Show Your Beautiful Grain Technique

[mfogiel]

I love life.

Life is diversity, so is art and broad photography.
I simply like to explore every now and then a new visual approach: film, format, lens or a particular technique, to gain insight if this can enrich the way I record images.

For us, predominantly 35mm shooters, the limitation of the small format can become an asset, if we are willing to assign to grain an aesthetical function.

Here are some nice examples:

Jeanloup Sieff:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41594565@N04/3854956215/in/set-72157622226218841/lightbox/

Ralph Gibson:

http://ozphotoreview.blogspot.com/2012_11_01_archive.html

Jing Huang:

http://media.blog.leica-camera.com/images/99.jpg


But, there is grain and grain... Particularly, things get complicated when you start using scanners, and grain aliasing alters what would be a normal grain appearance under an enlarger.
I scan on Nikon CS 9000, and try to avoid edge sharpening, to eliminate the "unnatural" grain appearance. However, I feel, that what ultimately counts, is simply the result on a print.

I've had interesting results with grain from 3 techniques:

1) APX100 shot at EI 200 with a red filter, and pushed in Rodinal 1+50.
This shot comes from a half frame Pen F:


20103715 by mfogiel, on Flickr

2) Tri X shot at EI 200 and developed in Prescysol EF:


2008050329 by mfogiel, on Flickr

Tri X or Neopan 400 shot on long lenses (! ?), developed in HC 110:


20131123 by mfogiel, on Flickr

Please, share your tips for getting beautiful and well visible grain !

 

[Photo_Smith]

My favourite for what it's worth is Fomapan 400:

Developed in D76 or Rodinal it can be quite grainy, and only gets its ISO speed by using Microphen.

On the whole if I want nice grain I blow up a little larger, I'm not a fan of pepper grain or white grain in darker areas of tone.

One of the best developers for grain was the now deleted Ilford Hyfin which gave even Pan F a gritty look when printed to 12x16" I think it was mainly hydroquinone based.
Another was Paterson Universal print/film developer, contrast and grit at normal development times.
Anyhow interesting theme for a thread, I bet we'll get a few different ideas of nice grain.
I will leave you with an oldie, Kodak Royal X developed in D76

The Kiss by Photo Utopia, on Flickr

 

[Andrea Taurisano]

WOW, how come such an interesting and promising thread has got so little traffic?

I would be very tempted to experiment with different films, developers, pushing etc, but I do the opposite: I stick to one combo that I know reasonably well and gives me predictable results, even if that makes it less exciting. And my combo is Tri-X (or Rollei / Maco RPX400) developed in Rodinal (Adonal) for 10 minutes at 20 degrees. My agitation consists of turning the tank upside down and back, once per second the first 30 seconds of the first minute, and then again the first 10 seconds of each minute.

Tri-X in Rodinal is far from a grain-reducing treatment, but the fact is I love grain so much that I wish I could get even more. Below my typical results.

 

[f16sunshine]

Some very nice images here. I hope we can breath life into this thread.
I also love lovely grain. It was not until I got a Nikon SC50 that I realized one could scan grain nicely. The epson v700 makes Baubles out of grain where the SC50 makes it look as it does in a wet print.

30 Year old Tri-x exposed at 100 and souped in R9 1:100

One I have posted more than once. This image printed shows grain so very nicely. HP5

 

[Andrea Taurisano]

Wonderful images, Andy, and agree that grain as scanned by an Epson scanner isn't quite the same you see on wet prints. But forgive my ignorance, what is Nikon SC50??

 

[Denton]

I love that grain is now an aesthetic, like brush strokes or pencil marks in a drawing. If only LINT could become an aesthetic!
Peace to all for the new year,
Denton

 

[lynnb]

120 HP5+ in XTOL 1:1 12m 20C. V700 scan + LR4. My early experiments with 35mm HP5+ in Rodinal 1:50 were a grain disaster, I was much happier after switching to 120 and using XTOL.

same film/dev combination, again, scanned with V700 and pp in LR4

 

[lynnb]

35mm Fuji Superia 400 C41 with a V700 scan/LR4 bw conversion

 

[MCTuomey]

subscribed - beautiful images here, humbling and inspirational

only older one to share (HP5 in Rodinal) - i plan in 2014 to shoot 35mm film again (been digital for small format for awhile)


Cranbrook200812-01_edited-1 by Mike Tuomey, on Flickr

 

[Keith]

I think from memory this was Adox 100 CHS Art in rodinal ... taken with a 1933 Voigtlander Brilliant.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Neopan 1600 shot at IS01000 and developed in Super Prodol 1:1

 

[lynnb]

jonmanjiro - great results with the Neopan/Super Prodol!

 

[philipus]

I can't say I know much about various film-developer combos but these are Tri-X in HC110 dilutions D and E, respectively. Unfortunately I think both are a bit over-agitated. Both M6TTL and 50 Summilux Asph.

Happy friends | Flickr

Pretty girl at the bar | Flickr

 

[jonmanjiro]

jonmanjiro - great results with the Neopan/Super Prodol!

Thanks Lynn 🙂

 

[benji77]

Great thread!
This should be Delta 400 or TriX rated at 1600, DDX, swirled, not shaken 🙂

 

[benji77]

Acros 100, (120mm), DDX, swirled not shaken too 🙂

 

[Kenj8246]

Can't call it technique, really. Just Neopan 400 in Rodinal 1+50 with 15 sec initial agitation then 5 sec every 2 min. thereafter. Cheers.


Details of Goodnight sculpture by kenj8246, on Flickr


Details of Goodnight sculpture by kenj8246, on Flickr

Kenny

 

[redisburning]

neopan 400 will always be the best to me!

rodinal 1:50

Untitled by redisburning, on Flickr


Untitled by redisburning, on Flickr

 

[Thomas78]

When doing available light photography with 35 mm film, you have to like grain.

Ilford HP5+ at 1600 in DD-X:


Canon7_Canon 50 1,4_03_HP5+ 1600_005 von thomas.78 auf Flickr


Leica III bl_Hektor 73 1,9_03_Ilford HP5+ 1600_022 von thomas.78 auf Flickr


Ilford Delta 3200 in DD-X:


Canon P_Canon 50 1,2_03_Delta 3200_033 von thomas.78 auf Flickr

 

[f16sunshine]

Wonderful images, Andy, and agree that grain as scanned by an Epson scanner isn't quite the same you see on wet prints. But forgive my ignorance, what is Nikon SC50??

Hi Andrea

Thank you for your comment. My images are humble next to your portraits.
The CS50 is also called the Nikon Coolscan V ed. It's a dedicated 35mm film scanner.

Cheers!