I am interested in artificially adding grain to some of my prints (I use Technical Pan...). Is there some sort of device I can use to add grain to the print of a fine-grained negative? Nylon over the enlarging lens doesn't seem to work...

I have a fair number of old TP negatives which I'd like to see as, well, Delta or TMZ-esque.

-- shawn gibson (shawngibson_prophoto@yahoo.com), May 16, 2000

Answers

Shoot a constant medium-toned image at various exposure settings onto a grainy film. Make a sandwich with your Tech Pan and give it a try.

I've never tried this and wonder if it would hurt the highlights but it would definitely give you some grain.

-- Jim MacKenzie (photojim@yahoo.com), May 16, 2000.

Any kind of a texture screen would have to be sandwiched either with the negative or the paper in the easel. Anywhere in between would just add a general blur. The Curtin and DeMaio _The Darkroom Handbook_ says in their discussion of W. Eugene Smith's procedures that he would move a mesh screen back and forth between the lens and the paper to _soften_ the grain.

-- Paul Harris (pharris@neosoft.com), May 16, 2000.

Get a roll of Kodak Recording Film to use as an overlay. This is the grainiest film that I know of. Scott

-- Scott Walton (scotlynn@shore.net), May 19, 2000.

Shoot B&W copy negatives. Tech Pan's compressed tonal range should come through fine and the grain should be increased (as per the "new" emulsion).

-- John O'Connell (boywonderiloveyou@hotmail.com), May 21, 2000.