2. 2
Photography is Born
In 1839 Louis Jacques Mande
Daguerre, a French scientist
and William Henry Fox Talbot, a
British scholar, independently
announced the invention of
photography.
In 1839 Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre, a French scientist and
William Henry Fox Talbot, a British scholar, independently
announced the invention of photography.
3. 3
Daguerreotype vs. Calotype
Daguerre would call his process the daguerreotype while Talbot
would call his the calotype.
Both would be entirely different. The daguerreotype would use a
polished metal plate and produce a positive image although
reversed form left to right. The calotype was a positive print made
form a paper negative, thus allowing for reproduction of the image.
The daguerreotype would prevail as the prominent choice as
Daguerre sold his technology to the French Parliament and they in
turn opened it to the world free of charge.
Talbot would restrict his creation by making prospective users take
out a license.
4. 4
Daguerreotype Prefered
Users also preferred the daguerreotype for its exacting realism.
While this was an advantage it also had its disadvantages as it was
had very low sensitivity to light and small apertures. Thus many
images would be blurred if the subjects did not whole perfectly still.
5. 5
Fredrick Scott Archer
• In 1851 an Englishman
Fredrick Scott Archer
devised the wet collodion
plate
• Used a glass plate coated
with a sticky solution of
nitrocellulose dissolved in
alcohol and ether
• Sensitized by dipping it in
silver nitrate
• The disadvantage of this
process was the plate had
to be exposed while wet and
developed almost
immediately
In 1851 an Englishman Fredrick Scott Archer devised the wet
collodion plate. The new collodion plate would use a glass plate
coated with a sticky solution of nitrocellulose dissolved in alcohol
and ether, sensitized by dipping it in silver nitrate. The
disadvantage of this process was the plate had to be exposed while
wet and developed almost immediately.
6. 6
The Tin Type
• In 1856, Hamilton Smith,
discovered that collodion
emulsion could be poured onto
any number of surfaces,
including leather and cardboard
• Smith sensitized a
preblackened sheet of thin iron,
and then exposed it in a
camera. The idea worked and,
soon images on iron plates
were sold to an increasingly
enthusiastic public.
• The tintype was cheap, durable
and easy to mail, the poor
man’s daguerreotype.
In 1856, Hamilton Smith, discovered that collodion emulsion could
be poured onto any number of surfaces, including leather and
cardboard
Smith sensitized a preblackened sheet of thin iron, and then
exposed it in a camera. The idea worked and, soon images on iron
plates were sold to an increasingly enthusiastic public.
The tintype was cheap, durable and easy to mail, the poor man’s
daguerreotype.
7. 7
Eastman Kodak
• By 1888, George Eastman
creates the Eastman Kodak
Company
• Develops a camera that used
his newly developed
technology, roll film.
• “You press the button, we
do the rest”
By 1888, George Eastman had created the Eastman Kodak
Company, which specialized in gelatin dry plates.
He then created and marketed a camera that used his newly
developed technology, roll film. The user purchased a camera, took
up to 100 photos, then shipped it back to the factory where a new
roll would be loaded and the images developed.
This gave way to the popular slogan, “You press the button, we do
the rest”
8. 8
Eastman Kodak
• By 1935, Kodak had
experimented and developed
the first color film,
Kodachrome. Again,
processing had to be done
at the factory, but it was
instantly successful.
• Film photography would
continue to evolve over the
years, paving the way for
innovation and
advancements.
By 1935, Kodak had experimented and developed the first color
film, Kodachrome. Again, processing had to be done at the factory,
but it was instantly successful.
Film photography would continue to evolve over the years, paving
the way for innovation and advancements.
9. 9
Kodachrome
By 1935, Kodak had experimented and developed the first color
film, Kodachrome.
Again, processing had to be done at the factory, but it was instantly
successful.
Film photography would continue to evolve over the years, paving
the way for innovation and advancements.
11. 11
Brief History of Digital
• 1950’s and the dawn of television
• 1960’s and NASA
• 1984 and the first commercial “digital camera”
• 1988 invention of film scanners
• 1994 manufacturers develop their own digital
cameras
• Late 90’s quality of digital is up and technology is
cheap
This history of digital begins in the early 1950’s with the dawn of television,
when the first Video Tape recorders were created. This allowed television
studios to record the digital signal to magnetic tape.
By the 1960’s, NASA sent probes to the moon but had problems with the
analog signals. They then fed the signals through a computer, which aided in
“cleaning up” the signals to something that they would actually use. The cold
war helped to accelerate the technology.
The first commercial “digital camera” was created by Canon, a Japanese
camera company. It was tested at the Los Angeles Olympic Games and “The
pictures it took were published the next day in a Japanese newspaper. The
experiment worked so well that Canon decided to put the camera on the
market”.
By 1988, a new device was created that allowed a photographer to scan his or
her film; he or she would then have a digital copy of the film.
By 1994, several manufacturers had developed their own digital cameras. By
the late 1990’s, the quality of digital would be good enough and cheap enough
for the general user.
