much like 400. I would use it in all seasons on a bright day. Great skin tones too.

#13 Billy Evans - Shipwrecked

@billyevaans

Shot on Portra 160 120. “I enjoy the contrast of the wrecked ship with the funicular railway being repaired by scaffolding. A contrast of old vs new.” Billy’s Top Tip: The highlights when overexposed are ethereal!

#14 Emma Georgina - Last Days of Summer

@atoms_to_stars

Shot on Portra 160 35mm. “It was my first time shooting this speed of film in lower light and I was surprised how well the Portra 160 did in the fading light of sunset versus bright daytime light - and how it captured details of the golden glow of the sun on the water.” Emma’s Top Tip: Try shooting a speed such as 160 that you may not normally consider using during the fading light of sunsets and the low light of blue hour - exposed correctly it can give lovely fine definition in the clouds and sky and brings out beautiful colours.

#15 Andrea Bieri - Vernazza by Night

@analogue.andrea

Shot on Portra 160 35mm. “I like the atmosphere, lights and colours”

Images 16 - 20

#16 Joshua Daoud - San Francisco

@joshuawcurran1992

Shot on Portra 160 35mm. “I like how the colour of the trees were captured and also how the log line in the middle of the photo seems to never end.” Joshua’s Top Tip: I would say that when shooting with Portra, my images that I took in bright light scenes came out a lot better than those in dark scenes.

#17 Yamit Kfir - A Peaceful Evening

@yamitis_gallery

Shot on Portra 160 35mm.

#18 Ashley Kneebone - Playing Catch on the Beach

@amethystgrains

Shot on Portra 160 35mm. “This shot was a bit of an experiment with panorama and people as I tend to shoot landscapes more, but I am glad I came out of my comfort zone.”

#19 Justin Walker - Bird

Shot on Portra 160 120. “I loved capturing the birds' glance into the camera after chasing it around.” Justin's Top Tip: Portra 160 likes light.

#20 Cal Crick - Lighthouse

Shot on Portra 160 35mm. “I like the contrasting light and tonal ranges between the different parts of the image."

Thank you so much to everyone who took part in our Kodak Summer Competition this year! The standard and variety of entries was incredible and we look forward to following along on each and every one of your journeys with film photography. Hopefully, more of you will look to shoot the wonderfully versatile film that is Portra 160 since seeing the fantastic images it can create, too. 🙌

Keep an eye out for details on our next competition in partnership with Andy Church from Kodak Moments! In the meantime, browse our collection of Kodak film and happy shooting. 📷