From Vague Images To Digital Pictures by
Darren G. Burton
Have you ever wondered where photography started? What was the very first
camera? Who invented film and colour photography?
Five hundred years ago, photography of today’s standards was but a
fantasy. The early pioneers of this great hobby and profession could not
have imagined what their initial efforts would eventually lead to.
Spanning five centuries, the art of photography has gradually been
perfected to the standard it is now.
Early Beginnings
The very first camera was invented in the early 1500’s and was known as
the ‘camera obscura’. It was a large box with a tiny hole cut in one wall.
Light from outside the box passed through this hole, which acted as a
crude form of lens, to form an image on the opposite wall of the box. The
image was an upside down picture of the outside scene.
The first camera obscura was large enough for a man to enter. Artists used
to transport the camera to a place of their work and use it as a sketching
aid. When the light passed through the hole and reflected the image of the
scene they wished to draw on the wall, the artist could trace the image on
a piece of thin paper and later colour the picture in.
During the 1660’s the camera obscura was made smaller; a box about two
feet long. A lens was placed over the hole to enlarge the image and make
it easier to trace in detail. A mirror was then positioned at an angle to
the lens. This reflected the image onto a piece of ground glass at the top
of the box.
This form of camera obscura resembled today’s single-lens reflex camera.
Using Paper
Late in the 18th century British scientists conducted experiments with
photosensitive silver compounds. Silver nitrate and silver chloride were
used successfully in the recording of photographic images by scientists
Thomas Wedgewood and Sir Humphrey Davy.
Using silver chloride-coated paper, the two scientists succeeded in
producing images of paintings, silhouettes of leaves and of human
profiles. These photographs were not permanent, however, as the paper soon
blackened with the continued exposure to light.
In 1826, Joseph Niepce made the very first permanent photograph with a
camera obscura. The picture was a view from his window. He exposed a
pewter plate for eight hours in his camera to take the picture.
In 1831, a French painter named Louis Jacques Daguerre made photographs on
silver plates coated with a light-sensitive layer of silver iodide.
Daguerre would expose the plate for several minutes after which he used
mercury vapours to develop a positive photographic image. These
photographs were not permanent, though, as the plates gradually darkened
and removed the image.
In the first permanent photographs developed by Daguerre, the developed
plate was coated with a strong solution of table salt.
This fixing process was originated by British inventor William Henry Fox
Talbot. The fixing process he produced rendered the unexposed silver
iodide particles insensitive to light, preventing a total blackening of
the plate.
While Daguerre’s method of processing could produce only one print per
plate, Talbot set to work developing a method involving the use of a paper
negative from which an unlimited number of prints could be made. Talbot
discovered that paper coated with silver iodide could be made more
light-sensitive when dampened before exposure with a solution of silver
nitrate and gallic acid.
The negative image, following development, was made permanent by immersion
in sodium thiosulphate, or hypo. Talbot’s method was called the Calotype
Process.
The first known photograph to be taken in Australia was in 1841. The
national newspaper, The Australian, reported the historic event. The photo
was believed to have been taken by a French commander named Jude de
Beausejour.
More Definite
In 1847, French physicist Claude Felix de Saint-Victor devised a method of
producing a more definite image; but this method required long exposure
times. The French physicist used a glass-plate negative which was coated
with potassium bromide suspended in albumen. This was prepared before
exposure by immersing the plate in a silver nitrate solution.
The year 1851 saw another change in photographic procedures. British
photographer Frederick Scott Archer introduced wet glass plates coated
with collodion rather than albumen, to suspend the light-sensitive
particles. These negatives had to be exposed and developed while they were
still wet.
Because of this, it was necessary for photographers to have a darkroom
close by when shooting. The plates would have to be prepared immediately
before and developed immediately after exposure.
As this process was limited mainly to professional photographers, because
of the skill and expense required in the procedure, other enthusiasts
attempted to prefect a negative which needn’t be wet when exposed and
didn’t require immediate development after the picture was taken.
British merchant Richard Kennett made some advances in this area, as did
British photographer Charles Bennett. Bennett used a dry plate coated in
an emulsion of silver bromide and gelatin, replacing collodion.
Coloured Beginnings
The first successful colour photograph was made in 1861 by British
physicist James Clerk Maxwell. He used what was known as the
‘additive-colour process’.
In 1883, a long paper film covered in light-sensitive emulsion was
introduced. American inventor George Eastman was the man responsible for
the discovery. In 1888, Eastman made another contribution to the world of
photography. In that year he introduced the Kodak camera. The introduction
of this camera made photography available to millions of people.
The following year Eastman produced the very first flexible, transparent
film support made of cellulose nitrate. The invention of roll film marked
the end of the early photographic era.
Rapid Advancements
Early in the 20th century commercial photography grew rapidly.
Improvements in black and white photography opened the field to people who
lacked the time and skill to master the earlier, more complicated
processes.
The very first commercial colour films were called Autochromes Lumiere.
These films became available on the market in 1907.
Advances in technology simplified photographic materials and equipment.
These easier-to-master cameras and methods encouraged many people to take
up photography as an interesting hobby.
In 1924 a new and economical camera was introduced into the photographic
arena. The Leica camera, a 35mm machine, was marketed in Germany. This
camera started what was known as the candid camera craze. People would
take candid photographs of others without their knowledge.
Because of the compactness and economy of this camera, it quickly became
very popular with amateur and professional photographers alike. The camera
made use of a small-size film initially designed for motion pictures.
At that time in the 1920’s, the modern flashbulbs of today weren’t even
thought of. To produce artificial illumination of a subject, a finely
powdered magnesium ignited by a percussion cap was used to produce a
brilliant flash of light.
It wasn’t until 1931 that a flashbulb was invented and replaced the old
magnesium method. The electronic flash was invented by Harold E. Edgerton.
Kodachrome colour film was introduced in 1935. The following year,
Agfacolour was released onto the market. Both films were used to produce
positive colour slides and transparencies. These films initiated the
popular use of colour films. Colour photography grew further in popularity
when Kodacolor negative film was introduced in 1941.
During the Second World War many advances were made in photographic
processes; mainly due to the fact that photography was helpful in military
operations. In this period, new chemicals for developing and fixing films
were produced. Also, with the aid of computers, many new lenses were
perfected. These included interchangeable lenses which are still in use.
In 1947 American physicist Edwin H. Land invented the famous Polaroid Land
Camera. The photographic process he devised enabled pictures to be
developed in the camera immediately after exposure.
This process was further perfected and in 1963 the Polaroid Corporation
marketed colour film that developed itself inside the camera in sixty
seconds.
In 1976 the Eastman Kodak Company began marketing the instamatic camera.
This camera revolutionized point-and-shoot photography.
The Modern Era
And so that brings us to today, with technology paving the way for the
sophisticated film and digital cameras now in use.
Digital photography has exploded and advanced at an incredibly rapid rate.
This is the ‘now’ age, and immediately being able to view photos taken
suits today’s instant gratification psyche. The endless functions and the
ability to manipulate photos on a computer afterward has opened the door
of potential for us all to become photography gurus.
What does the future hold beyond the digital era?
We can only wait and see.
About The Author:
Born in Sydney, Australia, Darren G. Burton has been writing for more than
20 years. He has written numerous full length works of fiction and
non-fiction. In addition to his books, he has had many articles and short
stories published in major Australian and international publications.
