Digital BW, The Print

Austin writes:

> The amount of grain really depends on how you expose it,
> and how you develop it.

So I've discovered.

When I first starting using Tri-X again after a decades-long hiatus, I had
it developed at a one-hour lab.  The results seemed terribly grainy and
contrasty.  Turns out the lab uses some sort of hyperaggressive Ilford
chemistry that develops film at lightspeed; the chemistry is matched to
their printing, so their prints from the film look fine, but when you scan
the negatives yourself the result is scary.

Once I discovered this (only just short of giving up on Tri-X, even though I
didn't remember it being _that_ grainy), I started developing it myself.  I
use D-76 straight.  The results are a zillion times better than the one-hour
lab--quite beautiful, really, given my awkward and very casual approach to
lab parameters.  It scans very nicely.

Still, the grain is more than I'd like to see.  Sometimes it looks artsy,
and that's fine, but most of the time I don't want artsy grain, although I
do want the Tri-X response to light.  In 35mm, cropping is not very
practical.  When I shoot TXP in 120 format, though, the results are much,
much nicer, with far less visible grain, nicer tones, and better shadow
detail.  I expose both TX and TXP at the speeds on the box (400 and 320,
respectively).  Always in D-76 straight, at whatever temperature the stuff
is at when I use it (adjusting times appropriately).  The MF TXP _can_ be
cropped within reasonable limits without the grain creeping out from under
the bed to terrify the photographer, although I try not to crop, anyway.

If I want grain-free photos, I shoot Portra 400BW (when I'm lazy, or when I
need Tri-X-like speed) or Technical Pan (when I'm not lazy and when there is
enough light or a tripod).  Technical Pan has a wonderful look of its own,
but Portra tends to be very neutral and sometimes flat in photos with low
contrast, although it performs very well in high-contrast and night shots
(as examples that I have previously shown here illustrate).