Negative

Negative is a term that can refer to an image or a piece of film. As an image, a negative is an image in which the colors are reversed from how they normally appear. For example, areas that are normally light will be dark, a green bush will appear magenta in its negative image, etc.

However, the term negative also describes the long, narrow thread of film that a photographer puts into his camera to capture images. This thread is sectioned off into a series of rectangles that produce the roll of film.

As the individual box on the negative captures an image, the camera automatically advances the strip to the next empty box, making the camera ready to record the next image.

After a photographer takes a picture, he must treat the negative thread with chemicals and expose it to light for the negative image to appear.

To differentiate the two definitions, professionals use the following rule of thumb: while an image negative is referred to “a negative,” the set of negative images on the thread of film is known as “the negatives.”