Method for forming high contrast photographic image

A method for forming a high contrast negative photographic image, which comprises imagewise exposing a photographic material comprising a support having thereon at least one photographic silver halide emulsion layer comprising substantially surface latent image type silver halide with the photographic silver halide emulsion layer or at least one hydrophilic colloid layer of the photographic material containing a compound of general formula [I]

• R.sup.1 --NHNHCO--R.sup.2 [I]
• wherein R.sup.1 represents an aryl group and R.sup.2 represents a hydrogen atom, a phenyl group or an unsubstituted alkyl group containing 1 to 3 carbon atoms, wherein the compound of general formula [I] is present in an amount of about 10.sup.-6 to 10.sup.-1 mole per mole of silver halide and a hydroquinone compound of the general formula [II] ##STR6## wherein R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5 and R.sup.6, which may be the same or different, each represents a hydrogen atom, a sulfo group, an alkyl group, an aryl group, an aralkyl group, a heterocyclic group or a group of the formula --O--R.sup.7 or --S--R.sup.7, where R.sup.7 represents an alkyl group, an aryl group, an aralkyl group or a heterocyclic group, and wherein at least one or R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 represents an --S--R.sup.7 group, the amount of the compound of the general formula [II] in the photographic material being about 5.times.10.sup.-7 to 5.times.10.sup.-2 mole per mole of the silver halide, and then developing the imagewise exposed material with a developing agent consisting essentially of a member selected from the group consisting of an aminophenol, a 3-pyrazolidone, a 1-phenyl-3-pyrazoline or hydroquinone.