19/09/2026
Some images I shot in the 1990s, on the legendary Fuji Velvia slide film. If you've ever worked on scanned slide film you'll know that there is almost no latitude for adjusting them, so this is pretty much how these images looked when they came back from the lab and I put them on the lightbox for the first time.
Fuji Velvia was renowned for its beautiful rich colours and contrast. In the pre-digital age it was as punchy a look as you could get and was the default choice for landscape and travel. Also with slide film the image was finished for good or bad, when the shutter was released - no post processing, no shadows and highlights sliders, no masks or exposure blending. Dynamic range was really limited and graduated NDs were essential for landscape work.
For a couple of years after moving to digital I actually chased that Velvia look in post which is kind of funny to look back on now, but it was hard to let go of that instantly pleasing and finished look. Obviously not everyone could move on. When Fuji stopped making it I was able to sell my leftover rolls which were years out of date for twice what I had paid for them. Fuji reintroduced it around 2007 and as far as I know it is still made in small, intermittent batches.
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