I process sheet film in PMK Pyro and use a slightly modified technique from the open tray method suggested by G.H. I put the film into a Tupperware container and for agitation I "pop" the container once real hard every 15 seconds. The technique works very well if the container is large enough (e.g. no film edge over development), and the mess is extremely well contained.

The question is, sometimes I want to use a slighty compensating effect with PMK to boost shadow detail. I've done some experiments but the results are inconclusive. Does anyone have any agitation ideas, or real use case examples of compensating agitation, or compensating PMK ratios without the lose of highligh detail? (I normally use 1:2:100)

TIA - Doug

-- Doug McFarland (junquemail222@yahoo.com), January 02, 2001

Answers

I didn't know you could boost shadow detail with development. I always thought shadow detail was determined by exposure.

-- Don Sparks (Harleyman7@aol.com), January 02, 2001.

By compensating I mean that you specifically use the exhaustion of developer. If the solution is weak, or agitation is minimal, it tends to allow the continued (unexhausted) development of the shadow details while the mid and highlights stop development because the developer becomes exhausted. Called compensating development, AA and others have used this technique. I used to use D23 for a long time as a compensating developer, but it usually fails to fully develop highlights (they get "chopped"). See AA's the Negative, as well as references in J. Sexton's "Listen to The Trees" (I think he lists which negs were compensated at the back of his book).

This method also can produce a higher level of film fogging - especially evident with developers such as D23.

-- Doug McFarland (junquemail222@yahoo.com), January 02, 2001.

Sometimes PMK is subject to uneven development when there is insufficient agitation, though I did a semi-stand development with it once with no problems. Generally, though, I would not classify it as a compensating developer. However, pyrocatechin-based developers are known for their extreme compensating effects. Ansel gives a formula in THE NEGATIVE that I have used many times. There is also a new formula called Pyrocat-HD that uses phenidone and pyrocatechin--it was specifically formulated as a substitute for PMK, rather than as a compensating developer, but I have used it successfully with little or no agitation. I have both formulas on my site at unblinkingeye.com.

-- Ed Buffaloe (edb@unblinkingeye.com), January 02, 2001.