High contrast photographic emulsions and elements and processes for their development

Claim 1

An image forming process which comprises imagewise exposing to light a photographic light-sensitive material comprising a support having thereon at least one silver halide photographic emulsion layer comprising substantially surface latent image type monodispersed silver bromide or silver iodobromide grains containing up to about 10 mol % silver iodide, wherein the average grain size of said silver halide grains is about 0.7 microns or less and a binder in an amount of about 250 g or less per mol of silver halide, wherein said silver halide photographic emulsion layer or at least one other hydrophilic colloid layer on said support contains a compound represented by the general formula (I): R.sup.1 NHNHCOR.sup.2 wherein R 1 represents an aryl group or a substituted aryl group and R 2 represents a hydrogen atom, and developing said photographic light-sensitve material with a developing solution containing, as developing agent, a member selected from the group consisting of (a) dihydroxy-benzene and (c) dihydroxybenzene plus 3-pyrazolidone or substituted 3-pyrazolidone wherein said dihydroxybenzene is present in an amount of about 0.05 mol/liter to about 0.5 mol/liter, said 3-pyrazolidone or substituted 3-pyrazolidone is present in an amount of not more than 0.06 mol/liter, and 0.15 mol/liter or more of sulfite ion and having a pH of about 11 to about 12,3, wherein the amount of the compound of the general formula (I) is 10 -4 to 10 -1 mol/mol Ag.