Stand Development

     Among the various black and white film development techniques, I find stand development to be the most flexible choice. To me, the greatest reward is the sheer convenience—not having to micro-manage the timing of every single step is incredibly liberating. Beyond that, the fine grain and sharp details achieved in the final image are deeply pleasing.

For the above image:

135 100Tmax shot at asa100; 5 min. presoak  w/ water & 1 hr. stand development in Rodinal 1+100 solution. No agitation. Scanned in 4800 dpi 16 bit grey tone in Epson V700 & SF.

For the above image:

120 100Tmax shot at asa200; 5 min. presoak w/ water;  2 hr. stand development in Rodinal 1+200 solution; 15 sec. agitation at start only. Scanned in 3600 dpi 48 bit color mode in Epson V700 & SF .

Below are the proper steps for a successful stand development process:

1.Mix the Dilute Developer:Highly Diluted Chemistry.

Prepare your developer at a high dilution ratio, such as Rodinal at 1:100 or HC-110 at Dilution G (1:119). You only need a tiny amount of concentrated chemical syrup mixed with water to fill your tank.

2.Initial Agitation:First 30 to 60 Seconds.

Pour the mixed developer into the tank. Agitate continuously for the first 30 to 60 seconds using gentle inversions or the tank's twisting paddle. Rap the tank firmly on the counter a few times afterward to dislodge any trapped air bubbles.

3.The Stand:60 Minutes (Untouched).

Set the tank down on a flat, level surface and leave it completely undisturbed for one hour. If you are worried about uneven development or streaks, you can opt for semi-stand by giving the tank one or two very gentle inversions exactly at the 30-minute mark.

4.Stop, Fix, and Wash:Standard Completion.

Once the hour is up, pour out the exhausted developer. Follow with your standard stop bath (or a thorough water rinse), fix the film according to your fixer's standard timing, and finish with a final wash and a drop of wetting agent before hanging it to dry.

(Heads up: whether one choose to pre-soak or do the agitation somewhere during the process are totally up to each individual and his/her experience and artistic preference, there's no hard principle here. Continue exploring and testing are the most rewarding  experience for an enthusiast)