Where has the grain gone?

[Donald Miller]

Cheryl,
Once again, this is a wonderful image. You have an ability, that I envy, to convey emotion through imagery.

David,

Wonderful image as well. While I sense something totally different then Cheryl's image, your image does convey a sense of mystery irregardless.

I have things to learn from both of you.

 

[Annemarieke]

Cheryl said:

"Honestly, I cringe when I hear people refer to anything having to do with photography in terms of right, wrong, good, or bad. IMO anything can be right, wrong, good, or bad, depending on how it is used. If I'm doing a newborn shoot, with their blotchy skin and hairy backs, I'm probably going to go for grainless and smooth out the textures -- it contributes to the softness of the subject matter.

On the other hand, when I'm shooting kids jumping on a bed with a photojournalistic approach, grain can contribute greatly to the feel I'm looking for. I just did a fashion session in which I photographed a male underwear model in the bathroom of a dilapidated building. The shots were gritty by nature, and I used Tri-X pushed to 6400 to increase that effect"


Cheryl, I couldn't agree with you more.
Anne Marieke

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Thanks, Dave and Don. Dave, I sent you a PM regarding the Double-X.

Shooting this old grainy 35mm film is a lot of fun. It's a totally different practice from what I'm usually doing with B&W in large format, even compared to shooting handheld 4x5". I think of the film as cheap and expendible and quick to process, so I shoot anything that catches my eye and ask questions later, as it were.

Since this was on the streets of Manhattan, I wouldn't likely have had time to set up the 8x10" camera quickly enough to catch this bit of a skywritten advertisement for some insurance salesman or real estate broker before it faded.

Even if I had had my 4x5" Technika ready to shoot handheld, or if I was using T-Max 100 with the same 35mm camera, would it have been a better image without the grain? In retrospect I think the texture turned out to be a kind of unifying formal element.

 

[Cheryl Jacobs]

Garsh, guys, I'm blushing.

 

[David R Munson]

Dead Link Removed
Guy Picciotto of Fugazi. On TMZ at 1600, developed in HC-110

Behlow, detail of the grain...
Dead Link Removed

If I'm photographing with 35mm, I usually like the grain, as I'm more prone to shoot certain subjects in it than in a larger format. I rarely seek out grain specifically for itself, but even more rarely object to its presence in the images where it actually shows up.