Invention of photography essay

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 16^th 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