Silver salts are chemical compounds that contain silver combined with other elements, such as halides (chloride, bromide, or iodide). In photography, silver salts form the light-sensitive component of emulsions on film and photographic paper.
When exposed to light, silver salts undergo a chemical change that allows an image to be developed, producing metallic silver in varying densities to create a visible photograph. They are fundamental to both traditional black-and-white and certain colour photographic processes.