Sharp grain, developer?

[xkaes]

I'm not familiar with that point light source enlarger, but with the point light sources I know about, you have to focus the point light source -- which is a very small bulb -- onto the negative, and only use the lens wide open. For many people, the resulting grain is too intense.

 

[Paul Howell]

That is how they work, a rheostat control the light output. Omega and Bessler made point source heads which were used for the most part for microfiche enlargements. copy. For what ever reason one of the photos in AA's The Print shows a point source head for his Bressler.

 

[xkaes]

For what ever reason one of the photos in AA's The Print shows a point source head for his Bressler.

Maybe Edward Weston lent AA his point light source.

 

[revdoc]

Hi, how to accentuate the grain in the darkroom? I process prints in Dektol and I usually get exactly what I see on the negative.

It's counterintuitive, but you want a dense, low-contrast negative, printed on grade 4 or 5. So overexpose and underdevelop.

A dense negative, because the grain on the print is made by the gaps between the grains in the image. You wants the gaps to be separated, so more density is needed.

Low contrast, because printing at high paper grades makes grain much more obvious.

(If you want a real printing challenge, overexpose and overdevelop. Grain will be a little stronger, but getting a good print at grade 5 will be hard going. This is how Ralph Gibson worked.)

You need to start with grainy film. The choice of developer will make a small difference, but the end result is 90% film choice and 10% developer choice.

Many films with a reputation for grain are actually not very grainy at all. Kodak TMZ and Delta 3200 are the only very grainy films widely available today.

(BTW, I've done this. I know it works.)

 

[MattKing]

Ilford SFX is relatively grainy when exposed normally - without an IR filter.
IIRC, this was developed in HC-110, and scanned from a print:

:

 

[Don_ih]

I'm wondering how can I get similar image by myself

That looks like FX37. Nothing makes HP5 sandy quite like FX37 does.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

5222/Rodinal