Capture from the time the nuances of a smile, the beauty of a movement, the subtle contrast of light and shade. Perpetuate the emotion of a moment. This action, summarized in the fraction of a second of the click of a camera or of the buzzing of a movie camera has been tried repeatedly by the great majority. For some it is work, for others art, for many a hobby; but for all it is a great pleasure. However, what very few remember, when shooting a picture or a film, is the great technological progress behind a single shot. The old and heavy photographic boxes of the old timers and the huge movie cameras of the early days have been replaced by better and lighter equipment, thanks to the use, for instance, of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, well known as ABS. This resin, that forms the body of the equipment and its objective, originated from the chemical industry. As, of course, all other plastics materials.

And how about the secret of the film, able to retain in no time the movements and colors of a fleeting image? Well, only Chemistry can reveal this secret. Let us look into it: in the production of the film, originally cellulose acetate, besides the plastic bases, there is the use of silver salts. Along with these salts, organic dyes, gelatin, alcohols, plastifiers and surfactants are employed. These are the products that make the film light sensitive and allow the image retention.

And this is only part of the process. In the development, there will be Chemistry with the aromatic compounds that may be derived from the sulphonic acid. For the fixation of the image (removal of the silver halides) there is the ammonia thiosulfate and as stabilizers, surfactants and bactericides. The paper used for photographic reproduction is coated with a layer of polyethylene on both sides, besides titanium dioxide on the upper face.

As we can easily see, the photographic art does not require just sensitivity. Behind the quick "click", there is a lot of work, products and technology. But do not worry about that. After all, Chemistry works, creates products and develops technology so that you may do with safety and quality what you like most, inclusive shooting films and pictures.

Text: Luiz Carlos de Medeiros (Mtb 12.293) English version by Joe Vianna (translat@mvpisp.com)