Photographers try to Turn the ordinary to something extra ordinary when taking photoshoots.

FIXING THE SHADOWS

Photography was described as “fixing a shadow” before the advent of digital tools. A chemical combination used in the final steps of processing an image onto paper stabilized or “fixed” the image, neutralizing its sensitivity to light.

ABERLARDO MORELL

Abelardo Morell (born 1948, Havana, Cuba) is a contemporary artist widely known for turning rooms into camera obscuras and then capturing the marriage of interior and exterior in large format photographs. Morell began his camera obscura series in 1991. Transforming entire rooms into cameras by covering the windows and inserting a small hole, he photographed the outside world as projected onto various interiors. Morell is famous in the photography world for producing camera obscura images in different locations globally and capturing them. Morell received the Cintas Foundation fellowship in 1992 and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in 1993. In 2011, he was also honoured with the Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography.

CAMERA OBSCURA

Describe how an image is produced using Camera Obscura?

They are simply a lightproof box or room with a hole in one side. Light from the sun reflects off objects outside the camera obscura and passes through the hole and lights up the surfaces inside the room with an upside down but clear image of the outside view.

Examining eclipses without having to look directly at the Sun was done with the camera obscura. As a drawing aid, it allowed the tracing of the projected image to produce a highly accurate representation, and was especially appreciated as an easy way to achieve proper graphical perspective. A camera obscura with a very small hole is sometimes referred to as a pinhole camera, although this more often refers to simple (homemade) lens less cameras.

PINHOLE

What is the principle of pinhole camera?

The camera obscura is frequently referred to as the pinhole camera principle. Pinhole cameras operate based on the concept of rectilinear light motion, which explains that light moves in straight paths. The reason for the inverted image produced by a pinhole camera is the direct path of the light. Many centuries ago, humans found out that by directing light through a narrow opening, a reversed depiction of the surrounding environment is cast onto the opposite end of the opening. Pinhole photography is essentially a miniature version of this concept, where a small aperture captures and projects images onto film.

What is special about pinhole camera?

The pinhole camera is the simplest kind of camera. It does not have a lens. It just makes use of a tiny opening (a pinhole-sized opening) to focus all light rays within the smallest possible area to obtain an image, as clearly as possible. The simple image formed using a pinhole camera is always inverted.

NICEPHORE NIEPCE

Nicéphore Niépce (born March 7, 1765, Chalon-sur-Saône, France—died July 5, 1833, Chalon-sur-Saône) was a French inventor who was the first to make a permanent photographic image. Niépce conducted photographic experiments with the goal of meeting the increasing demand for inexpensive pictures by copying prints and capturing real-life scenes in the camera. In 1816, he created temporary camera images, which he referred to as points de vue, at his family property in the nearby village of Saint-Loup-de-Varennes. During the following ten years, he experimented with various chemicals, materials, and methods in order to improve the process that he later named héliographie, meaning ‘sun writing.’

What was Joseph Nicéphore Niépce development of photography?

Niépce named his technique heliography, deriving from the Greek word helios which means ‘creating images using sunlight’. In 1826, Niépce utilized this method to capture the oldest surviving ‘photograph’ depicting a scene outside his Chalons-sur-Saône home, with an exposure lasting approximately 8 hours.

HELIOGRAPHY

What does heliography mean?

An old method of photography, héliographie, creates photoengravings on metal plates coated with asphalt. In general, it is considered a form of photography.

Heliography, from the Greek words helios (meaning “sun”) and graphein (meaning “writing”), was introduced by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce around 1822. This process was used to create the first surviving photograph from nature, View from the Window at Le Gras (1826 or 1827), and was also the first instance of using photoresist to reproduce artworks by inventing photolithography and photogravure. Niépce created the heliograph by mixing light-sensitive bitumen with oil of lavender and spreading a thin layer on a polished pewter plate. He placed the plate inside a camera obscura and placed it close to a window in his upper-level work space. After being in the sun for days, the plate showed a representation of the courtyard, outbuildings, and trees. In December 1827, Niépce admitted in his writing that his process needed enhancements but saw it as “the initial uncertain move towards a brand new path.”

LOUIS DAGUERRE

Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre was a French artist and photographer known for creating the daguerreotype process of photography. He gained recognition as one of the founding figures of photography. While he is primarily known for his achievements in photography, he also excelled in painting, creating scenic designs, and innovating the diorama theatre. Louis Daguerre’s birthplace was in Cormeilles-en-Parisis, Val-d’Oise. He learned architecture, theatre design, and panoramic painting from Pierre Prévost, the pioneer French panorama painter, during his apprenticeship. Extremely skilled in the art of theatrical illusion, he gained fame as a theatre designer and went on to create the diorama, which premiered in Paris in July 1822.

How did Louis Daguerre change the world?

The invention of the daguerreotype allowed for the image produced by a camera obscura to be recorded and saved as a physical item. It was the initial usable method for taking pictures and brought in a fresh era of visual potential. Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre (1787–1851) invented the process in 1837.

DAGUERREOTYPE

The daguerreotype is a method that produces a detailed image on a copper sheet covered in a thin layer of silver, without needing a negative. The procedure necessitated immense caution. The copper plate coated with silver had to be thoroughly cleaned and polished to achieve a reflective surface.

Why is daguerreotype so important?

The daguerreotype technique allowed for the reproduction of images from a camera obscura and their conservation as physical objects. It was the initial functional method of photography and marked the beginning of a fresh era of visual potential.

How do you tell if a photo is a daguerreotype?

Daguerreotypes can be recognized by their mirror-like, well-polished silver surface and their dual negative/positive appearance when seen from various angles or under raking light. Daguerreotypes are commonly stored in small cases with hinges, which are constructed from wood and wrapped in leather, paper, fabric, or mother of pearl. Unlike photographic paper, a daguerreotype is rigid and heavy. The daguerreotype is precise, intricate, and focused. It possesses a reflective exterior and is extremely delicate. Because of its high susceptibility to damage, most daguerreotypes are displayed in a protective casing.

HENRY FOX TALBOT

William Henry Fox Talbot was an English scientist and inventor known for creating the salted paper and calotype processes, which were early forms of photography used in the 19th and 20th centuries. His research in the 1840s paved the way for the development of the photoglyphic engraving technique, which eventually evolved into photogravure. He owned a contentious patent that influenced the initial growth of commercial photography in Britain. He was a recognized photographer who also played a role in the advancement of photography as an art form. He released The Pencil of Nature (1844–1846), featuring unique salted paper prints from his calotype negatives, and captured noteworthy early images of Oxford, Paris, Reading, and York. Talbot developed a method for producing moderately light-resistant and long-lasting photographs that was the first one accessible to the general public; nevertheless, it was not the initial process of its kind invented or publicly disclosed.

CALOTYPE

What is a calotype in photography?

The process designed by William Henry Fox Talbot, known as calotype or “Talbotype,” involves both negative and positive stages. This technique involves creating a print with a paper negative that results in a softer and less crisp image compared to the daguerreotype. However, the advantage lies in the ability to produce multiple copies due to the negative.

How long does a calotype take?
Under near-total darkness, the sensitive calotype paper was loaded in the camera. It was exposed to the scene, sometimes for as little as ten seconds, usually for a time closer to a minute, and sometimes for tens of minutes.

ROBERT CORNELIUS

Robert Cornelius, born on March 1, 1809, was an American photographer who was a trailblazer in the development of photography. His self-portrait captured via daguerreotype in 1839 is widely acknowledged as the earliest photographic portrait of an individual in the United States, marking a significant milestone in the realm of self-portraiture. Between 1840 and 1842, he ran some of the first photography studios in the US and introduced new methods to greatly decrease the time needed for portrait exposures. He was a creator, entrepreneur, and producer of lamps. In 1843, he invented and obtained a patent for the “solar lamp”, which provided a brighter light and enabled the use of less costly lard instead of the pricier whale oil as fuel.

What is Robert Cornelius best known for?

Between 1840 and 1842, he ran some of the first photography studios in the United States, introducing new methods that greatly decreased the time needed for portrait exposure. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. He was an inventor, businessman, and maker of lamps.

SELF-PORTRAITURE

The study of self-portraits, known as self-portraiture or autoportraiture, focuses on the history, methods, distribution, reception, styles, and interpretations of self-portraits. Originating in Antiquity and gaining popularity during the Renaissance, self-portraiture is a growing field of study despite being relatively new.

Ana Peraica discussed the topic of self-portraiture today, focusing on the increase in the creation of self-portraits, especially selfies. Self-portraiture extends beyond the realm of just visual arts. Research comes from different fields, like Philosophy. The growth of language is ever-changing and factual. For instance, the word selfie was only coined in the 1980s.

Who took the first selfie?

In 1839, Robert Cornelius, a photographer from America, captured a daguerreotype of his own image. Captured a couple of years post the introduction of the daguerreotype and shortly after Daguerre unveiled his invention to the public, the picture is believed to be the earliest self-portrait and one of the initial photos of an individual.

JULIA MARGARET CAMERON

Julia Margaret Cameron, born Julia Pattle on June 11, 1815, was an influential English photographer known for her portraits in the 19th century. She is recognized for her blurred close-up images of well-known Victorians and for illustrative depictions of characters from mythology, Christianity, and literature. Originally from Calcutta, she first gained a foothold within the Anglo-Indian high society before relocating to London, where she networked with the cultural elite. After that, she established her own literary gathering in the coastal town of Freshwater, Isle of Wight. Cameron started doing photography when she was 48 years old, following a gift of a camera from her daughter. Swiftly, she generated a plethora of portraits and crafted symbolic pictures influenced by tableaux vivants, theater, 15th-century Italian artists, and modern creators. She collected a large portion of her work in albums, one of which was The Norman Album. Over a span of 12 years, she captured approximately 900 photos. Cameron’s work sparked controversy during her era. Critics criticized her gentle, blurred images, deeming her illustrative photos amateurish. Nonetheless, her depictions of figures like Henry Taylor, Charles Darwin, and Sir John Herschel have received consistent acclaim. Her pictures have been praised as “exceptionally strong” and “completely unique”, and she has been recognized for creating the initial close-up shots in the field.

What was Julia Margaret Cameron criticized for?

Cameron frequently received criticism from the photographic community in her time due to her perceived lack of skill: some of her photographs were blurry, her plates occasionally had cracks, and her fingerprints were frequently seen.

PICTORIALISM

Pictorialism was a global style and aesthetic movement that was prevalent in photography in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term doesn’t have a universal definition, but generally it describes a style where the photographer alters a regular photo to create an image instead of just capturing it. Usually, a visual image seems to have a blurry focus, is produced in colors other than black-and-white, and may display brush strokes or surface alterations. To the pictorialist, a photograph was a means of conveying emotional intent to the viewer, much like a painting, drawing, or engraving.

Pictorialism flourished from around 1885 to 1915, with certain individuals advocating for it until the 1940s. It started as a reaction to the idea that a photo was just a basic reflection of reality, and evolved into a movement to elevate the recognition of all photography as a genuine form of art. Painters, photographers, and art critics have been discussing conflicting artistic philosophies for over thirty years, leading to the purchase of photographs by numerous prominent art museums. Pictorialism lost its popularity slowly after 1920, but it remained popular until the conclusion of World War II. In this era, the trend of Modernist photography became popular, and people became more interested in highly detailed images like those found in Ansel Adams’ work. Many influential photographers from the 20th century started out using a pictorialist approach but shifted to more defined, focused photography by the 1930s.

HENRY MULLINS

Henry Mullins was the most productive among the initial Jersey photographers in the mid-1800s. Between 1848 and 1873, he created numerous portraits of locals at his thriving studio in the prestigious Royal Square, St Helier. As a professional photographer, he always welcomed the fast technological advancements that coincided with his career. Despite the establishment of several photography studios in St Helier during the 1850s and 1860s, Henry Mullins remained the preferred photographer for prominent individuals in Jersey society and prosperous local and immigrant families. Mullins’s work quality matched his productivity level, as demonstrated by the detailed portraits of Victorian islanders found in his photo albums.

CARTE-DE-VISIT

Carte-de-visite was originally a visiting card, particularly one adorned with a photographic portrait. Highly favored during the mid-1800s, the carte-de-visite was promoted by Parisian portrait photographer André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri, who patented the technique in 1854. Disdéri employed a camera with four lenses, producing eight negatives measuring 3.5 × 2.5 inches (8.89 × 6.35 cm) on a single plate. The big print created from the plate was divided into small portraits and each one was individually placed on cards sized around 4 × 3 inches (10 × 7.6 cm). These cards were cost-effective compared to other portrait options, as they allowed for eight different poses in one session and needed no editing.