Many hours of exposure in the camera were required, making bitumen impractical for ordinary photography, but from the 1850s to the 1920s it was in common use as a photoresist in the production of printing plates for various photomechanical printing processes.
mˈɛni ˈaʊɚz ʌv ɛkspˈoʊʒɚɹ ɪnðə kˈæmɹə wɜː ɹᵻkwˈaɪɚd, mˌeɪkɪŋ bɪtˈuːmɛn ɪmpɹˈæktɪkəl fɔːɹ ˈɔːɹdɪnˌɛɹi fətˈɑːɡɹəfi, bˌʌt fɹʌmðə wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti z tə ðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti z ɪt wʌz ɪn kˈɑːmən jˈuːs æz ɐ fˌoʊɾoʊɹᵻzˈɪst ɪnðə pɹədˈʌkʃən ʌv pɹˈɪntɪŋ plˈeɪts fɔːɹ vˈɛɹiəs fˌoʊɾoʊmᵻkˈænɪkəl pɹˈɪntɪŋ pɹˈɑːsɛsᵻz.