Film Grain and Image Aesthetics

Grain is present in all film, but as grain size relates directly to film speed, the rule is: when going for the finest grain choose the slowest film speed possible and, conversely, when looking to enhance grain choose a high-speed film. The "possible" in the low grain rule takes lighting conditions and whether or not you're working with a tripod into consideration.

This grainy rendition was created by exposing Tri-X 400 at ISO1600 and "push-processing" (extending development time) the film using D-76 at full strength (no dilution). This resulted in a dense negative that was then printed using a #3 grade paper. The background was extensively "burned in" during printing. Torrey Pines Beach, 1988, Tri-X 400 exposed and push processed to ISO1600.

        

Today there are both “normal” (random grain placement) and T (for tabular) grain films. Tabular means the grains are “cloned” to be consistent throughout the emulsion. While this may seem academic, T grain films have a “smoother” look overall when printed, while “normal” grain films have a more “photographic” look associated with them. For example, you can get Tri-X 400 or T-Max 400, the latter having grain structure that is somewhat smaller and more light efficient than the grains found in the older emulsion formulations. While these T-grain films do offer finer grain in equivalent speeds when compared to the older formulations, the faster T-grain films are still grainier than slower T-grain films.

Some photographers do everything possible to reduce grain in their images--they shoot with the slowest speed films; they keep developing times to a minimum; they enlarge on low-contrast papers; and use so-called "fine-grain" developers. (Use of these developers usually means the loss of a portion of the speed at which you rate the film.)

Other photographers go the opposite route, and do whatever possible to enhance grain for graphic effects. You can boost grain by shooting with the fastest film available; by overdeveloping film (within reason); and by printing on high-contrast papers (or multi-contrast papers that allow you to change the grade by filtering the enlarger light: for example, a magenta filter for higher contrast.). Another way to enhance or smooth grain is to choose between a condenser or "diffusion" enlarger, the latter yielding a smoother grain look. As the visual effect of grain is linked to the degree of enlargement (magnification), some photographers either enlarge their prints to huge sizes, or take small portions of the frame and enlarge that section (cropping) to increase the image magnification even further.

Smooth grain images result from using a moderate speed film or inherently fine-grain film like T-Max, developing for lessened time, being careful not to overexpose, and printing on a #2 or lower grain using a diffusion head enlarger. This scene was photographed in 1989 on T-Max 400 with exposure biased towards the highlights. The film was developed in T-Max developer at 30 seconds less than the recommended developing time with 1-minute agitation intervals.

Most photographers do not get obsessed with grain, as long as it doesn't get in the way of visual communication. There is a school, however, that expresses the opinion that grain is an inherent characteristic of the "photographic" image, and that emphasizing grain, or not being too concerned when grain becomes evident, stamps an image as eminently "photographic." Grain is also used by photographers to add a nostalgic, mysterious or even ominous note to an image.

The best way to discover ways to enhance or diminish grain is to test various film/exposure/development combinations. For example, shoot a few rolls of Tri-X and do a “ringaround” of exposure, changing ISO and even exposure compensation as you shoot. (In other words, make images in low and moderate contrast light, both of the same scene, and bracket both ISO and settings, say by one to two stops of exposure and setting ISO at 200, 400 and 800 ISO.) Do this with a few rolls and develop one in a fine grain developer (which, as mentioned will have you rating Tri-X 400 at maybe 200 or 320) and one in a more active developer such as D-76, diluting 1:1 and 1:2 with water.

After development make contact sheets and then pick a few images that are over, under and well exposed. Enlarge a few frames to a minimum of 8x10", and use a loupe to help “predict” the resultant look of the grain on future frames shot at the same settings.

Once you have done this, make notes for your future field work. These notes will become your “grain” diary and will help you make choices for various subjects, scenes, and settings, and create just the right degree of expressive grain for your work. That way you will “stamp” or embed each roll of film, making the frame an “original” that truly records your mood and aesthetics of the moment you snapped the shutter.

Note: Pushing (through development) and rating ISO 400 film at ISO 1000 and above will certainly yield more grain. You can also punch up grain by developing any film in a highly-active developer, such as a paper print developer, for about 1.5 minutes. This will yield a very dense, but printable, negative that has "popping" grain.

Customizing Black-and-White Film Processing: The Ringaround Test

The processing instruction sheet packed with most film tells you to develop for, say, 8&1/2 minutes at 68-degrees F. It outlines an agitation schedule and advises on adjusting times for variations in temperature. Though following these guidelines should yield printable negatives, they don't necessarily result in optimum negatives for each person or more importantly for each type of scene. In some cases, the times and temperatures given are an average, and only through testing can you arrive at what's best for you. Also, everyone's in-camera meter or handheld meter--and way of reading light--is different. 

Coupled with idiosyncrasies in processing, such as faster or slower agitation, is the fact that some thermometers aren't totally accurate; also, chemical mixing may be off, with dilutions varying as much as +/- 10%. The result is that two people may shoot the same scene with the same film, and develop in essentially the same way, and still get slightly different looking negatives. Though following procedures strictly is one way out of this problem, you may also have to modify your developing technique to get the most printable negatives for your style of printing. Before we examine a way to gain this personal touch, let's get one thing straight: there's no sense getting involved with your own printing unless you handle your own negative developing.

Below: Hong Kong Market, 1976. Tri-X 400. Exposure: Spot reading on highlights, +1.5 stop compensation. Processing: D-76 1:1, 8 minutes (-25% recommended), 30 second agitation cycle.

                                   

 Personalizing Negatives

The first step in gaining control over your negatives is knowing the look of the negative you want to produce. Some printers like dense negatives (slightly overdeveloped and/or overexposed), while others prefer thin negatives (slightly underexposed and/or underdeveloped.) This preference has to do with a number of factors, including the type of light source you print with (generally, printing with a condenser type head means you'll go for thinner negatives, while denser negatives are preferred by those using a cold light head); what a favorite negative looks like (by accident, one negative prints perfectly for you; though you can't put your finger on what made it happen, you know you want to have it happen again); and the feeling a negative imparts to a print (this may have to do with contrast, but it also can be the grain or the amount of detail in shadow areas.)

All these preferences are valid, but they are too often a subjective matter, one that can't be quantified or qualified by graphs and charts. The point is to be able to reach your goal consistently, and be able to produce the kind of negative you want without having to resort to luck. This can be accomplished by running a few tests, and then sticking to a technique you'll follow again and again.

Givens: Stick to the Plan

The first given in this procedure is that you'll stay with a set time and temperature: we do this to cut down on the number of variables in film development. Then we'll use a certain way of reading exposures. For example, if you read through-the-lens (TTL), with a handheld incident meter, or with a spot meter, stick with it; if you meter highlights and shadows and average, spot meter shadow or highlight readings and compensate, or allow your in-camera autoexposure meter to average readings, keep it the same throughout.

Once you've set up your “house” rules you can begin to make subtle changes in film processing. 

Agitation, Pours, and Dilution

While it's known that agitation can have an effect on film development, it's not generally understood that the fashion in which film is agitated can result in thinner or denser negatives. Some agitate gently, while others shake film cans as if they're mixing a martini. Some may use drums mounted on electric rollers, while others agitate every 30 seconds or once a minute. Again, stick to your method, but understand that changing it slightly can have an effect on results.

Removing chemistry from a film developing tank after each step is done in various ways--some people start their pour 15 seconds before the end of each step, others wait until the total developing time is elapsed. If you wait until time is expired you're actually adding from 10 to 30 seconds developing time. There's no right or wrong here--we're just interested in controlling the process. Be consistent.

The same goes for developer dilution--some dilute 1:1 for more even tones (or whatever your developer solution requires), while others use a lower dilution ratio than suggested for the added "punch" it gives negatives. Stick with a dilution time after time until you find out how it alters the look of the image; try another if you're dissatisfied.

Once you've lined up all your procedures, and made sure that you follow them consistently, you're ready to begin a test that will help you determine how to apply your personal disciplines to getting the best results from your film. You'll need three rolls of film and developing tools and chemicals.

Below: White Sands, 1982, Kodak Plus-X, shot at ISO 100. Exposure: f/11 at 1/500 second, spot reading on highlight with +1 exposure compensation. Developed in D-76 1:1 for 8 minutes, 30 second agitation cycle.

Film Test: Ringarounds

Load your preferred film in your camera and set the meter at the film's rated speed--ISO 400, for example. Find a scene, or set one up, that has a 5-stop brightness range. For example, use a scene with f/4 for a shadow reading and f/16 for a highlight, with all tones in between. Don't pick a high-contrast scene where you have a bright highlight and deep shadow. Set the shutter speed so that the "correct" (or averaged) exposure is f/8. (Thus, if the meter reads f/5.6 at 1/500 sec, alter the balance to get a reading of f/8 at 1/250 sec.) Do this with three rolls of film. On each roll make three five-stop brackets of the scene; shoot one set at ISO 100, one at the normal setting of ISO 400 and the last at ISO 1600. In other words, shoot a series at f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11 and f/16 at ISO 100, 400 and 1600. This is your exposure ringaround.

Load each onto a separate reel. Develop one roll in your normal fashion, with whatever time, temperature and dilution you normally use. Develop the next roll at 50% over your normal developing time, then the last roll at 30% less than your normal time. Keep time, temperature and agitation cycle constant throughout. In other words, if your normal time is 10 min, develop roll #2 at 15 min and roll #3 at 7 min. After the negatives are dry, make contact sheets (on a “normal” or #2 grade paper or by using a variable contrast #2 filter) of each set or simply check the negatives with a loupe.

Study the negatives and/or contact sheet; find the negative that has the richest tonal range, with detail in the shadow areas and controlled, printable highlights. Once you've chosen the negative, note where it appears on the ringaround and see how it was obtained.

Judging Results and Making Adjustments

If the prime negative was of the averaged reading developed normally, then your technique is right on target and you can go on your merry way. But if the prime negative is, say, the averaged reading negative developed plus 50%, then you've got some adjusting to do. Adjustments can be made in either your camera meter setting or your developing time. Let's say that the best negative is obtained at the f/5.6 setting with normal developing time--in this case, you can rate the ISO 400 film at EI 200 when using your metering system. Don't be afraid of "fooling" the camera--all you're doing is recalibrating your system for optimum results.

Or, if your best results were obtained with the plus 50% developing time at the f/11 setting you can adjust your meter to EI 800 for an ISO 400 film and adjust developing times accordingly. After you've made the necessary adjustments, refine the test even further by shooting a few rolls of everyday scenes at the new settings and developing times. You may end up clipping a few seconds of the time, or changing your meter setting by 1/3 or 1/2-stop (changing ISO is the easiest way to do this.)

Each camera/metering system you own should be subjected to this test, as each one represents a variable. However, if your results are really out of whack have the unit serviced. No amount of fine tuning can make up for a truly faulty system. Also, you can change results somewhat by going from a once a minute to a 30 sec agitation cycle (this increases developer activity); adding a degree or two to solution temperature; or switching to a different dilution. Whatever you do, be consistent.

Below: West River, 1982, Tri-X at ISO 320. Exposure: f/8 at 1/125 second, CWA metering, no exposure compensation. Developed in D-76 1:1 for 8 minutes, 1 minute agitation cycle.

                             

One side benefit of this test is that it can open your eyes to how negatives can be manipulated with time and exposure variations. You may find yourself having very strong feelings about a particular scene and decide to expose and develop it accordingly. The test will give you a reference catalog of all the variables and their consequences. You'll see negatives that are overexposed and overdeveloped, underexposed and overdeveloped, underexposed and underdeveloped, and so forth. This can also become a guide for tracing mistakes and problems. In any case, knowing the procedures that will give you the negatives you need gives you a real sense of control over your photography.

Roll and Sheet Film

Note that these procedures are easily done when using sheet film, as you can customize processing and settings for each frame. On roll film my procedure was to have one camera for "normal" contrast and one for high-contrast scenes. (I even swapped film mid-roll at times using a changing bag or simply finished a roll in the same general lighting conditions.) 

Be Consistent to Get Consistent Results

Everyone is an individual, and each person's technique should be a tool, rather than a hindrance in expressing that singular vision. By customizing your procedures and shooting for your individual tastes you'll be getting the most out of every situation. There's no need to have every piece of equipment you own calibrated, or to make graphs and charts of developing curves, but you need to be consistent and know the consequences of your actions. If you follow this course you'll gain the most photographic freedom and produce the best possible negatives for your printing.