The photos in the Target department store are very well done.  How on earth do they get images that large with no evident grain or pixelization?   Is it film or digital?

I would imagine that the images are originally shot with a high-end, medium-format, full-size sensor, digital camera many times today.   Digital costs almost nothing compared to the cost of actual film and getting it processed.  Digital allows you to see the results immediately and to easily retouch the image afterwards after it is selected.  You can also tether the camera so you can see each shot instantly so the wardrobe person can see and make any changes and the art director can see that it fits the needs of the assignment.

By using a full frame digital sensor you do get very little noise/grain.  If you light it right...you also get a good signal to noise ratio so sensor noise is minimized.  By using a very low ISO you also minimize grain effects (iso 50 or 64 or 100 for example).

Some of the newer cameras like the Cannon Mk5IV ans the Nikon 850  (each around 3300 for just the bodies without lenses) are very nice low noise cameras that are fairly well priced.  Several years ago you might buy a high end 36 or 50 megapixel Hasselblad or Phase 1 camera for  maybe $17,000 -$30,000 and get really great low noise and very sharp images.  The larger the sensor is in pixel size...the larger the image can be enlarged without seeing much digital noise.  The 30-50 megapixel image sensors can natively produce 1 to 1 enlargements at approx 20x30 inches, so blowing them up to 3 or 4 times their original size is no problem these days.

A commercial photographer  for Target might have spent $70-80,000 in camera equipment and lenses and lighting fixtures... but his business works with high volume, well paying commercial clients...so he can afford to be paid the bigger budgets. 

I agree, some of the target images in the different departments are very attractive.  They use high quality, high resolution cameras and sensors and lenses and lighting...so their work can easily stand being enlarged to these very large sizes... and they are pros..who can afford the higher end quality cameras...so Target asks them to bid on the jobs.

There is also noise reduction software to remove the noise...and retouchers like you... that can take any visual problems and make them almost disappear with no problem.  Retouching is important on these larger scale images because the problems are so big as well!!

Im sure there are others who also have some very good insights as well...these are just a few factors that would come to mind readily to start with.

Dont we wish we could easily do that kind of large, high quality work easily??  LOL.

As a commercial retoucher, I have worked on many images for 3rd party retailers that go in target and I have worked on many billboards for major retailers. 2 things--professional equipment and lighting to start, generally a Phase One 100 mp camera. Second, good prepress and software that is used by the vendor to scale up for printing larger formats including billboards.