Orwo Wolfen NC500
Showing some love to European colour film
I got my hands on a few rolls of Orwo’s NC500 earlier this year, about 18 months after it launched.
By this time, I’d already seen results of people shooting it at box speed. Many photographers were not keen on its muted palette and visible grain.
When I finally loaded up a roll, I wanted to get more saturation and contrast. I decided to shoot it at 800 and ask my lab to push it a stop.
If you shoot film at a higher speed than what’s on the box, it will be underexposed. However, if you ask your lab to push the film, they compensate for this underexposure by developing it for longer, and/or at a higher temperature. The result is more saturation and contrast.
There’s a different vibe to the pushed Orwo images. The reds and greens look fantastic, with the blues a little washed out. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m glad there are different options for film shooters.
I have a couple more rolls of NC500, so I’ll probably end up pushing those too.
Watch on YouTube
See more pushed Orwo NC500 images in my YouTube video.
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