One of the most fun aspects of film photography today is the room for experimentation. Pushing film stocks, for example, never fails to tickle the experimental side of film photographers. Among the recent ones who gave it a try is Jason Kummerfeldt of grainydays, who pushed Kodak Portra 800 by one stop. If you’re also curious about how he shot it and what his results are like, make sure to watch his video above from start to finish!

Kodak Portra 800 sits on the top tier of film stocks preferred by portrait and wedding photographers for its pastel tones, low grain, and superb low light performance. “What more can you ask for?” as Jason said. However, if you’re curious about making it go faster — like ISO 1600 — pushing it one stop is worth a try. As Jason also mentioned, this film stock is actually a great candidate for this experiment due to its “relative flat profile and good low light sensitivity.”

So, he put it to the test with a Hasselblad XPan and took some photos around dusk. Essentially, by shooting the film as if it has a higher ISO, Jason underexposed it. He also explained a scenario where this practice would totally sense. If your camera meter is giving a slow shutter speed reading, you might want to push the film to bump up the shutter speed to counter potential camera shake.

So, what do you think of Jason’s results? Have you also tried pushing Kodak Portra 800 and got great photos? Tell us about your experience and results in the comments below, or in our group discussion if you’re already part of the Photofocus Community!