History of Photography

Photography is the development of techniques and arts of producing images or picture that are known as photographs. Photography is such an important part of modern life than the average American. Photographs save personal memories (family photos) and tell us about public events (new photos). They are a means of identification (driver's license photos) and the glorification (portraits of movie stars), the views of the distant

parts of the world (travel photography) and space (astral photos) microscopic and scenes inside the human body (medical images and Scientists).

Perhaps the most defining moment in photography occurred in 1816 when Nicephore joined the camera obscura with photosensitive paper. From this, he was able to form a permanent image - the first time this had ever been possible in history. Through the years since Nicephore, photography has advanced to incredible levels of detail.

The word photography is derived from the Greek words "graphein" (to draw) and "photos"(light). The scientist John Herschel was the first human to use this term in the year 1839. Hence, photography is the method of using light to register images on a medium made from sensitive material. With the help of light, images can be caught on a suitable medium. The term 'photography' was first coined by Sir John Herschel who used the term way back in 1830 when the photographic process became public. However, images were

being captured much earlier than this.

The first type of photography was seen in ancient times where camera obscuras were used to form images on walls in darkened rooms. A camera obscura is the first image- capturing invention which led to photography as we know it today. Throughout the 16th and 17th Centuries, the brightness and clarity of camera obscuras improved greatly by enlarging of the hole and through the insertion of a telescope lens. These became frequently used by artists and were made more portable in the form of sedan chairs. One of the major breakthroughs in the progression of photography was made by Professor J. Schulze who learnt that by combining chalk with nitric acid and silver in a flask, he could see a darkening effect on the side of the flask that was exposed to sunlight. This was essentially an accident, but Schulze effectively created the first photosensitive compound.

It is now believed that photography is an important stimulus for the artists of direct description of designs or abstract interpretation, including Impressionism, Cubism and Abstract Expressionism was abandoned. Photography has been defining itself as essentially modern arts because of its relative newness and its confidence in the mechanical equipment. An intriguing area in the history of photography is its role in the complex and evolving as an artistic medium such as painting, which is its rival.

The first image

On one summer day in 1827, Joseph Nicephore Niepce, a Frenchman, managed to create the first image after working for eight hours on it. His companion, Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre managed to lower the exposure time to less than thirty minutes in addition to preventing the image from disappearing. This way exposure time decreased and image sustenance increased.

The daguerreotype

Daguerre invented the most practical procedure for the development of photographs. Daguerre was born close to Paris, France. He was a professional opera scene painter before he started experimenting with photography. Eventually, the first successful photograph done was made by Louis Daguerre. The picture that Daguerre made was captured in a silver-coated sheet of copper that used positive image. The photograph entitled "The Artist's Studio” was really fragile and difficult to reproduce. After years of experimentation with light effects on imagery, he was finally able to develop a procedure to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of photographs. He sold these rights to the government of France and went on to write a book on his findings.

Pinhole Camera

One person who is renowned in the optical field is Ibn Al-Haytham, a man who lived during the middle ages. Al-Haytham invented the pinhole camera in which the resulting image had to be viewed upside down. Della Porta, an European reinvented the pinhole camera.

Flashbulb

The credit of being the first inventor of the flashbulb goes to Paul Vierkotter, an Australian. With the help of a magnesium-coated wire placed inside a vacuum-sealed glass globe he invented the flashbulb. Later, this was replaced with a foil of aluminium in side oxygen filled enclosure. By 1930, the flashbulb became available commercially. Johannes Ostermeier, a German national, patented the flashbulb. These flashbulbs came to be known as vacublitz. The company called General Electric made the Sashalite, another version of the flashbulb.

Instant Photographs

Polaroid cameras can be used for taking instant photographs. Edwin Land created these kinds of cameras. His contributions to photography have opened up new avenues in photography with instant photos. This wiped out exposure time as a factor.

MODERN PHOTOGRAPHY

These days cameras are everywhere. Whether it is a small digital camera you keep in your purse or pocket or a medium format monstrosity you use for a hobby, cameras have become an important part of human life. One of the most amazing aspects about photography is how much we depend upon them to record our history and tell a story, considering the fact that photography is still relatively new. The first permanent photo was created as recently as 1825 using pewter plates and a substance called "bitumen," and later photographs were printed on glass. Paper didn't actually become common until around 1888 thanks to the innovations of George Eastman.

In 1901, the Kodak Brownie camera was first introduced to the public. This was the first time that photography was so easily accessible to the public, in terms of ease of use and cost. It was during this period of time that film developing really took off as an industry. The modern SLR camera has only been around for about 80 years and during that timeframe its construction hasn't changed much. While black and white photography has not changed much since the early 1900's, color film has experienced dramatic advancements over this brief period of time. Though color photography had always been a concept chased by early photographers, color film and printing did not become widely accessible until well into the 20th century. Kodak's "Kodachrome" was introduced around 1935, but it would be a while before color film became the norm. One interesting thing about color film advancement is looking at how black and white film is still in wide use despite the introduction of color photographs.

Of course, no discussion of photo-history would be complete without mentioning the digital revolution. This technology, which is part of our everyday lives, has only been used for about 15 years. The first "megapixel" sensor was not even created until around 1986, and now it is one of the most common technical words in our

vocabulary. Though digital photography has not changed much about the way we take pictures (point and shoot), it has had an immeasurable impact on our ability to share our photographs with the world.

The art of photography has evolved slowly but steadily in the course of several centuries. The concept was perceived about 1000 years ago but the first pin hole camera was developed by the 18th century. It took many more years for the development of box cameras for wider public consumption. Film cameras dominated

the scene for many centuries. Kodak the name which became synonymous with photography developed the box camera and roll film between 1884 and 1888. It took decades for the digital cameras to appear which used photosensitive chips instead of films. While the ancient cameras were based on chemical reactions and mechanical power, modern cameras need electrical energy also to operate. Even though digital photography is now widespread and popular, film cameras are still in use for specialized jobs. Photography is one of the primary ways in which we document our lives. A photograph can be as simple as remembering a birthday party, or as important as drawing attention to a conflict on the other side of the globe. They help add weight

and emotion to the words of reporters as well as preserve our history for generations to come. Every picture we take is living proof of human achievements, relationships, strengths, and weaknesses.