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Notes A Brief History of Photography

Photography has evolved significantly since its origins in the early 19th century. It began as a scientific process combining the camera obscura and photosensitive materials to capture images, with the first photo taken in 1826. Over subsequent decades, various pioneers like Daguerre, Talbot, and Niepce worked to develop the technology and make it more practical. By the late 1800s, dry plates and portable cameras made photography accessible to the masses. Photojournalism also emerged as a new genre during wars and events in the mid-1800s. Throughout the 20th century, additional innovations like color film, instant cameras, and digital technology transformed photography into a ubiquitous technology.

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95 views27 pages

Notes A Brief History of Photography

Photography has evolved significantly since its origins in the early 19th century. It began as a scientific process combining the camera obscura and photosensitive materials to capture images, with the first photo taken in 1826. Over subsequent decades, various pioneers like Daguerre, Talbot, and Niepce worked to develop the technology and make it more practical. By the late 1800s, dry plates and portable cameras made photography accessible to the masses. Photojournalism also emerged as a new genre during wars and events in the mid-1800s. Throughout the 20th century, additional innovations like color film, instant cameras, and digital technology transformed photography into a ubiquitous technology.

Uploaded by

Rajitha Bandara
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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A Brief History of

Photography
Notable developments
since 1519
Sir John Herschel
 First
coined the term
“Photography” in 1839,
the year the
photographic process
became public
 Derived from Greek
words:
 “Photo” = “light”
 “graphy” = “writing”
Early Photography
 Have you ever used a film camera?
 (How is it different to use a film camera
than to use a digital camera?)
 Twoprocesses made early photography
possible
 The optical process and the chemical
process
The Optical Process
 1519,
Leonardo da Vinci creates diagram of a
camera obscura
 A small, dark room or building with no windows
 Small hole in one wall
 Resulted in an upside-down image of the world
on the opposing wall
The Optical Process

 Became used as an aid to drawing


 Technically the camera existed before
photography!
The Chemical Process
 Couldnot do much with just camera
obscura
 needed a way to capture the image
 1816
– Nicephore Niepce combines
camera obscura with photosensitive
paper
 Paper that hardened and changed when
exposed to light
 1826 – Niepce creates first photograph
The Chemical Process
 Couldnot do much with just camera
obscura
 needed a way to capture the image
 1816
– Nicephore Niepce combines
camera obscura with photosensitive
paper
 Paper that hardened and changed when
exposed to light
 1826 – Niepce creates first photograph
How to Make it Practical?
 Niepce’s photographs took eight hours of
exposure
 Photography needed to become more
practical
 Two men tried to solve this problem:
 Louis Daguerre
 William Henry Fox Talbot
The Photography Wars
 Louis DaGuerre
 A partner of Niepce’s
 Developed photographic
plates called
DaGuerrotypes
The Photography Wars
 Pros:
 Took only half hour to develop
 Very sharp image
 Only one image could be made
(unique, valuable)
 Cons:
 Expensive
 Only one image could be made
(can’t give your mom a copy!)
 This was a big issue
The Photography Wars
 William Henry Fox Talbot
 Used paper soaked in
silver chloride and salt
solution to produce first
negative images
 Called pictures made
Calotypes
The Photography Wars
 Pros:
 Cheap
 Could make unlimited prints
from one negative
 Cons:
 Lowerquality than
Daguerrotypes
Rapid Developments
 Who do you think won the war?

 1839, practice becomes public


 Sir John Herschel coins the term
photography
 1853 – “Nadar” opens first portrait
studio in Paris
 Worldwide boom in portrait
photography ensues
Reactions to Photography
 How do you think the church
reacted to photography?

 “The wish to capture evanescent


reflections is not only impossible…
but the mere desire alone, the will
to do so, is blasphemy. God
created man in His own image,
and no man-made machinery
may fix the image of God.”
–The Leipzig City Advisor
Reactions to Photography
 General society –
crippling concerns
about having image
“stolen”
 For some, having
picture taken = rape
Reactions to Photography
 What do we think about this?
 Does having many images of ourselves floating
around “cheapen” our images?
 Should we be careful of social networking sites like
Facebook? (Some people refuse to have their
pictures on these sites!)
The Birth of Photojournalism
 Roger
Fenton was one of the first to use
photography for a political purpose
 Known for his coverage of the Crimean War
(1853-1856)
 Propaganda – tried to show the well-being
of troops
 (Gruesome pictures were not very
marketable)
The Birth of Photojournalism
 Photojournalism grew to be an important
political force
 1861-1865: Mathew Brady and staff cover the
American Civil War
 Expose 7000 negatives
 Emphasized honesty and truth in his
photographs
 Portrayed the brutality of war
 Honestapproach marked the birth of
photojournalism
The Birth of Photojournalism
 Photojournalism grew to be an important
political force
 1861-1865: Mathew Brady and staff cover the
American Civil War
 Expose 7000 negatives
 Emphasized honesty and truth in his
photographs
 Portrayed the brutality of war
 Honestapproach marked the birth of
photojournalism
The Birth of Photojournalism
The Birth of Photojournalism
 This iconic photo
captured the
devastating effects
of the Great
Depression
The Birth of Photojournalism
 Thisphoto
encouraged
those
protesting the
Vietnam War
The People’s Camera
 1878:
Dry plates began being sold
commercially
 For the first time, cameras are accessible to
the common people
 1888: First Kodak camera
 Contained 20-foot roll of film – enough for
100 pictures
The People’s Camera
The People’s Camera
 1914:
Oscar Barnack, empoyed by Leitz,
develops first modern camera
 (you could take the film out!)
 1935: Kodak introduces first colour film
 Calls it “Kodachrome”
 1947-48:
The first Polaroid camera is
developed by Edward Land
The Future of Photography
 1990
 Logitech introduces first
digital camera
 Adobe introduces Photoshop

 The
possibilities are now
endless!!
But is this a good thing?

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