What film/developer to push at 1600. I'm looking for a particular style.

I dont know where people think this grain is going to come from shooting delta,or the developer is irrelevant or exposure is irrelevent. Exposure, developer and film all control grain....

As Ko says get some cheap 400 and hammer it and see where you are.

Moriyama is a beautiful,crazy,visionary and relentless explorer - this look isnt just darkroom work -its the whole chain.

The 'style' was popular with some photographers in the US fifty years ago. One of the more famous was Ralph Gibson. I believe his technique is given in "Darkroom" Copyright 1977 by Lustrum Press, Inc. But then it was forced by slow film speeds and traditional emulsions. Over exposed Tri-X and over development in Rodinal was also popular.

Gerald C Koch said:

The 'style' was popular with some photographers in the US fifty years ago. But then it was forced by slow film speeds and traditional emulsions. Under exposed Tri-X and development in Rodinal was popular.

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Exactly! Nobody did that on purpose.

Gerald C Koch said:

The 'style' was popular with some photographers in the US fifty years ago. But then it was forced by slow film speeds and traditional emulsions. Under exposed Tri-X and development in Rodinal was popular.

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yes exactly. people like william klein appear to have had a great influence on many young 1960s japanese photographers who ran with it and created their own movement based on grain and blur. Like you say underexposure and rodinal is a very good jumping off point as it will grain up a fast 35mm very nicely and is nice and easy trick to do. Some of these guys seemed to be able to play with grain like a "classical"photographer can play with smooth tonal transitions or what have you and thats where it gets more complicated but if OP has rodinal and a cheap fast film then one stop underexposed is a very good entry point in my opinion. If rodinal isnt available to OP then its worth experimenting with paper developer or maybe suprol if thats available.

Petraio Prime said:

Exactly! Nobody did that on purpose.

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Obviously there is some serendipity involved. But I was thinking of a particular photographer, Rene something. He shot the inbitants in bars and night clubs under poor light. A sort of 'street photography', his photos had the same gritty look.