A Brief History Of Photography
Below is a MRR and PLR article in category Arts Entertainment -> subcategory Photography.
A Brief History of Photography
For centuries, artists have projected images onto surfaces using tools like the camera obscura and camera lucida. As early as the 16th century, these devices helped artists trace scenes by projecting images from outside. In essence, a darkened room acted as a giant pinhole camera, capturing fleeting moments. The term "camera obscura" itself means "darkened room," an inspiration for the name of modern cameras.
The journey of fixed images began in 1826 with French inventor Nicéphore Niépce. He created the first photograph on a pewter plate coated with bitumen of Judea, requiring an eight-hour exposure in bright sunlight. However, this method wasn't practical, prompting Niépce to explore silver compounds, which darkened upon light exposure?"a discovery made by Johann Heinrich Schultz in 1724.
Niépce collaborated with Louis Daguerre in Paris to refine the silver process. After Niépce's death in 1833, Daguerre made significant breakthroughs. He introduced iodine vapor exposure before and mercury fumes after capturing an image. A salt bath then fixed the photograph. In 1839, Daguerre unveiled the Daguerreotype, using silver on copper plates?"a method akin to modern Polaroids. The French government purchased the patent and released it to the public.
Meanwhile, across the English Channel, William Fox Talbot had also developed a silver process but kept it secret. Inspired by Daguerre, Talbot improved his method by 1840, inventing the calotype process. Unlike Daguerreotypes, calotypes used paper with silver chloride to create negative images, allowing positive reproductions. Talbot's patent limited the process's spread, and he eventually abandoned photography after numerous lawsuits. Nevertheless, George Eastman later refined this approach, forming the basis for chemical film cameras. Hippolyte Bayard, another innovator, was slow to announce his method and missed recognition.
In 1851, Frederick Scott Archer introduced the collodion process, used by figures like Lewis Carroll. Meanwhile, in 1841, Slovene Janez Puhar devised a technique to make photographs on glass, receiving official recognition in 1852 in Paris.
The Daguerreotype's acclaim rose during the Industrial Revolution, meeting the growing demand for affordable portraiture. However, it was fragile and expensive, encouraging innovations for cheaper reproduction methods. This led to a re-evaluation of Talbot's process. The evolution of modern photography sprang from enhancements made over two decades.
In 1884, George Eastman, from Rochester, New York, invented dry gel on paper, or film, eliminating the need for cumbersome plates and hazardous chemicals. By July 1888, Eastman's Kodak camera debuted with the motto, "You press the button, we do the rest," democratizing photography. The 1901 launch of the Kodak Brownie made photography accessible to the masses.
Since then, advancements have included color film, automatic focus, and exposure. Digital cameras now dominate, offering instant previews and resolutions that surpass high-quality 35mm film; affordable models have brought photography to virtually everyone. For enthusiasts, processing black and white film remains unchanged since the 1925 introduction of the 35mm Leica camera.
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