Most photographers know how to use a black-and-white developer, but far fewer understand what is actually happening inside the solution. In Part 1 of *Inside the Developer*, we break down the key components of a developer and show how developing agents, alkalis, preservatives, restrainers, solvents, and water work together as one balanced chemical system.
Author Archives: Tim Layton
Iodizing Paper For My Next Pictorial Whispers Plate
Today I am preparing iodized paper for my next *Pictorial Whispers* plate using the Greenlaw calotype process. The sheets begin with a striking purple tone before drying toward tan, revealing some of the chemistry happening long before the paper ever enters the camera.
Work Slowly Enough to See
What looks like wasted time may actually be part of the work. In this article, I explore why wandering, returning, waiting, and simply observing can help us see more deeply—and why creative work does not always need to become more efficient.
One Honest Step Forward – A better way to keep your photography moving
Do not ask yourself to produce a photograph every day.
Ask yourself to move the photograph one honest step forward.
Agfa/Ansco 130 Glycin Paper Developer Formula
Agfa/Ansco 130 is a classic warm-black paper developer for silver gelatin fiber prints, contact prints, and a good general purpose paper developer for any type of silver gelatin paper.
Agfa/Ansco 135 Warm-Tone Paper Developer Formula
Agfa/Ansco 135 is a warm-tone MQ paper developer built around Metol, hydroquinone, sodium sulfite, sodium carbonate, and potassium bromide.
The Best Black and White Films for Scanning: A Practical Guide for Hybrid Photographers
A practical guide to the best black and white films for scanning, including T-Max 100, Delta 100, FP4 Plus, HP5 Plus, Tri-X, Acros 100 II, Kentmere, and Fomapan Classic 100.
New Video – Large Format Salt Print – Where the Flowers Were – Pictorial Whispers 2026 Plate 5
This plate belongs to Pictorial Whispers, my ongoing body of work using flowers, natural light, a vintage window, and 19th-century photographic processes to speak about grief, memory, endurance, and healing.
Why Salt Prints Change Color
A salt print can look like several different prints before it becomes the final print.
It may come out of the exposure frame looking rich, warm, red-brown, or almost purple-brown. Then it may weaken in the first wash. It may shift again during toning. It may look duller in the fixer. Then, after drying, it may darken, cool, and settle into a final color that was not fully visible while the print was wet.
What the Vessels Remember – Pictorial Whispers 2026 Plate 6
This plate belongs to Pictorial Whispers, my ongoing body of work using flowers, natural light, a vintage window, and 19th-century photographic processes to speak about grief, memory, endurance, and healing.