PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES - 1890 TO THE PRESENT-DAY

An overview is presented of the changes in processes and processing over the last 100 years. All the changes described have been facilitated by the scientific method applied to the photographic process by Ferdinand Hurter and Vero C. Driffield who provided the characteristic curve as the basic tool for quantifying the photographic process. Those aspects of processing presented in this review include: changes in solution formulation, the demands for higher and higher exposure indices by the users of photographic materials, the displacement of black-and-white by colour processes and the need for shorter access times. Influences of environmental considerations and the recently introduced (in the UK) legislation on the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) are also discussed.