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Positive Film

In photography, there is a positive and a negative image. A positive in photography can mean a myriad of things, but in film, a positive is considered to be your normal image. The positive film is also known as reversal, slide, or transparency film. Yet, before the positive film could be invented film had to first come into the picture.  

The first film was made using silver-plated copper sheets that contained three layers of light-sensitive chemicals and dates back to the 19th century. Since its inception film has had its own evolution in the sources and materials used. Glass sheets were the most popular in the mid to late 1800s because the material was cheaper, and it allowed for an opaquer color than plastic sheets were. But by the late 1890s, another film became the new norm — safety film. Safety film became a better option for developing photography because of its flexibility, which allowed for a rolling or roll-able movement that glass and copper couldn’t compete with.

By 1907 the commercially color photography process began to take fruition by way of the Lumière brothers. The Lumière brothers successfully introduced the Lumière Autochrome which was the start of the additive methods of positive film. But soon after the Kodachrome was developed by the Eastman Kodak Company in 1935, most autochrome methods were discontinued.

To sum up, to the positive film used today for those still using film photography, it is a much manageable practice. The film used today is of a transparent and semi-flexible material that has a base coat on one side with a gelatin emulsion of microscopically light-sensitive silver halide crystals. These microscopic light-sensitive silver halide crystals vary in size and dimensions which changes the film's resolutions, contrast, and sensitivity of images. So, if you want to start your photography journey in film, your options are easier and varied to your own style.

Negative Film

When it comes to negative film, think about the inverse of a normal image. A negative image is the total inversion of a positive “normal” image. In a negative image, colors are also inverted, where you see light areas in a negative film then they are actually dark. In a negative color film then the colors are also reversed for example a deep maroon color in the positive film will be shown as a very light blue in negative film, light pink in positive film will be depicted as a deep teal in negative film and so on. Most negative films have their color scale so that you won’t be confused as to what colors are actually the positives.

Negative film is the reactive film that is used to produce a positive image. The reverse order happens when extremely light-sensitive chemicals in a camera's film need to capture an image quickly. One side of the film is imprinted and the other said stays as an inverse where the light hits the film at its brightest. The process of the film darkening is what happens to film when exposed to light instead of it becoming bleached.

The negative film is what is normally used to make positive prints on photo paper. The negative film is projected onto paper with a photographic enlarger which then makes a contact print. A reversal image is then captured which is also known as a positive image, which restores light and dark colors into their normal order.

Even though the evolution away from positive and negative film, there is still a large community of photographers (especially those in fine art photography) that still use film. The processing of negatives to positives and the image imprinting is what so many photographers look forward to in their evolving practice. 

The Capital of Portraits

 The views around DC are of the most breathtaking in the country. Not just from its famous sculptures, views of the historical buildings, and grand lawns, but also for the city’s great collections of historical portraits.

The Smithsonian Institution has formed the amazing museum culture around the district from the National Museum of Natural History and the newest addition of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. But the National Portrait Gallery is where the history of the United States takes flight. The gallery introduces you to the individuals who have shaped the country from US presidents, poets, and activists to actors and even villains.

Another great gallery celebrating those in US history is Newseum located right on Pennsylvania Avenue. The gallery showcases photographs that have won the honorable Pulitzer-Prize, presidential canines, iconic images from sports events, and iconic war images of fellow troops. The Newseum is comprised of six levels devoted to showcasing a revolving set of stories from modern times to those in history alike. Heartbreaking images of 9/11 also have an honorable section of the gallery, as well as photographs of global moments in time including the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Last, but not least is the National Geographic Museum a few blocks from Dupont Circle. Known for its stunning photographs from around the world, the National Geographic Museum in DC explores the variety of cultures in the US and beyond, from featured motion pictures to photographic exhibits. You can even take a peek behind the National Geographic magazine covers and admire unpublished photographs as well as enlarged photographs from jungle excursions to never before seen images of the Titanic.

The District of Columbia is a city with loads of adventures and educational awareness that you won’t be able to stop clicking your camera’s shutter. So, make sure to take multiple film rolls if shooting in film or charge your camera’s battery because it’s a city you won’t want to forget. Every square inch of the United States’ capital is a moment to practice your point and shoot, rules of composition, and your eye for light. So, do not let these galleries daunt you from learning the art of photography. Use the historical and modern images as evidence that moments can be captured from old technology to new and from collections of photographers from around the world.