Podcast #8 Photography | 1839 - 1960s AD

Until the 1880s, how were news stories illustrated?
Printing presses could only publish from engravings or woodcuts.
What is a camera obscura?
It was known to scholars and philosophers as a way to observe light. It's an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings onto a screen.
Post an example of a camera obscura.
How did scholars and artists utilize the camera obscura?
Artists used the camera obscura to trace outside scenes and paint or draw them.
From where did the photographic camera develop?
From the portable box came the development of the photographic camera and the ability to accept a sheet of light sensitive material to capture the image or scene.
Who first used the term "photography"? Where was is derived from?
Sir John Hershel used the word "photography," which is derived from the Greek words for light and writing.
Post an example of the first photograph. 

Who is credited with making the first successful photograph?
Joseph Niepce was credited with making the first successful photograph. He positioned a camera obscura looking out from the window of his country house.
Post an example of a Daguerreotype image.

Who invented the Daguerreotype process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the process?
Louis Daguerre invented the first practical photographic process in 1839. 
Advantages: The exposure time was reduced to half an hour, the image coul dbe made permanent by immersing it in salt.
Disadvantage: The image could not be duplicated.
Post an example of a Calotype image.

Who invented the Calotype process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the process?
William Fox Talbot invented the Calotype process in 1835.
Advantage: An unlimited amount of duplicates could be made.
Disadvantage: It's quality was inferior to the striking images produced by the Daguerreotype process.
Post an example of a Wet Collodion Process image.

Who invented the Wet Collodion process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the process?
Frederick Scott Archer was credited with developing a process called the Wet Collodion Process, or Wet Plate Process in 1851.
Advantages: Reduced the exposure time to two or three seconds and the cost was significantly less than the previous processes. They produce a much sharper image.
Disadvantages: Because the glass plates coated with collodion (a colorless syrupy solution of nitrocellulose in ether) had to be exposed and developed immediately while the plates were still wet, the darkrooms and any other equipment had to be portable.
Post an example of a Dry Plate Process image.

Who invented the Dry Plate process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the process?
Richard Maddox made the first successful dry plate negative in 1871.
Advantages: Gelatin was used instead of glass for the photographic plate.
Disadvantages: Photography was still to complicated for the general public.
Who is George Eastman? What company did he establish?
He is remembered for making photography accessible to all public. In 1884, he invented roll film, a photographic medium that replaced fragile glass plates with a photo-emulsion coated on paper rolls. He established Eastman Kodak Commpany.
Post an example of The Kodak Camera from 1888.

In 1888, he produced a camera that use his flexible roll film. How did he make this camera/photography accessible to the public?
The camera owner could send in the camera with minimal processing fee. The company would process the film, reload the camera and return it to the owner.
What is Edwin Land best known for? What company did he establish?
He is best known for patenting polarized light filters in 1934 and his invention of instant photography in 1948. He established the Polaroid Corporation.
Post a photo of the first Polaroid camera.
How long did the first Polaroid camera take to produce a photo?
The first Polaroid camera produced a black and white print in 60 seconds.
What was Eadweard Muybridge known for?
He paved the way for motion picture photography.
Post a photo of the Zoopraxiscope.

What is the Zoopraxiscope?
A device used to project a series of images in successive phases of motion.
Post a photo of Muybridge's horse in motion.

How did Muybridge settle the debate and photograph a horse in motion?
He used a series of large cameras in s line, each being triggered by a thread as a horse passed by.
In 1880s, the development of the motion picture camera allowed this?
By the 1880s, the development of the motion picture camera allowed individual images to be captured and stored on a single film reel.
Post a photo of a motion picture projector.

What is a motion picture projector?
A devise that is used to shine a light through the film and magnify the "moving picture" onto a screen for an audience.