A Quick Guide to Understanding Photo Film Negatives

Photographic camera film is formed from long narrow strips of plastic coated material that is covered with a chemical emulsion that reacts when exposed to light. Images are captured through the camera lens and onto the film, which advances one frame at a time to expose one image a time, so that when the film is developed it forms a series of negative images in a single strip. The strip can be cut down into smaller sections to make it easier to handle. These negatives, whether individual or part of a strip, are the master images from which copies can be made and from which are developed into positive images, or photographs.

A positive image is precisely that. It is a normal photographic picture and is easily recognized as such regardless of whether it is in black and white or color. A negative image is the exact opposite in terms of color and tone because light areas appear to be dark and dark areas appear to be light. With a negative for a color image, the colors are also reversed and reds appear as cyan, while greens appear to be magenta and blues are seen as yellow.

As photographs are developed from negatives, and other sets of negatives can be made from the originally exposed film, it becomes very important to treat negatives with a great deal of care and respect. Scratches, dust, the natural oils from finger prints, water damage and even tearing or buckling can all have a detrimental result on the final appearance of the positive image and the quality of the photograph. Storing negatives away from excesses of light and heat will help to prevent them from curling or fading and growing brittle, and making certain they are kept dry can prevent dampness or mold from forming. Should negatives ever be found stuck together with other negatives then they should always be taken to an expert for separation, as simply peeling them away or tearing them apart can result in removal of the chemical emulsion layer and severe damage to all the negatives involved, making it exceptionally difficult to restore the image in order to develop a positive photograph.