The Beauty Of 35mm Tri-x

I have really come to love the beauty of 35mm Tri-x negs, for a few years I lost my way and forgot about the power of this format and film but now I am back on the right track. Modern digi cameras have a a great tonal range, sharpness and clarity to their images but there is something really special to a 35mm Tri-x film neg made with a high quality lens like on a Leica rangefinder body. The grain and tonality is very unique and can be very effective in making the image sing the song you want it to. The defined edge of the grain even thou parts or all of the shot might be out of focus gives a feeling of imagined sharpness to it, sort of the illusion of some sharpness. The grain, tonality, contrast of the prints can also create a feeling of place like no other, it can make (change) the world you shot in. Photographs made with this film and format size  can communicate in a unique and powerful individual way.

This week at work I am studying all my 35mm b/w photographer books, Eugene Richards, Sebastiao Salgado, Joseph Koudelka etc. I hope to be able to make some strong work next month using the wonderful Leica rangefinders along with Tri-x. I am very excited about the possibilities to tell important stories.

I want to try printing 20x24 photographs from 35mm negs on my return from Asia, I did one print that size a few years ago for a collector but it is not the norm for me. I think the power of the grain and the large size print could be very strong, I will be printing more 20x24 photographs from Tri-x 35 in the future.