Photography as a medium has changed drastically over the years, from printing on metal sheets, to storing images digitally.

Camera Obscura

A Camera Obscura, Latin for “Dark Chamber”, is, as the name suggests, a very dark room with its only light source being a small hole at one side. This beam of light projects an image of the outside of that room on the opposite of the room, however upside down. People consider this technique to be the inspiration for art and the development of photography as a medium, dating back to around 500BCE, around the first time a written record of the technique was recorded. It was used to study eclipses without damaging peoples eyes, as a drawing inspiration tool/guide and was also believed to be used at religious ceremonies.

Nicéphore Niépce

Nicéphore Niépce was a French inventor of the late 18th century to early 19th century. He is credited as the ‘Inventor of Photography’ as he is the inventor of a technique called ‘Heliography’, Greek for “Sun writing”(or “Sun Drawing”), which produced the oldest permanent photograph. The process involves engraving an image on to a metal plate using asphalt to create a lasting image. Heliography was born through Niépce’s interest in lithography, which involves printing onto multiple surfaces such as paper, wood, metal, etc…, and it inspired other inventors, entrepreneurs and artists such as Louise Daguerre.

Louis Daguerre

Daguerre was a French 18-19th century artist who contributed greatly towards the development of photography as a medium, giving him a title as one of the fathers of photography. He created the Daguerreotype, which is a similar method to Heliography, except more refined due to the work he and Niépce had done to improve the process (with Daguerreotypes having far more detail). As well as his work in the field of photography, he also worked as a painter and developed Diorama theatre, partnered with Charles Marie Bouton.

Daguerreotype

A Daguerreotype is a photographic process (as well as the name given to the image created) which involved polishing a sheet of sliver-plated copper to the point where it would have a mirror finish, then using fumes to make the surface of the mirror light-sensitive. It would then be exposed to light in a small Camera Obscura, fumed once more with mercury vapour to make the image visible, then finally given liquid treatment to remove the mirror’s light sensitivity. It would then be dried and placed into a glass enclosure for protection. Daguerreotypes keep their mirror like surface and the image on it will appear positive or negative depending on the angle it is seen.

Henry Fox Talbot

Talbot was an English 19th Century scientist and inventor who invented the ‘Salted Paper’ and ‘Calotype’ processes. He was also a photographer who’s work used the two processes to create images of places such as Oxford and Paris. The ‘Salted Paper’ process created permanent photographs by putting paper into a solution of salt, which would then be dried, then a strong solution of silver nitrate would be put on one side of the paper. This created a coating of light-sensitive silver chloride which would darken when exposed to light, this could be by placing objects over it under direct sunlight, or using the image created from a Camera Obscura. The ‘Calotype’ process is a direct improvement to his earlier ‘photogenic drawing’ process which used silver iodine as its salt and gallic acid and silver nitrate as a developing agent to bring out a translucent negative, which could be used to produce multiple prints.

Richard Maddox

Maddox was an English 19th century photographer who invented the Gelatin Dry Plate process. Before this, he studied photomicrography which involved photographing organisms from a light microscope.

Maddox developed the Collodion process, which, to him and others, was not appropriate for portrait photographs, Maddox also thought that his health was being effected by the process due to the vapours it was producing. The Gelatin Dry Plate process involved using gelatin on a glass plate with silver-bromide which would increase its sensitivity to light. This process allowed people to use commercial dry plates instead of specially prepared ones.

George Eastman

Eastman was an American 19-20th century entrepreneur who founded the Eastman Kodak Company. Eastman created the first roll of film in 1884 and only until 1889, when the ‘Kodak’ was first developed and distributed, would they be used and became standardized. The Kodak was a camera created to use the film in order to take images, due to the Kodak’s small size and cheap price, it became very popular, allowing photography to become a popular and more common medium.

Kodak (Brownie)

First released in 1900, the Brownie was a cardboard camera (usually covered with leather) which used film to take pictures. This camera introduced the ‘snapshot’, as photography was now used as a way of capturing memories and not just formal portraits. The Kodak’s original price of $1, with film rolls being even cheaper, allowed the product to sell more than Eastman thought, as well as allowing children to take pictures and even soldiers from war would take them due to their portability.

Film/Print Photography

The use of Film continued to be developed. Film rolls went from being paper-based to cellulose acetate, this made the process slightly safer, as well as the use of colour gel which provided the film images with colour. Film also allowed for images to be projected in a quick sequence allowing for movies to be viewed in theatres with 35mm film and 16mm or 8mm film for home movies. Photographic Printing involves using chemically sensitized paper in order to produce an image from film or digital images onto a piece of paper. Kodak also invented ‘Panalure’ which is a black and white printing paper which required the room used to be in near-complete darkness, making it not fully suitable. In later years, colour prints from colour negatives which involve three emulsion layers which are sensitive to red, green and blue light and would change how much they degrade depending on the image being printed.

Digital Photography

Up until the early 21st century, film was the main form of photography until the Introduction of Digital Photography. Digital Cameras contain electric light detectors instead of exposing film to light. Digital photograph has become common with the addition of a ‘Camera’ tool on smartphones, this allows photography to be the most accessible it has ever been. The first ever digital image was made by Russel Kirsch in 1957. Digital Photographs proved to be significantly easier to organize due to the fact that it can all be done digitally on a storage device, which also allows them to be transported safer than with film rolls.

William Collie

Collie was a Jersey-based photographer who was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 1810 and started his career as a portrait painter. Collie used the Calotype process and became not only one of the first Jersey Photographers, but also one of the first photographers to print a lasting image onto a piece of paper. However, despite his importance in early photography and as an artist on Jersey, very little is known about him.

THE CAMERA OBSCURA

The roots of photography extend back further than you might think. In the 4th Century BC, Aristotle made use of the principles of the camera obscura, in which an image is projected through a small hole.

THE FIRST PHOTOGRAPH

The photo below titled ‘View from the window at Le Gras’ is thought to be one of the oldest surviving photos ever. It was taken by Nicéphore Niépce in his estate in France called Saint-Loup-de-Varennes somewhere between 1826 and 1827. Niépce captured the scene with a camera obscura projected onto a pewter plate thinly coated with  a naturally occurring asphalt before letting the photo sit for 8 hours to gather exposure.

INVENTION OF THE KODAK

The kodak camera was released in 1888 by George Eastman. George Eastman invented flexible roll film and in 1888 introduced the Kodak camera shown to use this film. It took 100-exposure rolls of film that gave circular images 2 5/8″ in diameter. In 1888 the original Kodak sold for $25 loaded with a roll of film and included a leather carrying case. The Original Kodak was fitted with a rotating barrel shutter unique to this model. The shutter was set by pulling up a string on top of the camera and operated by pushing a button on the side of the camera. After taking a photograph, a key on top of the camera was used to wind the film onto the next frame. After 100 pictures had been taken on the film strip, the camera would be returned to the Kodak factory for developing and printing at a cost of $10. Kodak advertisements from 1888 also state that any amateur could “finish his own pictures” and spare rolls of film were sold for $2.

INVENTION OF MOVING PICTURES

One of the biggest impacts photography has had was the invention of moving pictures. Photography became a part of public life in the mid-19th century, especially during the Civil War, when photographers documented American battlefields for the first time. Experimenting with ways to exhibit photographs, several inventors came up with a simple toy that made it possible for a series of pictures to be viewed in rapid succession, creating the illusion of motion. It was called a zoetrope. On October 19, 1878, Scientific American published a series of pictures showing a horse galloping, along with instructions to view them through the zoetrope.

The photos were called ‘The Horse in Motion’ and were taken by an English photographer, Eadweard Muybridge, to settle a bet between California businessman Leland Stanford and his colleagues. Stanford contended that at some point in a horse’s stride, all four hooves were off the ground. He enlisted Muybridge to take photographs of the positions of a horse’s hooves in rapid succession. Muybridge’s 12 pictures showed that Stanford had won the bet.

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Steven Sasson invented the digital camera at Kodak in 1975.It weighed 8 pounds (3.6 kg) and had only 100 × 100 resolution. The image was recorded onto a cassette and this process took 23 seconds. His camera took images in black and white. As he set out on his design project, what he wanted for the future was a camera without mechanical moving parts (although his device did have moving parts, for example, the tape drive).  He built a prototype from a movie camera lens, a handful of Motorola parts, 16 batteries and some newly invented Fairchild CCD electronic sensors. The resulting camera, pictured below in 2007, was the size of a printer and weighed nearly 4 kilograms. 

• Why do people take/make photographs?
• People take photographs to capture moments in time and normally share them with other people.
• Why is photography important?
• Photography is important as it is the best way of recording history and can be is used to document moments forever.
• What skills do you need to be a good photographer?
• A lot of patience is needed as well as a good understanding of what you are trying to capture and why you capturing it.
• How many different kinds of photography can you think of?
• Photojournalism, still life photography, architectural photography, still life photography, etc
• How does photography help us see the world?
• Photography helps us view the world from different angles which can giver a broader perspective on what goes on in the rest of the world.
• Can photographic images be trusted?
• Photographic images cannot always be trusted as they are so easily manipulated/ edited. this could mean they are heavily photoshoped or even just taken at an angle that doesn’t fully give context.
• What are the similarities and differences between photography and other types of visual art?
• They are both similar as they capture a moment in time, Art is to imitate life. However, art photography is to see beyond life
• When would it not be OK to take a photograph?
• Generally you would be able to tell when it is not okay to take a photo without permission of the subject, or when someone is suffering, or is in a venerable position but it is also not okay to take photos in a way that creates an untrue image using bad angles/ perspectives.
• How do you know when you’ve made a good photograph?
• If you feel that the photo you’ve taken has a good angle, good lighting, an interesting subject and has come out how you wanted it too.
• Are photographers also artists?
• Photographers are artists as they create a subject that they have created and share it with other people who will enjoy it as well.
• Where is the best place to see photographs?
• You can see photographs all around you, but generally the best place to see photos is on the internet.
• What kind of photography interests you most?
• I think that sports photography is the most interesting as it captures people in unique positions during a complex movement that otherwise wouldn’t be observed.
• What confuses or frustrates you about photography?
• The most confusing part of photography is knowing when and how to change your camera settings, depending on the situation.

Cyanotypes as a science

Cyanotypes are an alternative photographic process that rely on the chemical prosperities of two iron compounds – ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide.

Formulas of these two iron compounds of are mixed together to form a citrine coloured solution. The solution can then be painted onto a surface such as paper or cotton. Once the material is dry, things such as flowers and leaves are placed onto the material into the desired composition. After this, the material is left in the sun for up to 2 minutes to create a bleached outline of the shapes and objects placed on the material. Next, the material is dipped in water, and should be left to dry in a dark place so that the material doesn’t auto-expose.

The history of cyanotypes

The cyanotype was invented by Sir John Herschel in 1842. His first intention was to experiment with the effect of light on iron compounds. He discovered that the exposure to light turned a combination of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide blue. This method was then used for printing copies of photographic negatives. Later on, photographic practitioners such as William Henry Fox Talbot, Anna Atkins and Henry Bosse took up the process.

Anna Atkins

Anna Atkins applied the process of cyanotypes, invented by Sir Herschel. She applied this process to algae, making cyanotype photograms, that were contact printed. She did this by placing uncounted, dried seaward directly onto the cyanotype paper. Anna self published her photograms in the first instalment ofPhotographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions in October 1843.  She planned to provide illustrations to William Harvey’s Manual of British Algae which had been published in 1841. Although privately published, with a limited number of copies, and with handwritten text, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions is considered the first book illustrated with photographic images. Atkins kept the algae, ferns, and other plants she used in her work and in 1865, donated the collection to the British Museum. She died in 1871 of “paralysis, rheumatism, and exhaustion” at the age of 72.

The resurgence of cyanotypes

After cyanotypes mostly disappeared through both world wars, the 1950 and 60s saw a resurgence of amateur photography and fine art. The new discovery of these techniques respited in their development to scientific copies to more experimental examples. Eg: Robert Rauschenberg and Susan Weil’s collaborative cyanotypes.

In the modern era of photography, cyanotypes are produced more and more using mixed mediums, such as clothing, as well as large instillations.

Portrait photographer:

Richard Avedon –

Richard Avedon was an American fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, specializing in capturing movement in still pictures of fashion, theatre and dance.

Throughout his career Avedon has maintained a unique style all his own. Famous for their minimalism, Avedon portraits are often well lit and in front of white backdrops. When printed, the images regularly contain the dark outline of the film in which the image was framed.

“He literally revolutionized the vocabulary of fashion photography.” – Malcom roger

How did Richard Avedon begin his career in photography?

Avedon began to explore photography on his own at age 10 and was immediately drawn to portraiture. His first sitter was the Russian pianist-composer Sergey Rachmaninoff, who then lived in the same New York City apartment building as Avedon’s grandparents.

Some examples of his work:

What is a Cyanotype?

A cyanotype is a photographic printing process that produces a cyan blue print. It was discovered in 1842 by the British scientist Sir John Herschel. The process remains the same today, producing a white image on a deep blue background.

Cyanotypes as a Science

This process uses a mixture of two iron compounds(ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide), which when exposed to UV light and washed in water oxidise to create Prussian Blue images.

Cyanotypes as an Art Form

Engineers and architects in the 20th century used it as a simple and low cost process to produce copies of drawings (blueprints).

• 

• 

Anna Atkins

Anna Atkins was an English botanist and photographer born in 1799, Tonbridge, United Kingdom. She was the first person to illustrate a book with photographic images in 1843 (Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions).

Her innovative use of new photographic technologies merged art and science, and exemplified the exceptional potential of photography in books.

Atkins applied a mixture of UV-sensitive iron compounds to plain paper, then placed a dried botanical specimen and a label against the newly light-sensitive paper.

How to create Cyanotypes

What you’ll need:

• pre-prepared cyanotype paper
• a piece of cardboard
• glass sheet
• an interesting range of objects like, feathers and leaves
• water
• sunlight

How to do it:

• put the paper on top of the carboard
• arrange your objects in an interesting way
• put the glass on top so that the objects don’t fly off
• leave in the sun for a bout a minute or two
• when the paper is white, put it in the water to stop it from processing for a bout two minutes
• then let it dry

My Cyanotype

• 

• 

• 

This is what I did during my visit at Hamptonne. I collected twigs, leaves and feathers from around the farm, then randomly place them on my paper. I left it in the sun for two minutes to process, then in water for another two and lastly to dry. I don’t really like it because think I left it in the sun for too long which made it too dark and hard to see the objects.

Cyanotypes are a low-cost type of photography that prints objects onto a cyan background, creating a white print by using the chemicals ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide.

The process of creating cyanotypes was discovered by a British scientist called Sir John Herschel in 1842 who was originally trying to copy his notes. Using hyposulphite of soda, he’d been able to fix photos in 1839 then discovered that paper coated with ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide then exposed to sun would turn the page to a dark blue colour unless there was an object placed onto the paper that blocked the sun, in this scenario the paper would stay white or tint blue [depending on how much exposure it’s had to the sun].

Despite Herschel’s hard work, Anna Atkins was the first person to produce a photographically illustrated book using cyanotypes which popularized the use of cyanotypes and photographic illustrations in general. Her self-published work [Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions] was detailed, so detailed that species could be distinguished from one another – even with their creative compositions!

Creating Cyanotypes

Using pre-prepared cyanotypes paper [and an interesting selection of flowers, pebbles and plants] I made my own cyanotype. It was a short, yet fun, process that was slightly challenging as the composition couldn’t be changed once the objects were put on the paper without leaving a mark.

Overall, I like the look of my final piece – though I do think I left the paper in the sun too long which made it overexpose, causing the objects to be a pale blue instead of a bright white. I think my composition is visually appealing as there isn’t too much going on [although I do think I could’ve added more objects] and the pebbles fill up the empty spaces, making it look minimalistic which is appealing to a lot of people.