History
"Eight Hours"
by Luke Kisena
In 1839 Sir John F.W. Herschel was the first person to use the word “photography.” That word was derived from the Greek words graphein and photos. Graphien means “to draw” and photos mean “light”. Photography is a method recording images on sensitive material using the action of light or related radiation. The first image captured was on a pinhole camera also known as “Camera Obscura.” The Camera Obscura was first invented in 1000AD by Alhazen; he was an innovator in the optic field and the first to explain why the images were upside down on the pinhole camera. References to optic law that make pinhole cameras possible can be dated all the way back to 330 BC from the infamous Aristotle.
1827, the day Joseph Nicephore Niepce produced the first photographic image using the camera obscura. Prior to this the camera obscura was primarily used for viewing or drawing purposes. When Joseph incorporated his heliograph (sun prints) is when the first prototype for the modern picture was born. An engraving was placed onto a metal plate coated in bitumen, and exposed it to light. The light areas of the engraving allowed light to react with chemicals on the plate. Meanwhile the dark and shadowed areas of the engraving would block and restrict the light. After this process the metal plate was placed in a special solvent until an image gradually appeared. This whole process took about eight hours.
In this day and age could you imagine it taking eight hours to capture one image? Think about how many images you could capture in eight hours with a digital camera and a giant memory card. Or even think about how many images you could capture with a traditional film camera. In my lifetime technology has unleashed the possibilities and power of photography. I love the fact that anybody and everybody can capture, edit and produce great photographs. Whether it is a hobby or a career anybody can learn how to maximize their ability to photograph anything they would like. Even twenty years ago taking photos and developing film was more of a luxury then a convenience. I cannot even imagine not being able to take a photograph any time I wanted to (phone) better yet not being able to look at the picture immediately after it was taken.
Referencehttp://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/stilphotography.htm
1827, the day Joseph Nicephore Niepce produced the first photographic image using the camera obscura. Prior to this the camera obscura was primarily used for viewing or drawing purposes. When Joseph incorporated his heliograph (sun prints) is when the first prototype for the modern picture was born. An engraving was placed onto a metal plate coated in bitumen, and exposed it to light. The light areas of the engraving allowed light to react with chemicals on the plate. Meanwhile the dark and shadowed areas of the engraving would block and restrict the light. After this process the metal plate was placed in a special solvent until an image gradually appeared. This whole process took about eight hours.
In this day and age could you imagine it taking eight hours to capture one image? Think about how many images you could capture in eight hours with a digital camera and a giant memory card. Or even think about how many images you could capture with a traditional film camera. In my lifetime technology has unleashed the possibilities and power of photography. I love the fact that anybody and everybody can capture, edit and produce great photographs. Whether it is a hobby or a career anybody can learn how to maximize their ability to photograph anything they would like. Even twenty years ago taking photos and developing film was more of a luxury then a convenience. I cannot even imagine not being able to take a photograph any time I wanted to (phone) better yet not being able to look at the picture immediately after it was taken.
Referencehttp://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/stilphotography.htm