For formation of a photographic image by development of a silver halide photographic material with an automatic developing machine, a certain period of time or not longer than 15 seconds is set as the time of the development step and a silver halide photographic material is used which, when developed for a period of one-half of said certain period of time after such an exposure that the exposed silver halide photographic material, when developed for said certain period of time, would give a value of (Dmax-fog).times.1/2, gives a value of (D-fog) having 70% or more of the value of (Dmax-fog).times.1/2. The silver halide photographic material comprises at least one of a combination of (1), (2) and (3) or (2) and (4): where: (1) represents a silver halide emulsion containing a water-soluble iridium salt; (2) represents a silver halide emulsion layer with a silver amount from 1 to 3.5 grams/m.sup.2 coated on one surface of said emulsion layer; (3) represents silver halide grains wherein the mean grain size is 1.0 .mu. or less; and (4) represents tabular silver halide grains having an aspect ratio of 4 or more. By the rapid development procedure, a sharp image with no development unevenness (drag streaks) can be obtained and the automatic developing machine to be used may be made small-sized and compact.