A Manual of Photographic Chemistry, Including the Practice of the Collodion ProcessHardwich, T. Frederick
Science
A Manual of Photographic Chemistry, Including the Practice of the Collodion Process
Hardwich, T. Frederick
Photographic chemistry; Photography
It might perhaps be supposed that the superior sensibility of the Bromide
of Silver to green rays of light would render that salt useful to the
Photographer in copying landscape scenery; and indeed it is the opinion of
many that, in the _Calotype_ paper process, the dark colour of foliage is
better rendered by a mixture of Bromide and Iodide of Silver than by the
latter salt alone. This however cannot depend upon the greater sensibility
of the Bromide to coloured light, as may easily be proved.--
The diagrams given above are shaded to represent nearly, the relative
intensity of the chemical action exerted by the rays at different points
of the spectrum; and on referring to them it will be seen that the
maximum point of blackness is in the indigo and violet space, the action
being more feeble in the blue space lower down; there are also highly
refrangible rays extending upwards far beyond the visible colours, and
these invisible rays are actively concerned in the formation of the image.
It is evident therefore that the amount of effect produced by a pure
green, or even a light blue tint, upon a surface of Bromide of Silver is
very small as compared with that of an indigo or violet; and hence, as in
copying natural objects radiations of all kinds are present at the same
time, the green tints have not time to act before the image is impressed
by the more refrangible rays.
Sir John Herschel proposed to render coloured light more available in
Photography by separating the actinic rays of high refrangibility, and
working only with those which correspond to the blue and green spaces
in the spectrum. This may be done by placing in front of the Camera a
vertical glass trough containing a solution of Sulphate of Quinine.
Professor Stokes has shown that this liquid possesses curious properties.
In transmitting rays of light it _modifies_ them so that they emerge _of
lower refrangibility_, and incapable of producing the same actinic effect.
Sulphate of Quinine is, if we may use the term, _opaque_ to all actinic
rays higher than the blue-coloured space. The proposition of Sir John
Herschel above referred to was therefore to employ a bath of Sulphate of
Quinine, and having eliminated the actinic rays of high refrangibility, to
work upon Bromide of Silver with those corresponding to the lower-coloured
spaces. In this way he conceived that a more natural effect might be
obtained.
If Photographic compounds should be discovered of greater sensibility
than any we at present possess, the use of the Quinine bath will perhaps
be adopted; but at present we trust to the superior intensity of the
invisible rays for the formation of the image, and hence the employment of
Bromide of Silver is less strongly indicated.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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