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Black and white high key image of paperbark branches extending outwards and upwards above a creek.
Holding a film processing reel with a recently developed test negative using the Step Wedge for Testing Film Speed
2 negatives side by side comparison, same film, exposure, subject, but different development times. Left hand side neg with R09 stand development, the right hand neg has normal development and agitation. The right hand negative is considerably denser in the bright parts of the image.
Photo of a sealed developing tank sitting in a water bath to reduce temperature fluctuations during development
Canning River Misty Morning urban river in mist at dawn surrounded by remnant West Australian bushland of flooded gums, paperbarks, and swamp sheoaks
  1. Black and white high key image of paperbark branches extending outwards and upwards above a creek.
  2. Holding a film processing reel with a recently developed test negative using the Step Wedge for Testing Film Speed
  3. 2 negatives side by side comparison, same film, exposure, subject, but different development times. Left hand side neg with R09 stand development, the right hand neg has normal development and agitation. The right hand negative is considerably denser in the bright parts of the image.
  4. Photo of a sealed developing tank sitting in a water bath to reduce temperature fluctuations during development
  5. Canning River Misty Morning urban river in mist at dawn surrounded by remnant West Australian bushland of flooded gums, paperbarks, and swamp sheoaks

Stand Development PDF Booklet

$5

Stand Development might be all the rage, but can you measure the actual benefits it may bring to your photographic practice?

How to evaluate Stand Development under your conditions. This is a visual method using a graphic arts step-wedge tablet and is best suited for darkroom printers using diffused light enlarging sources and 4×5 sheet film cameras.

For less than a cup of coffee, a downloadable 23-page reference guide to Stand Development. It can be kept on file or conveniently on your phone.

 

What is Stand Development?

2 negatives side by side comparison, same film, exposure, subject, but different development times. Left hand side neg with R09 stand development, the right hand neg has normal development and agitation. The right hand negative is considerably denser in the bright parts of the image.
Stand development at left vs normal-1 development and agitation at right
If by chance you have not heard of stand development, it involves using a highly dilute developer with minimal agitation and long processing times. Initially, it may sound like a great recipe for a film-developing disaster. But you might be surprised at the results and potential benefits. Now there are plenty of online forums spruiking stand development. They have even gone as far a coining the term modified stand development. But there is little information giving objective measurements. So, I thought I’d explore stand development to see if I could quantify its effects using my own materials and procedures. I conducted a series of simple film density tests designed to see what happens to the light and dark parts of the negative respectively. This popular article has been recently revised and now includes a section on troubleshooting. It is now available as a convenient downloadable PDF file that you can keep on file or mobile, so it can be referred to easily. You can help support this website by purchasing the booklet for less than a cup of coffee (AUD$5 ).  

Table of Contents

  • What is Stand Development? 4
  • What I Found Was Impressive 5
  • The Problems With Reduced Development 5
  • Treading Where Others Have Gone Before 6
  • How Does Stand Development Work? 6
  • What Do Stand Development Negatives Look Like? 7
  • Using Step Wedges For Tonal Comparison 8
  • Test 1 Continuous Agitation Normal Development LC29 at 10 min 9
  • Test 2 Stand Development LC29 at 30 min 9
  • Test 3 Stand Development FOMA R09 at 30 min 10
  • Test 4 Continuous Agitation N-2 Development LC29 at 6 min 11
  • Visual Check for Print Values 11
  • Comparison of the High Values 12
  • Comparison of the Low Values 13
  • Summary 15
  • Troubleshooting 16
  • Use Sufficient Volumes 16
  • Calculating Film Developer Capacity 17
  • Pre-Soaking Film 18
  • Uneven Edge Development 19
  • Bromide Drag 20
  • Air Bells and Film Reel Contact 21
  • Temperature Control. 22
  • References 22
  • Questions and Comments 23