1. A Brief History Of Photography
For centuries images have been projected onto surfaces. The camera obscura and the
camera lucida were used by artists to trace scenes as early as the 16th century. These early
cameras did not fix an image in time; they only projected what passed through an opening
in the wall of a darkened room onto a surface. In effect, the entire room was turned into a
large pinhole camera. Indeed, the phrase camera obscura literally means "darkened
room," and it is after these darkened rooms that all modern cameras have been named.
The first photograph is considered to be an image produced in 1826 by the French
inventor Nicéphore Niépce on a polished pewter plate covered with a petroleum
derivative called bitumen of Judea. It was produced with a camera, and required an eight
hour exposure in bright sunshine. However this process turned out to be a dead end and
Niépce began experimenting with silver compounds based on a Johann Heinrich Schultz
discovery in 1724 that a silver and chalk mixture darkens when exposed to light.
Niépce, in Chalon-sur-Saône, and the artist Louis Daguerre, in Paris, refined the existing
silver process in a partnership. In 1833 Niépce died of a stroke, leaving his notes to
Daguerre. While he had no scientific background, Daguerre made two pivotal
contributions to the process.
He discovered that by exposing the silver first to iodine vapour, before exposure to light,
and then to mercury fumes after the photograph was taken, a latent image could be
formed and made visible. By then bathing the plate in a salt bath the image could be
fixed.
In 1839 Daguerre announced that he had invented a process using silver on a copper plate
called the Daguerreotype. A similar process is still used today for Polaroids. The French
government bought the patent and immediately made it public domain.
Across the English Channel, William Fox Talbot had earlier discovered another means to
fix a silver process image but had kept it secret. After reading about Daguerre's invention
Talbot refined his process, so that it might be fast enough to take photographs of people
as Daguerre had done and by 1840 he had invented the calotype process.
He coated paper sheets with silver chloride to create an intermediate negative image.
Unlike a daguerreotype a calotype negative could be used to reproduce positive prints,
like most chemical films do today. Talbot patented this process which greatly limited its
adoption.
He spent the rest of his life in lawsuits defending the patent until he gave up on
photography altogether. But later this process was refined by George Eastman and is
today the basic technology used by chemical film cameras. Hippolyte Bayard also
developed a method of photography but delayed announcing it, and so was not
recognized as its inventor.
2. In the darkroomIn 1851 Frederick Scott Archer invented the collodion process. It was the
process used by Lewis Carroll.
Slovene Janez Puhar invented the technical procedure for making photographs on glass in
1841. The invention was recognized on July 17th 1852 in Paris by the Académie
Nationale Agricole, Manufacturičre et Commerciale.
The Daguerreotype proved popular in responding to the demand for portraiture emerging
from the middle classes during the Industrial Revolution. This demand, that could not be
met in volume and in cost by oil painting, may well have been the push for the
development of photography.
However daguerreotypes, while beautiful, were fragile and difficult to copy. A single
photograph taken in a portrait studio could cost US$1000 in 2006 dollars. Photographers
also encouraged chemists to refine the process of making many copies cheaply, which
eventually led them back to Talbot's process. Ultimately, the modern photographic
process came about from a series of refinements and improvements in the first 20 years.
In 1884 George Eastman, of Rochester, New York, developed dry gel on paper, or film, to
replace the photographic plate so that a photographer no longer needed to carry boxes of
plates and toxic chemicals around. In July of 1888 Eastman's Kodak camera went on the
market with the slogan "You press the button, we do the rest". Now anyone could take a
photograph and leave the complex parts of the process to others. Photography became
available for the mass-market in 1901 with the introduction of Kodak Brownie.
Since then color film has become standard, as well as automatic focus and automatic
exposure. Digital recording of images is becoming increasingly common, as digital
cameras allow instant previews on LCD screens and the resolution of top of the range
models has exceeded high quality 35mm film while lower resolution models have
become affordable. For the enthusiast photographer processing black and white film, little
has changed since the introduction of the 35mm film Leica camera in 1925.
Bringing Memories to Life
Many us of have many treasured photo albums that with just the flip of a page allowing
us walk again down paths long since traversed. Dipping in and out of memories as though
it all happened only yesterday – until we realise abruptly that our treasured memories are,
in fact, from years ago, and we no longer remember where that snap shot was taken, or
what year is encapsulated there in paper form. While it is quick and easy to write a brief
note upon the back of our photographs, the best way to rekindle those special memories is
to log them all, each one, is in a scrapbook.
Using scrapbooks is a wonderful way to raise the storage of photographs and other
memorabilia to a more personal level. There is little doubt that retaining keepsakes from
important events or occasions is the ideal way to recapture the essence of a particular
3. moment once it has passed us by in time, but it is only in using a scrapbook that the story
really comes to life. Our precious memories so often wither in old shoeboxes, clumped
together into confused bundles, where their special meaning fades. By gathering our
memories into a scrapbook, we can suffuse life into them once more, and bequeath the
joy we once shared to a whole new generation.
A scrapbook is nothing less than our own storybook, storing particular items that capture
the meaning behind the memories. The straw you kept from your very first date with the
man you’ve now been married to for over twenty years, that’s a precious memory, but
think how the memory of that date comes alive when you scrapbook that straw with a
photograph of the new couple, and include your thoughts from that special night. How
much more meaningful does this memento become to your children and your children’s
children when it is conveyed as a part of the whole story of your love? What once was a
small plastic tube found at the bottom of an old box is now a living memory, conveying
far more than you ever thought it could.
A scrapbook can store your memories in the most precious and personal way. Don’t keep
your life to yourself; share it with a scrapbook, and relive your memories through the
eyes of others.
How to be a Great Photographer
Take one camera (digital or analog) and film as needed. Put film into camera (if
necessary). Snap shutter. Before snapping shutter, point camera at a subject that will give
the viewer a meaningful aesthetic experience.
For someone who has no idea of what a camera is, learning how to carry out the first part
of the prescription should take anywhere from a week to a month. However, the second
part will take from a few years to forever. It's this part that I want to discuss.
There are several approaches to developing as a photographer.
1. Do nothing
A lot of people use their camera to record family celebrations and vacations and are
content with the outcome.
2. Study web pages that have tips for better photographs
These will often help to tighten up your pictures. If you want to get a few ideas in a few
minutes, this is the place to look.
3. Get your photographs critiqued at an appropriate website
This is a good way to learn how others respond to your pictures. But be careful. Not all
criticism is equal. Some of your evaluators may be experienced professionals and others
4. beginners. If you are going to rely on this method, it is important that you learn enough to
evaluate the evaluators (see point 4).
4. Study the work of acknowledged great artists
By taking this route you can learn what elements contribute to a fine photograph. This
takes time and study. Don't simply look at a few photos but read art criticism to find out
what professional educators think and why.
One drawback here is that you won't be able to see how your work measures up. If you
plan to take this route and also join a critique website (see point 3), you will be in a
position to know which criticism to ignore and which to pay attention to.
5. Join a photography club
Clubs often have lectures, workshops, and juried shows. This can be a good hands-on
learning experience.
6. Take a class (online or in person)
There are all sorts of classes. If you choose one that has assignments and feedback, you
can be guided through the fundamentals by an experienced photographer.
7. Get a coach
At this point I have to say a few words about the difference between a competent
photographer and a person who uses photography as an art form. The competent
photographer will be able to produce pleasing postcard- or calendar-quality pictures that
look like postcard and calendar pictures. The artist will be able to take photographs that
represent his or her vision of the world. If you are after the former and not the latter, you
should choose among methods 1 through 6. A good coach should help you develop your
unique way of seeing.
8. Go to an art school
This, for people who have the time and the money, is by far the best. I studied at the San
Francisco Art Institute. Here's how it worked. I went to a photography class two or three
times a week. At every class meeting each student pinned 20-30 photographs to the wall
and, under the supervision of an accomplished professional, we criticized our own and
one another's work. We also took photography history classes as well as courses in other
fields of art. Mine were film, drawing, sculpture, and printmaking. There were frequent
guest lecturers. We never learned any rules. In fact, rules were never mentioned. But
through a combination of years of exposure to all types of art, classical through
contemporary, and having to produce 50-60 new photographs every week, we eventually
learned what art was about.
5. There are many ways to improve your photography. Before you make your choice you
should decide on your goal. If you have little time and just want to tidy up your pictures a
bit, read the tips pages. On the other extreme, if your goal is to be an artist, there is
nothing close to attending art school. Most people fall between these extremes.
Keep Your Photos Safe
Are your precious photos safe?
Are you backing up your precious photos? our computers and removable storage media
are full with experiences and precious moments. However electronic media is not safe.
Hard disks crash and removable media fails.
Disasters can happen. Digital photo albums are vulnerable and if not backed up you lose
thousands of photos and a lifetime of moments in just one hard disk crash.
What are backups? backups are just copies of our files that are put in a safe place.
Example of such copies can be photos put on a DVD and placed at a friend's house. The
DVD could of course be placed in your own house but that would be less safe since in
case of a disaster in your house you might lose both your computer and the backups.
A few years ago backups were hard to make. You practically had to be a computer guru to
figure our those backup software. Today however backup was made easy using a number
of software solution and online service. Below you can find two main options for backing
up your photo albums: burning them to a DVD/CD or using an online backup service.
Backing up to a DVD/CD
Backing up to a DVD/CD is done by using a DVD/CD writer drive and software that can
burn files on such media. Usually using such solutions requires more technical know-how.
Backing up to a DVD/CD is a cheap solution. You can buy such writer drives and
software for probably under a $100 and each DVD/CD media should cost in the cents.
One such software that has been around for a while and used by many is from Roxio.
When backing up your photo albums to a DVD/CD please make sure that you put the
DVD/CD in a safe place a good option would be somewhere out of your home maybe a
family member, a neighbor you can trust or a friend. Another thing to remember with
DVD/CD backup is that when you take new photos you should remember to refresh your
backups. Ususally unless your photo album is very big the easiest way to do that is just to
burn again you complete collection.
Backing up to an online backup service
As any other service backup found its way to the Internet too. A number of sites provide
backup services today for everything from digital photo albums to your word documents.
6. Those services usually charge a monthly fee in the $10 to $20 but some provide a more
limited service for free. The idea behind the service is simple: instead of backing up to a
DVD/CD you just upload your photos to a site and create copy there. The site stores the
backups for you in a safe place far away from your computer. If a disaster happens and
you need your files you can simple download them back from the site or ask them to send
you a DVD/CD with the files (not all provide the latter option). A broadband connection
is needed in order to use this option.
There are many advantages to using an online backup service. First they are usually very
easy to use. Some provide software that you download and install on your computer. You
then point to the folder where your photos reside and the software takes it from there. It
will make sure new files are uploaded to the backup service and that your backup is
always fresh.
Examples of sites that provide such service are: Streamload that starts with a basic FREE
10GB space (approx 10,000 photos at 2 megapixels) and Xdrive that starts from 5GB for
$10 a month.
Top 5 Photo Accessories.
There is a lot of photography accessories on the market today - some are very useful,
but most of them are a waste of money. Here are five of the most important accessories
for landscape photography
Tripod: A tripod is important for one main reason, keeping your images sharp. You’ll
want to select a small aperture to maximise depth-of-field, so you should be using a
shutter speed of less than 1/60 second. It’s impossible to get a sharp image holding your
camera in your hand at these slow speeds.
When choosing a tripod pick one made out of carbon fibres, these are light to carry but
are sturdy in the ground. Choose a tripod that the legs will spread out far, this will help to
optimise the strength of your support.
Filters: A small selection of filters is well worth packing when heading off for a trip.
They don’t take up too much space and will definitely add a bit of spice to your images. A
polarizing filter should be top of the list, while a few Neutral Density filters will certainly
help with tough exposures. A 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 will help with exposure without affecting
colour.
Bring a few warm-up filters to help when the light is cool. The 81-series are the best
choice, which will give your images an extra bit of life. There’s a large amount of filters
on the market today; these are the most important filters for landscape photography.
Correct Film: Fuji Velvia is an obvious choice for me when it comes to shooting
7. landscapes. This is a slide film that is high in saturation and is perfect for capturing the
colour of all seasons. It comes in two speeds of ISO 50 and ISO 100.
It’s always handy to have a few rolls of Black and White film in the bag. You never
know when you see a scene and know that it’s perfect for B/W. Whichever film you
choose, bring plenty of rolls; don’t be caught in the middle of nowhere without film.
If you are shooting with a Digital SLR bring plenty of memory.
Cable Release: If your camera has a connection for a cable release you should buy one. It
is a perfect accessory to minimise the risk of camera shake - especially if you are taking
long exposures. It doesn’t take up too much room and is extremely light.
Light Meter: All modern day cameras have light meters built into them, but if you are
serious about landscape photography it’s advisable to have a hand-held light meter. These
are small and of light-weight, and when used correctly are extremely accurate.
These are the most important bits and pieces for your camera bag; other important
accessories include spare batteries, a grey card and a few spare lenses.
