Producing a Radiograph

The making of a radiograph requires some type of recording mechanism. The most common device is film. A radiograph is actually a photographic recording produced by the passage of radiation through a subject onto a film, producing what is called a latent image of the subject.

A latent image is an image that has been created on the film due to the interaction of radiation with the material making up the film. This latent image is not visible to the naked eye until further processing has taken place. To make the latent image visible the film is processed by exposure to chemicals similar to that of photographic film.