Dish development is a traditional photographic technique used to process single sheets of film or photographic paper. In this method, the negative or print is immersed in a shallow dish containing developer solution and gently agitated by rocking the dish to ensure even chemical coverage.
This hands-on approach is particularly useful for individual or small-format sheets, allowing precise control over development time and agitation. Dish development helps photographers achieve consistent tonal quality, contrast, and detail in each image, making it a preferred method in fine art darkroom printing and small-batch film processing.