The first permanent black and white photograph was produced
by the French inventor Joseph Nicephore Niepce in 1826. The first type of photograph
done was called ‘daguerreotype’. This technology produced a positive image onto
a polished metal plate but before this in the pre photographic age public and
personal history was recorded by painters. With the invention of photography in
place people then begun to rely on photographers to capture their images but in
this early stage it took up to 8 hours to produce one image. Although Joseph
Nicephore Niepce played a big part in contributing to the invention of
photography it was also down to the help of Louis Dagurre who created the
primary reliable process for photographic development, hence the name
‘daguerreotype’. For the invention of photography both inventors worked hand in
hand experimenting with silver compunds depending on the Johann Heinrich
Schultz discovery in 1724. Earlier this experiment had been proven, and what
had been discovered was when a silver and chalk mixture was produced it darkens
when exposed to light. Unfortunatley Niepce died in 1833 and Dagurre had to
continue on his own experimenting with the development of the ‘daguerreotype’
in 1839.
Photography has
been around since the ancient times when images were produced on a wall by a
pinhole camera, this began to improve in the 16th century. Henry Talbot
introduced chemicals into photography by soaking images in silver iodide and
developed in salt solution. In 1854 in France portrait photgraphy came
increasingly popular, colour photography still hadnt been introduced by this
time and black and white was still the only type of photography about. Black
and white photography has always been significant and always will be due to the
detail of shadows, facial features and emotions in the eyes. The effect that
black and white photography creates is near enough impossible to be shown in
colour photography as black and white brings out the natural beauty and scenes
of memorable moments which is hard in itself to capture. As black and white
photgraphs were the first ones we saw and the only ones we had to visualise
what the past looked like. This was the starting point for movies and films,
without the invention of black and white photography we would not have any of
this now.
The first
autochrome colour plate was invented by the French Lumiere brothers entered the
marked in 1907. This was based on a ‘screen plate’ filter made of dyed dots of
potato starch, and was the only colour film on the market for a while. In 1932
German Agfa put colour photography on the market also, ‘Agfocolour’. In 1935,
American Kodak introduced the first modern ‘integrated tri-pack’, colour film,
Kodachrome, based on three coloured emulsions. The majority of colour films,
except Kodachrome, are based in the Agfocolour Neue Technology. In 1963 instant
colour film was produced by polaroid. Colour photography is a type of
photography that used media capable of presenting colours which are
traditionally produced chemically during the photographic processing phase.
Black and white (monochrome) photography records only a single channel of luminance
(brightness) and uses media capable only showing shades of grey. Light
sensitive chemicals or electronic sensors record colour information at the same
time as processing an image, exposure. The colour captured is an immitation of
how the human eye sees colour, its split into 3 channels of information, one
dominated by red another by green and the other by blue. The recorded
information is then used to produce the origional colours mixing a bit of each
together to create the coloured image.
The first digital
camera was built in 1975 by Steven Sasson, who was an engineer at Eastman
Kodak. However, the camera was not very practical. The camera recorded black
and white images to a cassette tape, and had a resolution of just 0.01
megapixels and took about 23 seconds to capture an image. The first ‘true’
digital camera (which recorded images as computerized files) was the Fuji
DS-1P, produced in 1988. This was never released in America and there is no
evidence that it was ever released in Japan. The first commercially available
digital camera was the 1990 Dycam Model 1.
Pros and cons of digital photography
The invention of
digital photography has benifitted us a lot in this day in age as its all about
modern everything. Although we wouldn’t have any of what we have now in
photography if it hadnt been for the time and effort put in by the inventors in
the early ages. Even now things are still developing and modernising and being
created, this will always continue and who knows what might have been invented in
50 years time! There are many pros and cons related to digital photography as
there is with anything in life. Some people would find everything about digital
easier and not as much effort as once you’ve taken the photo its there for you
to edit or not however you want, theres no developing and wondering whether you
will even have any images on your film. You can also see the image once you’ve
taken it on the screen infront of you so you can then edit your settings and
positioning if it isnt what you want. You could shoot a whole film on a film
camera and end up with a completely black film, its sometimes trial and error
with film cameras depending on how you set it up. Its always advisable to set
up your film camera by your digital camera, this is only posisble for us now as
digital is around but back in the early ages you didn’t have the opportunity to
do this, it was 100% trial and error. I find the process of creating an image
from a negative or roll of film very rewarding (when it works). Its something
you’ve helped to create and developed it and making it your own, watching the
image develop infront of you is fastenating. This isnt for everyone though as
some people may feel its too much effort and a long process just for a few
photos, each to their own.
The effects that
can be created by film is also fastenating, you can create grainy images,
sharp, polaroid, under water etc. The list goes on! Also an effect I think is
really nice is being able to scan in a negative and use the negatives, you can
scratch into them or manipulate them how you like then develop it as an image
using the same chemical process. One of the main put offs from film is the
cost, it can be quite an expensive process. This is more so if the film doesn’t
work out how you want as you have to buy the film and the film paper and it can
all add up. I still feel that film photography is something everyone should try
to experiment with and see if its
for them. Its also near enough impossible if you havent got acess to a dark
room with all the proper chemicals needed, its harder now to create your own
dark room and try and get hold of the chemicals that could work out very
expensive.
Its hard to
compare whether digital is more popular than film but looking at magazines,
documentaries on t.v, films etc it seems that digital possibly is. I think it’s
the sence of control that you have when using a digital camera that is more
appealing to many people and photographers. If you’re a busy photographer on a
shoot its easier and better to be able to see exactly what your creating so you
don’t feel like it’s a waste of time if the film hasn’t worked out how you want
it too. Its a lot easier to see the photos your creating infront of you and
edit if necessary on the settings whilst on the shoot. Digital is getting more
advanced each and every day, you can
create so many styles of photography on a digital camera its fantastic!
Using slow and fast shutter speed, changing the apature etc, all sorts can be changed.
I think that the world would be a very different place if digital photography
hadnt been invented as we would be lacking in a lot of technology such as t.v,
film etc. I think that technology will keep on developing and advancing and
there will be some crazy things created in the future, from black and white
images printed onto metal plates to black and white photography to colour film
to digital…a big step already so what more is to come in the future?
first black and white image
first colour image
