Colour, Grain and the Hourglass

[Nicole]

Grain is like memories through the hourglass. I just love the stuff!

As colour film disappears in the quicksand.... (we'll just ignore that comment for now)

Which colour film have you found to have good saturation (but nice on skin tones) - and lots of wonderful grain?

 

[PHOTOTONE]

The nicest big grain color film I ever used was the very first version of Kodacolor 400. I loved it. The enlargements from 35mm negatives looked like Autochromes. Perfect for vintage looking photos.

 

[DanielOB]

Colors are just not given to photography, it is reserved for other medium. Anyone still can make color pictures, but just within uncontroled snapshoots (no one cannot get full control of colors in photography). However this photography disappering just becose it never belonged to photography.
If you like photography B&W films are the materials it deals with.
Daniel OB

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

If you want color with grain, then THE ultimate is to have Fresson prints made. Atelier Fresson in France is the only place they are made, and they are in such high demand that Atelier Fresson can choose who they print for. If you can get on their list, you'll have the most beautiful prints imaginable with rich toothy grain and subtle, deep color, and absolute archival quality.

http://www.atelier-fresson.com/

Dead Link Removed

 

[eddym]

I used to see PLENTY of grain when I shot Ballet performances on Kodak Supra 400 (later 800) and pushed it to 1600.
But alas, it was not wonderful grain... it was ugly grain.
That's why I stick with black & white grain instead of color. Not much help, I know... sorry.

 

[David Brown]

Colors are just not given to photography, it is reserved for other medium. Anyone still can make color pictures, but just within uncontroled snapshoots (no one cannot get full control of colors in photography). However this photography disappering just becose it never belonged to photography.
If you like photography B&W films are the materials it deals with.
Daniel OB

Wow! Where's Robert Teague when you need him? :rolleyes:

 

[David Grenet]

While this is pure speculation, if you're inclined to experiment chemically you could try deving the colour film in a grain enhancing BW developer, fixing, rehalogenating using a bleach, and then running it through the C41 process.

Alternately, for transparency film it would probably be possible to replace the first dev in e6 with something that would give a lot of grain (it's just a BW dev after all) and see what happens.

Hmm... this has given me some ideas, now if only I had time to play...

 

[DanielOB]

David
If you see Alizarin Crimson, want to reproduce it, and shoot it, what you will get on the paper? Or, how you control e.g. value of color in photography.
Color photography is just colorfull picture and like that interesting to people no mater anything else just because it itself has a value to people (e.g. red sport car). When add composion well nice picture. If dig... camera cannot produce colors no one will ever buy it, and that it actually can make it even fast, is its the only value to people.
Colors are to us atractive quality even messed up colors are just fine. We even assign to colors things like red=love, blue=sky, royals,...
Again you can use color film as many does, but well no real value in it. That works die very fast.
Color photography is always like this: hm, let see how it will turn out. No control.

Daniel OB

 

[jd callow]

I'm not sure if Daniel is saying there are no controls for colour, if he is I'd have to disagree. I have had really good luck getting big grain from portra 800 rated at ~100 and processed with a 2 stop pull. The palette was not saturated at all. This was with the old portra and, Oddly enough, I'll be retrying it with the new portra this week. I don't know of a saturated film that also renders skin well and has big beautiful grain. In chrome film EPT or EPL (both tungsten films) have pretty big grain and do a really nice job on skins, but I wouldn't call them saturated.

 

[Discpad]

Color crossover

Watch out for color crossover when using B&W developers as the first dev in E-6: According to PE, the developer has to have a mild action, so that it penetrates the layers of the film.

Alternately, for transparency film it would probably be possible to replace the first dev in e6 with something that would give a lot of grain (it's just a BW dev after all) and see what happens.

Hmm... this has given me some ideas, now if only I had time to play...

 

[Derek Lofgreen]

Nicole,
I don't know exactly what you are looking for but I have found that kodak e200 pushed a stop or two will produce a nice grain not too much to be offensive like some color grain can be. I sort of liked it but you will have to try for yourself.

good luck.

D.

 

[jd callow]

Nicole,
I don't know exactly what you are looking for but I have found that kodak e200 pushed a stop or two will produce a nice grain not too much to be offensive like some color grain can be. I sort of liked it but you will have to try for yourself.

good luck.

D.

crossprocessed and it has healthy grain and good saturation, but it won't always be pleasing.