Photography took several hundred years to reach its present state. No one person can be credited with its invention. As inventors worked on new processes and improvements there were many failures. Most failed because the new techniques were too complex and required great skills and endless hours. Through the perseverance and determination of those inventors before us, eventually came the photography that we know and use today.

As early as 300 AD, Aristotle philosophized at length about the nature of light. In his writings he notes that he sees light as a quality not as a actual substance

Al-Hazen was an expert in Al-Hazen was an expert in philosophy, physics, medicine, and mathematics. He was a great discoverer in optics. He worked with concave and convex lenses and found the relationship between light source, lens and image. We see when light falls on an object and reflect back to our eyes.

The Camera Obscura is a Latin word meaning “darkened chamber or black box”. This was a building block in the development of the camera. Early versions were a large box with a hole in one side through which light enters and projects an image onto the opposite side creating an upside down image of an object or scene. The Camera Obscura is a Latin word meaning “darkened chamber or black box”. This was a building block in the development of the camera. Early versions were a large box with a hole in one side through which light enters and projects an image onto the opposite side creating an upside down image of an object or scene.

Leonardo DaVinci documented in his writings’ that the Camera Obscura is the physics that a very small hole in a box in a dark room on a bright day will direct light to create an image, that is outside the hole. It reflects on the other side of the room an upside down picture. an upside down picture. The earlier versions of this device were mainly used by artist to assist them in their paintings.

Schulze, was a professor of anatomy. He discovered that silver salts turned black when exposed to the sun or light. He experimented creating He experimented creating crude photographic impressions, but eventually the images all but eventually the images all turned black due to additional light exposure.

From room size to desk size the inventions keep improving. Room Size Desk Model

The first successful picture was produced by Joseph Niepce. It was an eight hour exposure time and his images soon faded and were lost. The first successful picture was produced by Joseph Niepce. It was an eight hour exposure time and his images soon faded and were lost.

Daguerre was working on experiments to make an image permanent and shorten the exposure time. He teamed up with Niepce and they worked together for the next 10 years. When Niepce died, Daguerre continued working on the process. He later discovered a solution called “Hypo” that made his images permanent. his images permanent.

The Daguerreotype was the name of Daguerre’s process. He had reduced the exposure time down to 20 minute or less so it was much more comfortable to have your portrait taken. Each Daguerreotype was a “one of a kind” image, and could not be reproduced. The Daguerreotype was the name of Daguerre’s process. He had reduced the exposure time down to 20 minute or less so it was much more comfortable to have your portrait taken. Each Daguerreotype was a “one of a kind” image, and could not be reproduced.

Your relatives really weren’t all grouchy people. Its just that you can not hold a smile for the long period of time you had to sit for a photograph to be taken. Your relatives really weren’t all grouchy people. Its just that you can not hold a smile for the long period of time you had to sit for a photograph to be taken.

Within the next year, Petzbal introduced a new camera lens which transmitted 16 times more light than the old lens. This reduced the exposure time down to one minute or less. These new lenses were extremely popular. Within the next year, Petzbal introduced a new camera lens which transmitted 16 times more light than the old lens. This reduced the exposure time down to one minute or less. These new lenses were extremely popular.

Talbot discovered the positive and negative system on paper. This meant that you could now duplicate your pictures and have as many prints made from one picture as you wanted. A whole new kind of photography was born.

The image capture process was introduced to the public by Herschel in a lecture to the Royal Society. He is credited with naming the process “Photography” to the public. The term “Photography” is derived from two Greek words Meaning, ”light” (phos) and “writing” (graphien). Some people refer to photo as writing with light.

The Anthony brothers started the first manufacturing company for photography materials in America. photography materials in America. They later merged with They later merged with the Scoville Company and were known as Ansco. known as Ansco.

Brady begins to photograph famous people of his time including, Daniel Webster and including, Daniel Webster and Edgar Allan Poe. He then goes on to become the most celebrated civil war photographer of the time. Photos of events became the Photos of events became the beginning of photo journalism.

Martin invented and introduced the “tintype” photograph. The process produces affordable images on a sheet of cheap metal. Prints were often low quality Prints were often low quality but they were cheap, fast, and could be sent through the mail. could be sent through the mail. They became very popular with The public.

The first aerial picture Was taken from a balloon from an altitude of 1,200 Feet over Paris by Gasper Felix Tournachon “Nadar”

Holmes developed a lightweight inexpensive hand held “stereo-scopic” viewer. It became one of the world’s most popular forms of home entertainment.

A pair of 2-D images each representing a slightly different perspective of the same object, creates a perception of depth and tricks the brain into seeing a 3-D image.

Eastman became interested in photography in the late 19 th century. He took it up as a hobby and later began to research and read everything that he could get his hands on. He began to invent things to make photography better for the photographer. When dry plates started to replace wet plates, plates started to replace wet plates, he began to commercially he began to commercially manufacture the plates. This was the beginning of the Kodak empire.

Eastman invented the box camera, which he called the “brownie”. He hand made the first one for himself, but when he could see that his friends wanted to buy it he went into manufacturing them. He invented rolled film and loaded the camera with the film of 100 prints. When you had all the pictures taken you sent the camera back to him and he would reload it and return it to you. His slogan was “You press the button, we do the rest”. This was the first camera that was put in the hands of everyone.

In 1872 Muybridge took pictures to settle a bet whether all four hooves of a horse could be off the ground at the same time. He set up 12 cameras alongside a race track and attached a string to each one. As the horse ran through the string the camera took the picture. These were later called trip wires. Multiple picture taking led the way to the birth of motion pictures.

The “ Gun Camera “was invented. It uses a rotating glass plate and took 12 consecutive pictures per second.

George R. Lawrence – 1900’s The Mammoth Camera – 900 lbs - $5, Used a picture plate that was 8’x4.5 ft. and it took 15 men to move the camera.

With every step of development of photography, the demands for improvements became stronger. Black and White to Color Still Pictures to Motion Pictures Film Cameras to Digital

On Oct 17 th 1969 George Smith and Willard Boyle invented the charge- coupled device (CCD), the image sensor that’s the heart of all digital cameras.

By the following year they had built the CCD into the world’s first solid-state video camera with an image quality sharp enough for broadcast television.

NASA’S needs became a driving force in the development of digital images. Early images were fuzzy and unclear. NASA converted from using analog to digital signals with their space probes to map the surfaces of the moon.

Big Heavy - A larger size & Expensive Low Megapixels Small memory space

Were also: Big and bulky Expensive Low Megapixels Small memory space

Cost $ Also low megapixels

Images were captured on a floppy disk and put right into your computer. Most disk held 12 pictures. They started at 1.3 megapixels and later models came out with 3.5 megapixels.

We have seen camera get: Smaller Less expensive More megapixels More memory buffers

Used throughout the world in every aspect of life. Documentation and Awareness Records Discoveries Promotes Business Communication Artistic Applications Capturing feelings, emotions and humor. Creates new laws.

There will be many more developments and improvements of the digital camera in the future.

How we capture pictures has changed over time, but why we take pictures has not.