Photography's History
Photography got its name from the Greek words "photos" which means
light and "graphein" meaning to draw. The first person to use this term
was the scientist Sir John Herschel in the year 1839. Thus, photography
means the method or process of registering images with the aid of light
, related radiation, on a medium that is made of sensitive materials.
The first image
During one summer day in the year 1827, the Frenchman Joseph Nicephore
Niepce was able to achieve the creation of the first image that was
fixed by working on it for 8 hours. His compatriot, Louis Jacques Mande
Daguerre on the other hand was able to lower exposure time to a period
of less than 30 minutes as well as preventing the captured image from
disappearing.
Daguerre and the daguerreotype
Daguerre was the first to invent the most practical process for
developing pictures during their time. He was born to a place in close
proximity to Paris, France. Before experimenting on photography, he was
a professional painter of various scenes in operas. After many years of
experimentation with light and its effects on images, Daguerre was able
to develop a process to make pictures that were more efficient and
effective. He sold the rights to the French government then wrote a
book describing his invention.
The pinhole camera
Ibn Al-Haytham, who lived in the middle ages, was a greatly known in
the field of optics. The pinhole camera was invented by Al-Haytham with
the resulting image viewed upside down. A European named Della Porta
was able to re-invent the pinhole camera, this enabled him to publish
information regarding the pinhole camera.
The flashbulb
An Austrian named Paul Vierkotter is credited to be the first person to
invent the flashbulb. He used a wire coated with magnesium which was
placed in a glass globe that was vacuum sealed. This was later replaced
with an aluminum foil inside an enclosure filled with oxygen. The
flashbulb became commercially available in the year 1930. It was
patented by a German national, Johannes Ostermeier. The flashbulbs were
called "vacublitz". General Electric, a company engaging in suh
ventures made their own version which was termed "Sashalite".
Instant photos
You can take instant pictures using a polaroid camera. This type of
camera was created by Edwin Land. His work on photography enabled a new
age in photography wherein pictures can be obtained instantly. The
exposure time was no longer a factor.
These are some fast facts that wil help you understand more the history
of photography. Having a clear idea of how photography started will
help you with your passion for pictures.
