Stand development is a photographic development process where

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

is left in a very dilute developing solution for an extended period of time, with little or no agitation. The technique dates back to at least the 1880s, and results in fine grain, increased perceived sharpness, and smooth tonality, but is time-intensive and runs the risk of producing certain processing defects.

Process

In traditional

film development Photographic processing or photographic development is the chemical means by which photographic film or paper is treated after photographic exposure to produce a negative or positive image. Photographic processing transforms the latent image into ...

, film is processed in concentrated development fluid for a brief period, typically 8 to 12 minutes. During this period the developing fluid is agitated, often by inverting the development tank several times every few minutes. This has the effect of spreading the developing fluid evenly over the surface of the film and preventing localised overdevelopment. Stand development instead uses a very dilute solution of developer, often one part developer to fifty or one hundred parts water. There is almost no agitation beyond initial mixing, and developing times are greatly increased, often an hour or more. A related technique is ''semi-stand development'', which uses a small amount of agitation.

Advantages

Stand development is noted for its perceived sharpness and relative simplicity. The process was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was used by

Eugene Atget Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...

and

William Mortensen William Herbert Mortensen (January 27, 1897 – August 12, 1965) was an American glamour photographer, primarily known for his Hollywood portraits in the 1920s–1940s in the Pictorialist style. Early life Mortensen was born on January 27, 1897, ...

, among others. It has a compensating effect in that the developer exhausts itself in areas which require greater development while remaining active in less-exposed areas, which has the effect of boosting shadow detail while preserving bright highlights. Stand development is also largely insensitive to variations in exposure, and allows for the development of films rated at different speeds in the same batch.

Disadvantages

Without agitation stand development can suffer from ''bromide drag''. The developing process produces

bromide A bromide ion is the negatively charged form (Br−) of the element bromine, a member of the halogens group on the periodic table. Most bromides are colorless. Bromides have many practical roles, being found in anticonvulsants, flame-retardant ...

ions, which settle towards the bottom of the developing tank. In doing so they create streaks of uneven development on the surface of the film.EFKE 25 Stand Development in Rodinal, Martin Zimelka
/ref> In the example to the right the developing fluid has filtered through the sprocket holes of a frame of 35mm film, producing streaks of overdevelopment that would have been masked with more agitation. {{-

References

Stand Development With Rodinal
Photographic processes