Photo Negatives: Medium Milk

[Abishai100]

In photography, a negative is an image, usually on a strip or sheet of transparent plastic film, in which the lightest areas of the photographed subject appear darkest and the darkest areas appear lightest. This reversed order occurs because of the extremely light-sensitive chemicals a camera film must use to capture an image quickly enough for ordinary picture-taking, which are darkened, rather than bleached, by exposure to light and subsequent photographic processing (source of information: Wikipedia).

People sometimes keep photo negatives for sentimental or historical value. Photography has certainly become a pedestrian practice, since countless people today are walking around with mobile phones equipped with mini-cameras. Photo negatives have therefore gained a certain philosophical value.

Society is fascinated with recording perceptions. Polaroids, Facebook, and NASA photos offer people ways to share records of valuable or symbolic events/observations. The photo negative is therefore a sort of 'mystical scroll' and will perhaps be viewed as such by archaeologists in the distant future.

Assessing the psyche value of photo negatives helps everyday people appreciate the achievement of photography.

Feel free to upload stills of photo negatives you find special or zany.



Negative (Photography)

 

[Abishai100]

Ghost in the Path

Also, photo negatives create a perceptual sensation of 'ghostly imagery.'

We may keep negatives for sentimental value, precisely because the reversed lighting creates an effect of body/object silhouette which can remind us of 'ghost-like apparitions' and hence enhance a miniaturized memory experience.

Valuation of photographs and photo-negatives therefore reveal the human appeal of movies such as "One Hour Photo" [2002], "Photographing Fairies" [1997], and "Memento" [2000].




Photographing Fairies (Film)

 

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