Darkroom Shenanigans
Ah, the esoteric notions of B&W darkroom techniques.
After all these decades of darkroom trial and error, this low key epiphany of wisdom finally broke through my noggin: development is an effects mitigation effort. Simply control what you can control and then experiment from there.
For instance, I've been bulk-roll shooting one of the cheapest films on the planet, Arista UltraFine EDU 100. AND I've been using a paper developer to process it. Home brewed Ilford Universal PQ.
No complaints. In theory, if you believe what you read online, that particular recipe is supposed to deliver high contrast/high grain. Nah. Not my experience. I like the results so much that I don't really bother with other film stock right now.
Note: I dilute it 50:1 and agitate once a minute rather than every thirty seconds.
Point is, you can find a result you like by playing around. Once you get there, you can settle into it or keep playing in the darkroom if that's where you find enjoyment.
(Which I do. Sometimes ;-)
