Pronunciation: [nˈɛɡətˌɪvz] (IPA) 
The spelling of the word "negatives" can be confusing due to the presence of two similar sounds, /ɡ/ and /dʒ/. The correct spelling is with a "g" because the sound that follows the "n" is a voiced velar consonant (/ɡ/), as in "big" or "dog". It is not a voiced postalveolar affricate (/dʒ/), as in "judge" or "badge". Therefore, the spelling "negatives" represents the correct pronunciation /ˈneɡətɪvz/.
Negatives, in the context of photography, refers to the film or photographic material that captures the original image. It is the term used to describe the undeveloped film or the individual frames of a roll film that have been exposed but not yet processed.
The negative contains a reversed and inverted image of the subject, with colors and tones in opposite values to the original scene. It holds the latent image, which holds the potential for creating multiple positive prints or digital copies. The negative is typically composed of a light-sensitive emulsion layer, coated onto a transparent base such as acetate or celluloid. The size and format of negatives can vary depending on the camera used, with common formats including 35mm, medium format, and large format.
To create a positive print or digital image from a negative, a chemical development process called "printing" or "scanning" is required. During this process, the negative is exposed onto light-sensitive paper or scanned to convert it into a positive image. The resulting print or digital copy will have colors and tones corrected to match the original subject, allowing for the reproduction of the captured image.
Negatives are widely associated with traditional analogue photography, but the term can also be applied to digital photography. In digital photography, the negative is represented by a raw file format, which contains the unprocessed data captured by the camera's sensor. These raw files can be manipulated and interpreted to create a desired positive image.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "negatives" derives from the Latin word "negativus", which is the past participle of the verb "negare", meaning "to deny" or "to say no". The adjective "negativus" entered Middle English as "negatif", referring to something that negates or denies. Over time, it evolved into the word "negative", which now commonly refers to something opposite or contrary. In the realm of photography, the term "negative" specifically relates to a photographic image where tones and colors are inverted from the original scene.
