A Short History Of PHOTOGRAPHY

The word 'photography' stems from the Greek terms photosi and graphien, which mean light and to draw respectively, and it was first coined by Sir John F.W Hershel back in 1839. The reasoning behind his using this specific phrase comes from the fact that this process intended to use light in order to imprint images onto a material that was sensitive enough to record it.







In 1827, a man named Joseph Niepce was able to take the world's first photograph, but it was only achieved after an exposure time of eight hours. In the early years, photography was thought to be a very technical process; one that was more science than art, and so the focus was on improving the equipment in order to get clearer, more accurate pictures.

Daguerre is another inventor that is known for his contributions to the earliest designs of the camera, and he and Niepce became partners in 1829. While he was best known at the time for painting Opera scenes, he wanted nothing more than to be able to capture them through the lens of a camera, and he finally found success through this partnership.

The biggest problem faced by early photographers was not getting the light to 'draw' the desired scene, but rather to prevent the picture from fading. Niepce solved this problem when he began using a chemical called Bitumen of Judea which would harden the metal plates that he used to imprint the pictures. After the pictures were imprinted, the metal would then be polished and ink would be spread across the surface of the material. The result was that the image could now be placed onto a sheet of paper, preserving it for many years. While this was a more effective method of obtaining a long-lasting photograph, there were many disadvantages to this approach, which included the cost of the metal sheets (which were very high) and the amount of effort that went into polishing the materials.

The same year that Hershel introduced the word photography to the world, he introduced another major development to this field; the use of glass materials, instead of metal, onto which the photographs could be imprinted. This process was much easier to use and it would eventually lead to some of the first commercially-viable "cameras" on the market, which became available in 1888.

Once the equipment began making its rounds in the public sector, the first pioneers in the 'art' of photography took up their own cameras and began to make a name for themselves. Alfred Stiegler is thought, by some, to be the biggest pioneers of modern photography, and he was one of the first to make use of this medium for more than practical purposes. Felix Nadar is another great photographer who made strides within the industry by making use of external components, such as unnatural light, in order to alter the effects of the image produced by the camera.

While the history of photography might have a long and arduous one, the moment that this equipment entered the public domain, it seems as if budding photographers were waiting in the wings to begin their careers within this industry. These days, people can do amazing things with a camera; make political statements, advertise products or simply produce images that remind them of moments shared with friends and family. It is an art meant to be shared with the world, and the pioneers ensured that it would be so.