Tried switching from tank development to stand development for my black and white rolls

Honestly, I been developing my own 35mm for about 5 years now always using a standard tank with agitation every 30 seconds. But last month I tried stand development on a roll of Tri-X where you just let it sit in dilute Rodinal for an hour with barely any stirring. The grain came out way softer and the highlights looked dreamy but my shadows were kinda flat. Tbh I'm torn now - do you guys stick with the old reliable method or lean into the lazy stand technique? Has anyone else switched and regretted it or found it works best for certain films?

2 comments

2 Comments

uma30613d agoTop Commenter

You mentioned the shadows being flat with stand development, and I actually see that as a problem not a feature. I've tried it a few times and always went back to normal tank agitation because I need those shadows to have some punch, especially on Tri-X where the grain is part of the look. Do you find yourself missing the contrast when you go back to your older negatives?

kim.emma12d ago

Used to be on your side completely, thought stand development just gave me muddy shadows and no grain texture... but then I tried it on some really old, overexposed Tri-X and something clicked. Those flat shadows actually saved detail I would've lost with normal agitation, and the grain was still there just softer. Now I split my rolls sometimes - half stand, half normal - depending on the light and what I'm shooting.