Hello, I once saw a great 30x40 B&W print in an exhibition. What particularly struck me upon inspecting the print closer was the very large grain. I could clearly see the large (hexagonal?) pieces of grain. It was as if a large amount of "tiles" of grain had been spread out on the paper. Since then I have always wondered how the photographer did that.

Does anybody know how to get this large grain?

All Ilford and Kodak films are available for me. My standard developer is ID-11 but I could also use Dektol. Unfortunately I won't be able to use any Agfa product. (FWIW, I have 1.5 years of B&W experience and I have my own darkroom)

Thank you very much for any help in advance.

Kind Regards, omar

-- Omar Ozenir (omar.ozenir@turkcell.com.tr), December 28, 1999

Answers

Not surprisingly, it's basically a matter of film choice/speed and development, plus negative size vs. print size.

If Kodak still makes it, Recording Film - with a standard speed of 1000, this was the 1950s version of TMax P3200 - is famous for producing big "pointallistic" grain (especially when pushed a stop or two). Failing that, you're stuck with 400-speed old-tech films like Tri-X and HP5. (There's no point in using the newer TMax or Delta films - they're totally engineered for fine grain!) The trick with getting mega-grain with these films is, once again, exposure speed and development.

Tri-X or HP5 shot at 1600 and (over)developed in straight D-76 (or ID- 11) for TWICE the standard time will give you some grain. You can also go further and up the speed and development even more - go ahead and experiment. Another thing to try is harsher-working developers: old sheet-film developers like Kodak DK-50 yield pretty grain results with smaller-format films; print developers like Dektol should also produce mega-grain. (I have no clue what kind of developing times to use for prints developers with film, though - maybe somebody else can help with this.)

Also, agitate the heck out of your film during development. While the new-tech films flourish with even constant (machine-style) agitation, the older films will definitely show more pronounced grain. Agitate violently and as much as you can stand to - that should promote some grain.

Another approach is to blow up your negative more. Try shooting with a subminiature camera like a Minox, or an Olympus Pen half-frame 35mm - or just simulate it by using only a fraction of the full frame. A quarter of a 35mm frame is roughly equivalent to a Minox negative, and this will yield grainy 8x10s even with a fine-grain film: with something like pushed Tri-X, you'll get grain like cannonballs!

And while you're busy breaking the rules, try for partial or full reticulation by using radically different solution temperatures: a 20- degree hotter water rinse between the developer and fixer, a much colder fixer, a final wash in hot water, etc. While full reticulation isn't grain, per se, it can still create an interesting image full of jagged transitions.

Basically, have some fun breaking the rules and experimenting!

-- Michael Goldfarb (mgoldfar@mobius-inc.com), December 28, 1999.

Kodak used to make a 120 film called Royal-X Pan with a nominal EI of 1000. I don't know if it is still available, but it had very large grain. You might also try developing the film you choose in Rodinal, which has no solvent action and will not reduce grain size.

-- Ed Buffaloe (edbuffaloe@unblinkingeye.com), December 28, 1999.

You can get large grain out of Tmax if you push it like crazy. I have been successful with Tmax 400 at 1600, developed in Xtol 1:2 for 25min.

Shoot with a wide angle lens, and then crop down to the very center portion, and enlarge that. I use an Olympus Pen-F, and there is no way I am giving up 1/2-frame and Ilford Universal 400.

-- Brian C. Miller (brianm@ioconcepts.com), December 28, 1999.

My choice: HP5+ (35mm) at EI 1000 developed 12 to 16 min. in Microphen, agitation 6 sec. per min.

-- Thies Meincke (meincke@uni-hamburg.de), December 29, 1999.

I second that Rodinal (not very dilute) gives great grain with overdevelopment of any conventional fast film - TriX, FP5, Fuji 400 etc. Films made in Eastern Europe are better still: Forte, MacoPhot etc.

Sakari

-- Sakari Makela (sakari.makela@koulut.vantaa.fi), December 29, 1999.

My choice for large grain: TMY in Tmax Developer. Exhibits large oval grain enlarged to 8x10 from 35mm negative. No pushing or overdevelopment needed.

-- Paul Klingaman (pklingaman@hotmail.com), December 29, 1999.

I have had luck using trix developed in Decktol- yes Decktol. Giveit a try. Good luck Tim

-- Tim Harrington (xerox14221@mail.com), January 05, 2000.

The results you're describing definitely sound more like reticulation than true grain to me. Basically, reticulation is when the gelatin of the emulsion wrinkles up microscopically.

As Michael Goldfarb has suggested you can produce it deliberately by dunking the film from a hot solution into a cold one (or an alkali bath into an acid one). Results aren't very predictable though. Your best bet is to experiment with some blank film, and when you get the desired effect, use it to "sandwich" print the reticulation onto the required negative.

Modern emulsions are very tough and quite resistant to even deliberate reticulation. You might need to soften the emulsion in a 2 to 5% Sodium Hydroxide (Caustic Soda) bath first.

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), January 26, 2000.

Try TMZ @ EI 1600 and develop in Dektol straight or 1:1 for 5 minutes @ 68 deg.

-- Steve Wiley (wiley@mail.accesshub.net), January 24, 2001.

Alas, Kodak no longer makes Royal-X pan or 2470 recording film. Tri- X plus Dektol or Tmax 3200 in dektol or Rodinol produce good grain. Even easier -- shoot with a much wider angle lens than you want for the image and enlarge the center portion only.

-- John Lehman (al7jj@yahoo.com), January 25, 2001.