Picking up the Minutiae in an Autumn Forests – Kodak TMax 400 (TMY2) in Rodinal

#5 in B+W Film Micro Reviews

Forests, with incredibly fine details, in Autumn on a slightly overcast day presents challenges:

• Rendering incredible amounts of detail requires a very sharp film
• Autumn light is weaker than in the summer, and overcast conditions coupled with tree cover makes reduces available light
• Small apertures are often required to ensure sufficient depth of field

It is as if there is an epic battle. Sharpness is typically associated with slow films. Yet, the ability to use small apertures without a tripod in subdued light requires fast film to realize sufficiently short shutter speeds for hand-held shooting.

What is the solution to the problem? We have no choice but to use a fast film. Any slow film resolution gains will be wiped out by camera shake due to lower than practical shutter speeds. Fortunately there are ways to attain sufficiently high resolution from fast film.

• Use tabular grained films like Kodak TMax 400 or Ilford Delta 400
• Select a sharp developer – like Rodinal

VW – TMY2 @ ISO250, Rodinal 1:50 10′

But what about the grain? Many find Rodinal and high speed films too grainy for most applications. The Volkswagen on the left, taken with TMax 400 developed in Rodinal is certainly sharp, much more so than a developer like XTol. However, the smooth metal surfaces expose rather excessive grain that detracts from the photo. The same will be true for gray skies, peoples faces and just about any smooth surface.

A forest, however, is capable of hiding many things – including grain. There is so much fine details everywhere, and smooth or flat areas tend to be few and far between.

In the photos below, the grain is certainly there, but it is inconspicuous. Furthermore, it is sufficiently sharp.

Fall in Gatineau Park – TMax400 @ ISO320, Rodinal 1+50 11′

Normally, I develop TMax 400 in Rodinal for 10 minutes at 20C. As the day was fairly dull, for the fall forest photos, I increased the development time 1 minute to increase the contrast.

Fall in Gatineau Park – TMax400 @ ISO320, Rodinal 1+50 11′

TMax400 in Rodinal results in extremely sharp images that can be made without the use of a tripod inside a not-so-bright forest. To my eyes, the tonality seems to nicely complement forests.

For photos in this post, exposure and processing information is given below:

Film	Kodak TMax 400 (TMY2)
ISO	250 or 320, depending on the development time.
Developer	Rodinal
Dilution	1:50
Time	10 (ISO250) or 11 (ISO320) minutes
Temperature	20C, 68F
Agitation	5 seconds each minute
Digitization	Scanned with Plustek 8200i, processed in Lightroom and Nik Silver Efex Pro