RecipesDays of Heaven
Terrence MalickNéstor Almendros

Days of Heaven

1978Warm & NostalgicPastel & Soft

The Cinematography

Néstor Almendros, with Haskell Wexler, famously shot Days of Heaven at magic hour, using natural and available light to render the Texas wheat fields in luminous gold and soft silhouette. The result is painterly and diffuse — low contrast, warm skin against darkening skies, and an almost total absence of artificial light. It remains the reference point for natural golden-hour cinematography.

Recipes

Magic Hour Fields
Golden wheat at dusk, soft silhouettes against a warm sky
Film SimulationNostalgic Neg
GrainWeak/Large
Color ChromeWeak
CC FX BlueOff
White BalanceDaylight
WB ShiftR+3 / B-2
Dynamic RangeDR400
Highlight-2
Shadow+1
Color+0
Sharpness-2
Noise Reduction-3
Clarity-3
ISOISO 200–400
Lamplight Interior
Candlelit and lamplit interiors, warm and intimate
Film SimulationEterna/Cinema
GrainWeak/Small
Color ChromeWeak
CC FX BlueOff
White BalanceIncandescent
WB ShiftR+4 / B-3
Dynamic RangeDR400
Highlight-1
Shadow+2
Color-1
Sharpness-1
Noise Reduction-2
Clarity-2
ISOISO 1600–3200
Locust Dawn
Pale, cool first light before the day begins
Film SimulationClassic Chrome
GrainWeak/Small
Color ChromeOff
CC FX BlueWeak
White BalanceDaylight
WB ShiftR+0 / B+2
Dynamic RangeDR200
Highlight-1
Shadow+0
Color-2
Sharpness-1
Noise Reduction-2
Clarity-2
ISOISO 400
Shoot this look

These recipes run on Fujifilm's film-simulation engine — any current X-series body will do. A pairing to start from:

Fujifilm X-S20The lighter, cheaper way in
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