Nadar:- is the name adopted by the first aerial photographer, G. F. Tournachon, who took photographs from an air balloon.
Nanometer:- is a unit of measurement of light wavelength. A nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter.
Naphtha:- is a volatile petroleum based solvent such as benzine or gasoline (but not kerosene).
ND:- is an abbreviation for neutral density.
Near ultraviolet:- are wavelengths from about 400nm down to 250nm. Most photographic emulsions are sensitive to this range of bands.
Negative:- is the image produced on a photographic emulsion by the product of exposure and development, in which tones are reversed so that highlights appear dark and shadows appear light.
Negative:- carrier supports the negative between the light source and the enlarging lens of an enlarger.
Negative lens:- is a simple concave lens that causes rays of light to diverge away from the optical axis.
Negative/positive paper:- is paper used to print a positive color image from a negative.
Neo-coccine:- is a red dye used in retouching to stain the gelatin.
Neutral density:- is a technique which makes possible shorter printing times in color printing.
Neutral density:- filter describes a gray camera filter which has an equal opacity to all the colors of the spectrum and so does not affect the colors in the final image. It is used to reduce the amount of light entering the camera when aperture or shutter settings must remain constant.
Neutral filtration:- in color printing is the filtration at which color balance is achieved, rendering a neutral gray ion the film image as a neutral gray on the photographic paper.
Neutralizer:- is a chemical designed to counteract and make inactive another chemical solution.
New Objectivity:- is an approach to the subject matter of photography originating in Germany in the 1920s. The photographer remains an impartial observer, intensifying the appreciation of forms and structures in ordinary things but de-personalizing his/her approach.
New Realism:- is an alternative name for New Objectivity.
Newton's:- rings are rings of colored light produced when two glass or transparent surfaces are in partial contact.
NRIC:- Negative Returned In Cassette - required Advanced Photo System feature that returns processed film in its original, closed cassette; liberates consumers from the hassle of storing and handling film negatives.
Nitraphot:- is a tungsten filament lamp similar to the photoflood but with a longer working life.
Nitrate base:- was an early flexible film support which was highly inflammable.
Nitric acid:- is used in emulsion manufacture, in toners, and in bleaches, it is highly corrosive.
Nodal plane:- is an imaginary line passing through the nodal point, perpendicular to the optical axis.
Nodal points:- are located in two areas in a compound lens system. The front nodal point is where rays of light entering the lens appear to aim. The rear nodal point is where the rays of light appear to have come from, after passing through the lens. Nodal points are used to calculate optical measurements.
Non-silver:- processes are image making processes that do not require the use of metallic silver, such as Gum bichromate.
Non-substantive:- is a name given to color film in which the color couplers are not contained within the emulsion, but are introduced during processing.
Normal lens:- describes a lens with a focal length approximately equal to the diagonal of the film format for which it is being used.
Notch:- is a V or U shaped cut into one edge of sheet film. It denotes the location of the sensitive side of the film as well as identifying the type of film.