With the resurgence of digital cameras,photographys impacton the world is more evident than ever.
So, who invented the camera?
And how has it evolved over time into the piece of equipment we now know?
Photo:Amador Loureiro
Let’s take a look at how this revolutionary invention changed how we document life.
The resulting projection is upside down.
An illustration of the principles of camera obscura.
An illustration of the principles of camera obscura. (Photo: Public domain viaWikimedia Commons)
That’s where the next step on the road to the first photographic camera comes into play.
In 1685, he proposed a design for thefirst handheld reflex camera.
Ahead of his time, it would take another 150 years before his invention became a reality.
Left: Niépce’s original photo plate c. 1826 (Photo: viaWikimedia Commons) | Right: Enhanced version by Helmut Gersheim (1913–1995), performed ca. 1952, of Niépce’s View from the Window at Le Gras. (Photo: Joseph Nicéphore Niépce [Public domain], viaWikimedia Commons)
1952, of Niepce’s View from the Window at Le Gras.
Heliography calls for a glass or metal surface to be coated in Bitumen of Judea.
Daguerreotype camera from 1839.
Daguerreotype camera from 1839. (Photo: Liudmila & Nelson [Public domain], viaWikimedia Commons)
Together, they continued to experiment and refine the process for taking photographs.
Several days of exposure time were needed to develop Niepce’s bitumen-soaked plates.
Surely, there had to be a better way.
Left: Latticed window at Lacock Abbey, August 1835. A positive from what may be the oldest existing camera negative. (Photo: William Fox Talbot (1800-1877) [Public domain], viaWikimedia Commons) | Left: A salted paper calotype photograph of Scottish amateur golfer, golf administrator, and aristocrat James Ogilvie Fairlie, c. 1846-49 (Photo: Public domain, viaWikimedia Commons)
After Niecpe’s death in 1833, Daguerre continued to hone his process and eventually developed the daguerreotype.
Carrying his name, it would be the most commonly used photographic method for the next twenty years.
Using this method, Daguerre was responsible for taking thefirst photograph to include human beings.
Left: Latticed window at Lacock Abbey, August 1835.
A positive from what may be the oldest existing camera negative.
This all changed thanks to William Henry Fox Talbot.
Frances Benjamin Johnston with a group of children looking at her Kodak camera, 1890. (Photo:Library of Congress)
By late 1840, Fox Talbot revealed his calotype process for developing photographs.
Frances Benjamin Johnston with a group of children looking at her Kodak camera, 1890.
In 1884, Eastman patented the very first practical roll film.
Kodak Brownie 2 camera. (Photo: Håkan Svensson viaWikimedia Commons)
As opposed to other cameras, Eastman’s Kodak was genius in its use of flexible film.
Rid of bulky plates, the Kodak was truly portable.
Kodak Brownie 2 camera.
Now, instead of coming preloaded, the Brownie came with a removable film container.
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