Practice question · Multiple choice
The latent image is not a faint, sub-microscopic visual rendering of the scene, but a chemical distribution of developable specks across the emulsion. What follows from this distinction for the physics of the photographic process?
Hints
- Does an individual silver halide grain reduce partially or entirely once triggered?
- How does a microscopic switch translate to continuous tones on a photographic print?
Show the answer
D. Tonal density reflects the proportion of crystals triggered rather than crystal darkness
Why
Treating exposure as an analogue scale within single crystals overlooks their all-or-nothing reduction during development. Tonal depth is a macroscopic statistical effect of binary events across billions of separate grains, not progressive crystal darkening.
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More questions on The Latent Image
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