I Shot a Roll of Kodak Gold 200 by Joshua Kenneth Oliver

I read an article on this blog recently, it was by Sroyon Mukherjee and he compared the different types of film shooters to Isaiah Berlin’s description of the two ways he feels people relate to the world: Some as a fox whom see it in an all-embracing system, and some as the hedgehog who pursue many ends, even if they contradict each other.

Since I started my film journey a year ago I’ve whole heartedly been the hedgehog, trying over 10 film stocks (not including my beloved expired black and white films). But, and that brings me to the point of this article, in the past month I’ve become as close to the fox as I’ve ever been and it’s partially by accident and coincidence. 

The film that brought me to this point was Kodak Gold 200. Up to the point of when I got my first rolls of Gold 200 back from the Memphis Film lab I was 100% on the Fuji consumer film train from what I’d seen from my personal use and a comparison of Gold vs. Fuji C200.

However when I got my first two rolls of Gold 200 back I fell in love with them just like I did my first ever roll of film, and perhaps part of this may have been I was forced to wait so long for the images. But even more so I believe it was because the film showed the ability to shoot in every sort of instance that I, as someone who likes to shoot all styles and never be put in a box when it comes to photos, put it through.

From beautiful outside daylight in Toronto to Beautiful inside window light in Toronto. But also nighttime in Toronto, and nighttime in New York City, and again in Toronto under ceiling lights. For my personal taste all of these conditions looked as good to my eye as I could have hoped.

I am now planning to buy another 3 pack of Gold for a trip to visit my future home of Austin, Texas. Being a hedgehog I was resistant to this idea at first because I’ve shot, for my standards, so much of it already. However the affordability, and most of all the versatility, of Gold convinced me against my habits (for now).

Joshua Kenneth Oliver

Portrait photographer with an avid love for traveling, connecting, and trying new ideas. My travel inspires my photography and my photography improves my travel.