Finially someone steps up!
Over at deviant art I've had as my signature for some time: "What is the colour of unexposed film?"
I thought it a crafty little question and expected it to inspire a good little discussion or two (especially among, as it is, a community of artists, creative types and general thinkers). But sadly nobody has taken the bait as yet. Got a nibble today, however 'twas a tad disappointing as he kinda missed the spirit of the question and tackled it too literally. Here is his reply and following that my reply to him:
He said:
In regard to "What is the colour of unexposed film?"
- Ben
Brown for colour film(I think) pink/magenta for general x-ray film (kodak) kinda green colour for x-ray copy film(kodak). Film doesn't change colour when it is exposed to light. Only a few electrons get knocked out of the silver halide crystals, and you get a 'latent' image on the film. Developing then changes the colour later. if you leave film in the sun for say 5 min you do start to see a change but that is a huge exposure when you think about it. X-ray film (pretty pink/magenta stuff) that has been left in the light for a few weeks slowly turns silver coloured.
How do I know all this well, i'm a radiographer and had to take some classes in processing tech.
I replied:
Ahhh finally someone took me up on my signatured question! *grin*
You've taken it a tad too literally though, as it is one meant to inspire pondering. For how, truly, can we know what the colour of unexposed film is? After all once it is 'created' film is in a certain state. Subject it to photons and it changes state (as minute as that state change may be) As photons are required for us to see and seeing is required for us to perceive colours it could be argued that it is impossible to ever know for sure what colour pure unexposed film is, for to see it is to expose it. Sure we can GUESS, they may even be very good guesses based, as they are, on what we know of the changes invoked by the photons and how similar changes in other materials change (or don't) the colours of those materials. But we can never really KNOW.
It may then be argued by some that unexposed film has no colour....kinda along the same lines as "If a tree fell in the forest but nobody was around to hear it would it still make a sound?"
It is at heart a question of perception and philosophy, not science. Although there is a marked similarity to the concept in quantum mechanics of observation - ie to observe an event you have to interact with it in some way and to interact with the event you effect it. But I certainly appreciate the first answer I've had to it thus far ^_^
In other matters
I'm feeling rather satisfied this night as I not only had a good little workout (first one in a few weeks) but also after a couple days of relative (though not total) slacking off I managed to put a good bit of work into "Project C" which rounds out a rather solid week of work on it. I estimate that I am roughly 10% of the way through the initial part of it. Also on my fourth (I think) straight day of no more than one coffee a day.
I thought it a crafty little question and expected it to inspire a good little discussion or two (especially among, as it is, a community of artists, creative types and general thinkers). But sadly nobody has taken the bait as yet. Got a nibble today, however 'twas a tad disappointing as he kinda missed the spirit of the question and tackled it too literally. Here is his reply and following that my reply to him:
He said:
In regard to "What is the colour of unexposed film?"
- Ben
Brown for colour film(I think) pink/magenta for general x-ray film (kodak) kinda green colour for x-ray copy film(kodak). Film doesn't change colour when it is exposed to light. Only a few electrons get knocked out of the silver halide crystals, and you get a 'latent' image on the film. Developing then changes the colour later. if you leave film in the sun for say 5 min you do start to see a change but that is a huge exposure when you think about it. X-ray film (pretty pink/magenta stuff) that has been left in the light for a few weeks slowly turns silver coloured.
How do I know all this well, i'm a radiographer and had to take some classes in processing tech.
I replied:
Ahhh finally someone took me up on my signatured question! *grin*
You've taken it a tad too literally though, as it is one meant to inspire pondering. For how, truly, can we know what the colour of unexposed film is? After all once it is 'created' film is in a certain state. Subject it to photons and it changes state (as minute as that state change may be) As photons are required for us to see and seeing is required for us to perceive colours it could be argued that it is impossible to ever know for sure what colour pure unexposed film is, for to see it is to expose it. Sure we can GUESS, they may even be very good guesses based, as they are, on what we know of the changes invoked by the photons and how similar changes in other materials change (or don't) the colours of those materials. But we can never really KNOW.
It may then be argued by some that unexposed film has no colour....kinda along the same lines as "If a tree fell in the forest but nobody was around to hear it would it still make a sound?"
It is at heart a question of perception and philosophy, not science. Although there is a marked similarity to the concept in quantum mechanics of observation - ie to observe an event you have to interact with it in some way and to interact with the event you effect it. But I certainly appreciate the first answer I've had to it thus far ^_^
In other matters
I'm feeling rather satisfied this night as I not only had a good little workout (first one in a few weeks) but also after a couple days of relative (though not total) slacking off I managed to put a good bit of work into "Project C" which rounds out a rather solid week of work on it. I estimate that I am roughly 10% of the way through the initial part of it. Also on my fourth (I think) straight day of no more than one coffee a day.