JPG: Stories: How To: Painting with Developer

Painting with Developer

By Dawn Derbyshire

8 Feb 2009

I've been using a darkroom since 2001 and am in love with it. Painting with developer is one of the most interesting and creative ways to process photos in the darkroom. I was required to do it for a class a little over a year ago and ended up loving the result so much that I submitted 10 images to a gallery using the same technique. It was fun. It added a whole new element to photography for me. I prefer to splatter the developer, infusing a Jackson Pollock-like action painting method into the regular processing method.

Step:

1 Make a test strip for your chosen image. Just to determine the time. Personally, I like to use high contrast images to add to the abstract look.

2 Process normally.

3 When you have decided on the time, expose your paper as though making a normal print.

4 Apply the developer in certain areas. There are various ways that you can applied developer to the paper. Dabbing or dribbling developer over the exposed paper instead of evenly development of the image in a tray is the most common method. The developer, which can either be used concentrated or diluted, as recommended, can be applied with a range of simple tools. Brushes, bottle spray or a sponge are the more obvious applicators, although there are no set rules for this technique and you are only limited by your imagination. Do not fully submerge in the developer.

5 Rinse in stop bath for one minute.

6 Fix as normal.

This process yields some very creative, original prints. No two prints are the same, and can add a lot of interest to a shot. It also is a good way to add selective focus to a photograph. In addition, it can give a painterly effect, make the photograph more abstract, and gives the photographer the chance to add another creative element to the photographic process.

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