The art of photography has evolved a tremendous amount; from the first basic, yet chemically toxic camera's, to today's advanced technology in our digital age. The evolution began with the Camera Obscura, which was the first stage of photography in Europe. It was invented to create ease when painting. The Camera Obscura was a box with no windows, however there was a single, tiny hole in which a camera lens fit through. The lens projected the outside image to the far wall in the box. The image projected upside down and not very clear, but good enough for the artist to use. The image was then traced and turned into a painting.
Daguerrotype
The Daguerro Type was one of the first images printed on a silver plate. The photo was formed through a chemical reaction between the silver , iodine and a mercury vapour, then fixed with a salt solution. This image was crystal clear but you could not make multiples.
Talbotype (Calotype)
A new type of process was invented in 1835. It involved the picture being produced on a negative paper treated with silver, then the exposed paper was placed over another paper, bright light causing it to produce a positive image. A benefit was that the Talbotype was able to produce multiples of a single image, saving time. Yet, this process did not create clear images alike the Daguerrotype due to the photo transfer.
Collodian Wetplate
In 1851, a mixture of both techniques was invented, the process could produce a crisp image while still being able to make copies. The process began with the clean glass plate being coated with collodian, then exposed after dipping it into silver nitrate. It must be developed immediately and dried. Unfortunately, if the plate dried too quickly to finish, the emulsion would harden and ruined the photograph.
Dorothea Lange 1895-1965
Dorothea Lange was best known for being an American photojournalist, she is also known as one of America's greatest photographers due to her depression-era photographes. Her work during this era evokes emotion and an intimate look into what life was really like during some of America's darkest moments. Her creations expressed the sadness and extreme poverty the majority of the population endured- adult and child alike.
Lewis Hine 1874-1940
Lewis Hine was a sociologist and photographer, producing some of the world's most moving images. He documented the unfair treatment of young children working in mills and textile factories, unlike most photographers producing portriats. Word soon spread about the horrible treatment and state these factories were in, forcing children to endure long hours and dangerous environments. His work helped create laws to end child labour in America.
Mathew Brady 1822-1896
In American history, Mathew Brady was one of the earliest photographers. He became well known for photographing the American civil war. Yet most war photos were staged, it would take many years for the real, gruesome photos to be released to the public.
Eadweard Muybridge 1830-1904
Eadweard Muybridge invented the "zoopraxiscope" which was founded due to betting with friends. Muybridge created this by taking a series of images on a moving model. He aided in the understanding of animal movements and human kinetics by allowing the viewer to experience animation first hand. Muybridge pioneered in the photographic studies of motion with this innovation.