The reading explains different processes of generation photographic emulsions, which were new to me. It is interesting to see how multiple factors impact the generated photo. In order to obtain objective representations of a physical event as photographic images, careful crafting of different parameters is required, in which one’s photography skills impact the “objective” outcome.
It seems these methodological/scientific/scientistic approaches to imaging involve and require more rigorous criteria on the condition of the subject. In digital photography (which we use every day), the purpose is to capture what human eyes can see, so it doesn’t require the subject to be in a certain condition (if we disregard social and ethical norms). However, in scientific imaging, the goal is broader — to make the invisible visible. It extends beyond the human level of vision; for that, the state of the specimen (e.g., dry or wet) determines how it would appear in the captured image.