Fujifilm Recipe - Better Call Saul Leiter

Saul Leiter's photography is known for its vibrant color, soft contrasts, and a painterly quality, often using reflections, rain, and cityscapes. I have been working on a Fujifilm recipe inspired by his unique style. While his work is mainly shot on film, particularly Kodachrome and Ektachrome, this recipe aims to replicate his soft tones, rich but muted colors, and a slight vignette effect for that vintage yet timeless look.

Here’s a starting Fujifilm recipe inspired by Saul Leiter's style:

Fujifilm Recipe Inspired by Saul Leiter

Film Simulation: Classic Chrome (also worth experimenting with Eterna Bleach or Neg Classic)
- Classic Chrome provides a muted, retro look with rich colors but not overly saturated, just like the tones in Leiter’s work.
Dynamic Range: DR100
- A normal dynamic range setting keeps contrast under control, as Leiter’s images often have soft contrast and subdued highlights.
White Balance: Auto, Red +1
- This slightly warms up the image, giving it a nostalgic feel, which works well for capturing the vibrancy of colors, while keeping it realistic like Saul Leiter’s urban scenes.
Highlight Tone: -2
- Lower highlights help to prevent any harsh whites, maintaining the soft and painterly light found in his photos.
Shadow Tone: -1
- Reduces the deep shadows slightly, creating a softer transition between light and dark areas.
Color: -2
- A slight decrease in color saturation results in a more muted look, as Saul Leiter often used colors in a subtle yet striking way.
Sharpness: -1
- Softens the image a bit to give it a more organic, less clinical feel.
Noise Reduction: -4
- This setting adds a bit of texture, mimicking the grainy quality of older film, which is consistent with the timeless feel of Saul Leiter’s work.

Additional Tips for Creating the Saul Leiter Look:

Embrace Reflections: If possible, try to find reflective surfaces (like windows or puddles) to add depth and interest to your shots, a technique Saul Leiter often used.
Shoot in Soft Light: Aim for cloudy or overcast days or shoot early/late in the day to capture softer, more diffused light that complements the overall feel of his images.
Focus on Composition: Leiter often used framing to emphasize layers in a scene—look for window frames, doorways, and urban elements that help you create interesting compositions.
Experiment with Blur: Some of Leiter's images have a dreamlike quality with areas that are intentionally blurred, so you might want to experiment with shallow depth of field or focus on capturing scenes through glass or mist.