Photography has come a long way, from recording images on plates, to black and white film, to Polaroid's that instantly print the picture, to color film, and then to digital chips. But out of all of these improvements to photography, the invention of colored film was probably the most innovative of them all, besides maybe digital photography.
Colored film was first introduced in 1907 by the Lumiere brothers in France. This film was made from cellulose nitrate, which is now cellulose acetate, which formed the base. The base was coated with silver salts and then eventually for colored film, three dyed layers coated the silver salts. All of these images were being recorded in black and white.
Film has three basic components, the base and the coatings on each side of the base. The base is made from transparent plastic materials (celluloid) and is about 4-7 thousandths of an inch thick. The shinier side of the film is coated in chemicals that make it able to be handled physical for processing and manufacturing. The other side is where the photochemistry, a chemical reaction initiated by light, actually happens.
The photochemistry side is made up of twenty or more layers that are all held together by gelatin, which take up most of the space. Some of the layers filter light or control the chemical reactions that take place. But the layers with the grains of silver-halide crystals are where the photos are actually recorded.
The grains of silver-halide crystals act as photon detectors by undergoing a photochemical reaction when exposed to light. These crystals are made from silver-nitrate and halide salts (chloride, bromide, and iodide). Because the crystals are naturally only sensitive to the blue parts of the spectrum, they are coated with organic molecules called spectral sensitizers to make them more sensitive to the blue, green, and red parts of the spectrum. They attach these molecules to the grain and the molecules transfer energy from the light photon to the crystal as a photoelectron. There are red sensitive layers, green and blue sensitive layers.
Chemicals are also added into the internal of the crystals to affect the light sensitivity of the crystals. If the photographic speed, ISO or ASA ratings, are higher it means that the film is faster which means there is an increased light sensitivity. To increase the light sensitivity, the grains of silver-halide crystals are enlarged. If a film has a lower ISO, like 100, then it is better for outdoor photography in bright sunlight whereas a film with an ISO of 1000 is better for indoor photography without a flash. But because the grains are being enlarged, the photo is more likely to be grainy in appearance.
The invention of colored photography was a stepping stone in the evolution of photography. It opened our eyes to new places and we were able to begin showing scenes and things in a more realistic view. Color has paved the way for many more forms of photography and will continue to do so.
Colored film was first introduced in 1907 by the Lumiere brothers in France. This film was made from cellulose nitrate, which is now cellulose acetate, which formed the base. The base was coated with silver salts and then eventually for colored film, three dyed layers coated the silver salts. All of these images were being recorded in black and white.
Film has three basic components, the base and the coatings on each side of the base. The base is made from transparent plastic materials (celluloid) and is about 4-7 thousandths of an inch thick. The shinier side of the film is coated in chemicals that make it able to be handled physical for processing and manufacturing. The other side is where the photochemistry, a chemical reaction initiated by light, actually happens.
The photochemistry side is made up of twenty or more layers that are all held together by gelatin, which take up most of the space. Some of the layers filter light or control the chemical reactions that take place. But the layers with the grains of silver-halide crystals are where the photos are actually recorded.
The grains of silver-halide crystals act as photon detectors by undergoing a photochemical reaction when exposed to light. These crystals are made from silver-nitrate and halide salts (chloride, bromide, and iodide). Because the crystals are naturally only sensitive to the blue parts of the spectrum, they are coated with organic molecules called spectral sensitizers to make them more sensitive to the blue, green, and red parts of the spectrum. They attach these molecules to the grain and the molecules transfer energy from the light photon to the crystal as a photoelectron. There are red sensitive layers, green and blue sensitive layers.
Chemicals are also added into the internal of the crystals to affect the light sensitivity of the crystals. If the photographic speed, ISO or ASA ratings, are higher it means that the film is faster which means there is an increased light sensitivity. To increase the light sensitivity, the grains of silver-halide crystals are enlarged. If a film has a lower ISO, like 100, then it is better for outdoor photography in bright sunlight whereas a film with an ISO of 1000 is better for indoor photography without a flash. But because the grains are being enlarged, the photo is more likely to be grainy in appearance.
The invention of colored photography was a stepping stone in the evolution of photography. It opened our eyes to new places and we were able to begin showing scenes and things in a more realistic view. Color has paved the way for many more forms of photography and will continue to do so.