onbelichte

Onbelichte is a Dutch adjective meaning not exposed. In photography and film, it describes film stock or photographic plates that have not yet been exposed to light, and therefore do not contain an image. The term is most commonly used for traditional analog material.

In practice, an onbelichte film is loaded into a camera but has not been subjected to an exposure through the camera’s shutter. Such stock remains blank until it is exposed, after which a latent image is formed and development reveals the photograph. The concept is usually contrasted with exposed stock and with the notions of underexposure and overexposure during shooting.

The opposite states are onderbelicht (underexposed) and overbelicht (overexposed), which refer to the amount of light recorded during exposure rather than the mere state of being unexposed. The term onbelichte thus primarily concerns the initial, light-free condition of the material and is commonly used in discussions of film handling, stock inventory, and pre-shoot planning.

In digital photography, the exact term onbelichte is used less often, since exposure is defined by shutter speed, aperture, and ISO on a sensor rather than by light forming an emulsion. However, the underlying idea remains relevant: frames or sensor regions that have captured no light can be described as effectively unexposed.

See also: onderbelichting, overbelichting, film stock, photographic plate.