Endless Facts, One Snippet at a Time
The Chemistry of Photos: How Light Reactions Capture Memories
- Traditional photography relies on light-sensitive chemicals coating film.
- Silver halide crystals in film react when struck by light.
- This reaction creates a hidden “latent image” on the film.
- Developing chemicals reveal and fix the image so it won’t fade.
- The darkroom process carefully controls these reactions for clarity and tone.
- Color photos use layers of light-sensitive dyes for red, green, and blue.
- Instant film packs both the light-sensitive layers and developers together.
- Digital photography mimics this process with sensors, not chemicals.
- Both chemical and digital methods rely on light-triggered reactions.
- Photography is chemistry and physics working together to preserve memories.