In Camera Obscura is an optical phenomenon thats simple to create and hard to believe. The phenomenon is an optical principle where light from an external scene passes through a small hole into a darkened room or box, projecting an inverted and reversed image of the scene onto the opposite surface. This effect is the basis for the development of cameras and the understanding of how light can create images. This phenomenon was invented in 1839.
Louis Daguerre
The Daguerreotype Process
Daguerreotype Camera
In 1839, two distinct photographic techniques emerged, one by Louis Daguerre in France and the other by Henry Talbot in England. Daguerre developed a metal-based process known as the Daguerreotype, while Talbot’s paper-based method later evolved into the technology that would lead to the Kodak camera.
William Henry Talbot
Talbot’s Camera
Talbot’s calotype process used paper negatives, allowing multiple prints with a softer, textured look. Daguerre’s daguerreotype process used silver-plated copper, creating a unique, highly detailed positive image with a mirror-like finish. Talbot’s method enabled reproduction, while Daguerre’s produced one-of-a-kind images without reproduction capability.
Eadweard Muybridge
The Horse in Motion
Eadweard Muybridge is renowned for his pioneering work in motion photography. He is best known for his 1878 series of photographs titled The Horse in Motion, which captured the sequence of a horse’s gallop using multiple cameras. This work provided groundbreaking evidence that at certain points during a horse’s stride, all four of its hooves are off the ground. Muybridge’s work laid the foundation for the development of motion pictures, making him a key figure in the history of cinema and photography.
Chuck Close
Chuck Close, the renowned American painter and photographer, once remarked, “Photography is the easiest medium in which to be competent, but the hardest in which to have a personal vision.” This quote reflects his belief that while technical proficiency in photography can be quickly acquired, creating truly distinctive and meaningful work that expresses a unique artistic perspective is much more challenging. Close’s work often involved using photographic images as the basis for his large-scale, detailed portraits, which he transformed through painting and other techniques.
Chuck Close’s also remarks “There are no accidental photographs” highlights his belief in the deliberate nature of photography. However, he also suggested that in painting, unexpected outcomes can occur, which might be perceived as “accidental.” This reflects the idea that painting often allows for more spontaneity and chance, while photography, in his view, demands a higher degree of intentionality and control. In essence, Close implied that while photography requires meticulous planning and precision, painting can embrace serendipity and unforeseen results.
George Eastman
Kodak camera
Eastman’s Kodak camera working
George Eastman transformed photography with the introduction of the Kodak camera in 1888. This groundbreaking device featured roll film, which replaced bulky glass plates and made photography more practical and portable. Eastman’s Kodak camera was user-friendly and preloaded with film, allowing people to easily take and send their photos for processing, thereby democratizing the art form. His innovations popularized snapshot photography, enabling ordinary people to capture everyday moments with ease. By simplifying the photographic process and establishing a system for film and processing services, Eastman made photography accessible and integral to daily life, profoundly changing how we document and view the world.