Good thoughts, all!
When I finally get around to printing color, I'll likely use existing negatives I have from rolls of Portra400NC, new Portra400, and some Color Plus that I found in a drug store in a hurry.
I'd like to try Ektar sometime before too long, and though I know it's not always easy on portraits, I can accept it for what it is as long as I still get even gradation throughout the faces.
More than anything, I'm trusting the film to deliver texture no matter what... That's obviously easier with portra, but we'll see about Ektar when I get there.
Any thoughts on the nature of the texture in bright skin-tones?
(I agree, most of that is related to exposure