In photography, shutter speed, also known as exposure time, refers to how long the camera’s film or digital sensor is exposed to light while taking a picture. This happens when the camera’s shutter is open. The longer the exposure time, the more light hits the film or sensor. For example, an exposure time of 1/500 of a second allows in half as much light as an exposure time of 1/250 of a second.
Fast vs slow shutter speed
Slow ——————————–Fast
Important Photographers
Eadweard Muybridge
Eadweard Muybridge (April 9, 1830 – May 8) was a British photographer recognized for his ground-breaking contributions to the study of motion through photography, as well as his early discoveries in motion-picture projection. Muybridge is mostly famous for his work in chronophotography, which he did between 1878 and 1886. He used several cameras to take pictures of animals in motion, showing the different stages of their strides. He also created the zoopraxiscope, a machine that projected painted moving images from glass discs, which came before the flexible film strips used in movies. From 1883 to 1886, he had a super productive time at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he took over 100,000 images of both animals and people moving, sometimes capturing moments that were too quick for the human eye to see as separate.
Example of his work
Harold Edgerton
Harold Eugene “Doc” Edgerton (April 6, 1903 – January 4, 1990), often called Papa Flash, was an American scientist and researcher who taught electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is well-known for changing the stroboscope from a little-known lab tool into a widely used device. Additionally, he played a significant role in creating sonar technology and deep-sea photography. His inventions were used alongside Jacques Cousteau in efforts to find shipwrecks and even the legendary Loch Ness Monster.
Example of his work
Hiroshi Sugimoto
Hiroshi Sugimoto, born on February 23, 1948, is a renowned photographer and architect from Japan. He is the head of an architectural firm called New Material Research Laboratory, which is located in Tokyo. Sugimoto describes his art as a way to show ‘time exposed,’ meaning his photographs act like a time capsule that captures various moments. His work highlights the fleeting nature of life and the struggle between existence and mortality. Additionally, Sugimoto draws significant inspiration from Marcel Duchamp’s writings and the broader Dadaist and Surrealist movements. He has also shown a strong fascination with modern architecture from the late 20th century.
Example of his work
Francesca Woodman
Francesca Stern Woodman (April 3, 1958 – January 19, 1981) was a talented American photographer famous for her striking black and white images that often included herself or other female models. A lot of her photos depict women, either nude or dressed, appearing blurred because of movement and long exposure times. This creates a unique effect where they seem to blend into their environments, and sometimes their faces are hidden. Even years after her tragic passing at just 22 in 1981, her work still receives a lot of praise and attention from critics.
Example of her work
Example I’ve made of how shutter speed effects exposure.
1/4000 sec. (under exposed)
1/250 sec. (sharp)
1/3 sec. (motion blur)
30 sec. (over exposed)
These 4 photos show the difference between different shutter speeds.
My long exposure photos
My best long exposure photos
F/22. 1/3 sec. ISO-100.
F/36. 1 sec. ISO-100.
F/22. 1 sec. ISO-100.
The photos shown above are some of the best photos I took using a long shutter speed. To create this I used a tripod to keep everything in focus and then used a long shutter speed.
Black and white edited
Editing my images to black and white means that the photos follow the style of Francesca Woodman more closely.
Overall thoughts and evaluation
I believe this photoshoot went really well. The motion blur in my final pictures looks awesome, and the extra editing, like the black and white effect, made my images even better. I feel like I realistically replicated Woodman’s photos with my own twist on the photos, being the cars instead of people.
The Camera Obscura is a scientific photograph, where the image is reflected directly from the sun’s rays to diagonally flip the image upside down. To achieve this, you must be in a dim lit room with a black cover that you can poke a hole through. By doing this, the reflection will convert the image from the outside. However, this process makes it difficult to determine the origins of photography, since it’s a natural image which is shown below.
Nicephore Niepce
Niepce cleverly found a way for the camera obscura to be transformed from a projection to a photograph that he could physically hold. However, his work had a flaw as they would fade during daylight and would eventually turn fully black. The process of having this fixed image was a long one, as it took him 8 hours to produce this one. His images were also in monochrome colours, and weren’t as clear as the images made today, but at this time, this image was revolutionary.
Henry Fox Tabolt
Tabolt discovered what he called, “Photogenic Drawing”, where he realised if you use a a thin sheet of paper covered in salt and lightly coated with silver nitrate, and left if out in the sun with pieces covering certain parts to block the light out, and put it under a piece of glass, that you could make you’re own ‘Photogenic Drawing’.
Later on, he began to create ‘mouse traps’, which were essentially small wooden boxes, with a little lens and at the back, Tabolt stuck a piece of paper to it that is chemically sensitive to the light.
Louis Daguerre
Louis is known for his famous product ‘The Daguerreotype’, which was a heavy camera that makes one copy on a silvered copper plate. The images that this camera produced were detailed and accurate in black and white, making them iconic as it was the first successful type of image, like a polaroid. However, the Daguerreotype was produced around the same time as the ‘mousetraps’, but since Tabolt’s work could produce more than one copy, his work became more liked and used more often.
Richard Maddox
Maddox designed ‘dry plates’ which was a piece of glass covered with silver bromide, but his camera meant that you didn’t have to develop the images right after taking the photo. His work was revolutionary for his time, as his camera became the first camera that could be held with one hand, whereas the others had to be placed. However, the images still had to be developed in a dark room, similarly to some of the other camera designs.
George Eastman
Kodak (Brownie)
Digital Photography
Digital photography is a much simpler version of photography, compared to the Camera Obscura where they had to
Shutter speed is the amount of time in which the shutter is open. The longer the shutter is open the more light is let into the lens. Lower shutter speeds are used for low light scenarios as the lower the shutter speed the longer the shutter is open and therefore, the more light is let into the frame.
Faster shutter speeds are used for subjects in fast motion for example a car. Slower shutter speeds are used for subjects in slower motion like taking photos of the stars in the sky.
These two two photos are taken using a very different shutter speed. The first photo is taken using a very fast shutter speed as it shows the stars set still. The second photo uses a shutter speed of just over three hours. This very slow shutter speed allows the camera to capture the stars in motion as they move over the three hours. – Estimate for shutter speed of first photo: 25-50.
Experimenting with shutter speed
This photo was taken using a lower shutter speed around 1/30. This low shutter speed makes the image in blurry as the subjects are moving when the photo was taken. If this was taken with a high shutter speed like 1/250 then it would be a clear, still image.
These photos wer taken with a really low shutter speed around 1/4-1/15. This is very low shutter speed makes the image extremely blurry, so bad that half of the persons head is missing in the large photo. This very low shutter speed means that the shutter is open for a longer period of time which not only lets more light in but it means that the camera is trying to capture the image while in motion for that whole duration of time, this is why the image comes out very blurry.
In this photo, we were trying to capture 3 balls thrown in the air in a straight line. Since the balls are falling through the sky in motion, we needed to use a high shutter speed around 1/250 to create a clear image of the moving subject. This high shutter speeds works because the shutter is open for a shorter period of time, this not only lets less light in because its open for less time, but this means that the image is captured in a still clear motion.
Artists who experimented with shutter speed
Eadweard Muybridge
Eadweard Muybridge was a pioneering photographer and motion picture inventor in the late 19th century, best known for his ground-breaking work in capturing movement through sequential photography. His most famous project involved a series of images of a galloping horse, which he created in 1878 to settle a bet about whether all four hooves left the ground during the horse’s stride. Muybridge used a series of 12 cameras, each triggered by the horse’s movement, to capture the motion in a way that revealed the fluidity of motion previously unseen.
Muybridge’s experiments with shutter speed and rapid photography not only advanced the art of photography but also laid the groundwork for the development of motion pictures. By manipulating shutter speed, he was able to freeze moments in time, allowing viewers to analyze motion in ways that had profound implications for both science and art. His work influenced future filmmakers and artists, and his innovative techniques are still relevant in modern photography and cinematography.
Harold Edgerton
Harold Edgerton was an American engineer and photographer renowned for his pioneering work in high-speed photography. His innovative use of strobe lighting allowed him to capture rapid events, such as a bullet piercing an apple or a dancer in mid-leap, with extraordinary clarity. Edgerton’s techniques revealed details of motion that were previously impossible to see, pushing the boundaries of photographic technology and artistry.
His contributions to the field extended beyond artistic pursuits; Edgerton’s work had practical applications in various scientific and engineering disciplines. By using high-speed photography to study dynamic phenomena, he helped improve understanding in fields ranging from ballistics to fluid dynamics. His iconic images not only captivated the public but also laid the groundwork for advancements in both photography and experimental science, solidifying his legacy as a pioneer of visual exploration.
Hiroshi Sugimoto
Hiroshi Sugimoto is a Japanese photographer known for his meditative and thought-provoking images that explore the intersection of time, memory, and perception. His most famous series, “Theaters,” captures the interiors of old movie houses in a long exposure that blurs the line between past and present, creating a surreal sense of nostalgia. Sugimoto’s meticulous approach to composition and lighting allows him to transform mundane spaces into timeless reflections, inviting viewers to contemplate the passage of time.
In addition to “Theaters,” Sugimoto’s work spans various series, including “Seascapes” and “Dioramas,” where he investigates natural and artificial environments. His use of traditional photographic techniques, combined with a philosophical inquiry into the nature of reality, challenges the viewer’s understanding of both photography and existence. Through his art, Sugimoto encourages a deeper engagement with the world, revealing layers of meaning in seemingly simple subjects.
Diorama – Hiroshi Sugimoto
Francesca Woodman
Francesca Woodman was an influential American photographer known for her evocative black-and-white images that often explored themes of identity, femininity, and the passage of time. Her work frequently featured herself and other female figures, captured in haunting, ethereal compositions that blurred the lines between presence and absence. Woodman’s innovative use of long exposure and soft focus created a dreamlike quality, allowing her to express emotional depth and vulnerability in ways that resonated powerfully with viewers.
Tragically, Woodman’s career was cut short by her untimely death at the age of 22, yet her body of work has had a lasting impact on contemporary photography. Despite her brief life, she produced a significant number of striking images that have inspired generations of artists and photographers. Woodman’s exploration of self and the human condition continues to provoke thought and discussion, cementing her legacy as a key figure in the realm of conceptual and feminist photography.
The Camera Obscura is a natural phenomenon which is around 200 years old and comes from the Latin words for dark (obscura) and room (camera).
What is a Camera Obscura?
With a camera obscura you can capture the world around you by projecting what’s on the outside down into a darkened room on the inside. It also doesn’t involve any power source. Camera obscura — and before them, pinhole cameras — have been around for several hundred years. But it wasn’t until the early 1600s that manufacturing lenses of high enough quality to create more flexible cameras with larger openings was possible – this meant letting in more light to create brighter and higher quality images. For example painters would once have used a camera obscura like this for making accurate and detailed sketches of scenes. It was especially useful for capturing perspective – accurately representing the height, width, depth and position of what you can see in the 3D world but presented on a 2D surface.
How does it work?
Other than a rather theatrical looking curtain that surrounds the darkened chamber, there’s a large lens mounted in a wooden panel. That lens focuses the light from the scene outside down onto a mirror which is held at a 45 degree angle behind it on the inside. The mirror reflects the rays of light onto a piece of paper – or canvas – laid out flat on the base inside the wooden box. To see the image, you need to cover yourself with a piece of black cloth to stop any other surrounding light from getting into the box. Then, you would trace the outlines of the scene you can see projected onto the paper inside. And because this camera obscura uses a lens, which created a relatively large aperture, you get a sharp, colourful image on the paper – like a mini video of the outside world.
Who used a camera obscura?
Because the light is bouncing off the mirror, you see the image the right way up. But the lens causes the image to flip (or invert) so it’s also the wrong way round. That meant artists using a camera obscura would have to trace the final image in reverse. There is plenty of evidence that master like Canaletto and Rembrandt used the camera obscura – but other artists may have been more secretive. People debate whether the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer used a camera obscura to capture the incredible detail in his exquisite paintings of domestic scenes. Although there’s no written evidence to prove it either way, art historians think, on balance, that he probably did.
The Music Lesson – Johannes Vermeer
The birth of photography
In the 1700s and 1800s CE, the camera obscura was also a useful accessory for the wealthy taking the ‘Grand Tour’ to make drawings of Italian landscapes or classical ruins. But the camera obscura is only focusing and reflecting light — not capturing it. The next big leap in the 1800s CE was to combine a device like a camera obscura with a material that would alter when exposed to the light — and preserve the image.
View from the Window at Le Gras taken by Joseph Nicephore Niépce c. 1826/27
That’s how this photograph was taken. Called View from the Window at Le Gras, it’s the earliest known photograph. The Frenchman Joseph Niépce took it in 1826 or 1827 using a camera obscura and a plate coated with chemicals.
Nicephore Niepce
Who is he?
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.
What did Niepce do?
When French inventor Joseph Nicephore placed a camera obscura aimed toward the view outside the second-story window of his country house in Le Gras, France, in 1826-27, he couldn’t imagine the revolution he was about to be a part of.
By then, he had already been experimenting for a while with lithography, a technique invented by Bavarian playwright Alois Senefelder in 1798, which consisted of an artist drawing an image on a smooth, flat limestone surface, taking advantage of the immiscibility between the oil and water. Unsatisfied and recognising his inability to draw, Niepce began experimenting with different methods and techniques that wouldn’t required this skill. He also wanted to find a way to create a permanent image whose lines wouldn’t fade over time and couldn’t be washed away. After a series of unsuccessful attempts, Niepce turned his attention to materials that were affected by light, and explored the use of metal plates. Eventually, an element in particular caught his attention: bitumen of Judea, a naturally occurring asphalt which hardens on exposure to light.
Placing existing engravings, made transparent, onto the surface of pewter plates coated with bitumen, then exposing them to light through a camera obscura, he finally achieved his goal. The sunlight “exposed” the plate except for the areas that were covered by the lines on the engraved paper. Finally the plate was washed in lavender oil and turpentine, removing the unexposed bitumen. By doing that, Niepce created the process which he called “heliography”, from helios meaning “sun”, and graphein, “writing”.
This famous heliograph was produced in 1826, based on an engraving by Issac Briot. It pictures a profile of Cardinal d’Amboise.
The window at Le Gras
Original image
Enhanced version
Point de vue du Gras or View from the Window at Le Gras was taken from the window of Niépce’s ‘laboratory’, and is considered the earliest surviving photographic image.
It is said that it required about 8 hours of exposure for the image to be completed. The sun moved from east to west during the process – the reason why it appears to shine of both sides of the building. Some people estimate that the exposure must have continued not for hours, but for several days.
This amazing milestone offered, in Niepce’s words: “The first uncertain step in a completely new direction”
Was it the first photograph?
The oldest photograph preserved today is the image at Le Gras, France, in 1826. Theoretically, it’s not the first-ever photograph because Niépce had been experimenting with heliography since 1816. But previous ones didn’t get to enter history.
William Henry Fox Talbot
Who was he?
William Henry Fox Talbot (born February 11, 1800, Melbury Sampford, Dorset, England—died September 17, 1877, Lacock Abbey, near Chippenham, Wiltshire) was an English chemist, linguist, archaeologist, and pioneer photographer. He is best known for his development of the calotype, an early photographic process that was an improvement over the daguerreotype of the French inventor Louis Daguerre. Talbot’s calotypes used a photographic negative, from which multiple prints could be made; had his method been announced but a few weeks earlier, he and not Daguerre would probably have been known as the founder of photography.
Photogenic drawings
Photogenic drawings was the name given to the images produced by William Henry Fox Talbot to the images produced by his earliest experiments in the 1830’s. Salted-paper prints: The first viable paper negative process was developed by William Henry Fox Talbot in the late 1830s. n William Henry Fox Talbot. These so-called photogenic drawings were basically contact prints on light-sensitive paper, which unfortunately produced dark and spotty images. In 1840 he modified and improved this process and called it the calotype (later the talbotype).
In October 1833, during his honeymoon at Lake Como, William Henry Fox Talbot faced frustration while sketching the landscape with a camera lucida, realizing his drawings couldn’t capture the scene’s beauty. This experience prompted him to revisit his earlier work with the camera obscura and inspired him to explore the possibility of permanently fixing images onto paper. Upon returning to Lacock Abbey in January 1834, Talbot began experimenting with photographic techniques, using salt and silver nitrate-treated paper to create detailed botanical tracings through sunlight, which he called “the art of photogenic drawing.” By summer 1835, he advanced his work by placing sensitized paper in small cameras to capture images of his surroundings.
However, Talbot soon encountered competition from Louis Daguerre’s precise photographic process introduced in 1839. To assert his claim in photography, Talbot presented his findings to the Royal Society and continued refining his techniques. In September 1840, he achieved a breakthrough with the calotype process, enabling faster exposures and the development of latent images. Despite challenges with image permanence, he collaborated with scientist Sir John Herschel to develop a more stable fixing solution. Talbot also pursued photogravure to create enduring photographic prints, ultimately revolutionizing photography and establishing its artistic and scientific foundations.
Talbot’s Mousetraps
The cameras belonging to William Henry Fox Talbot are some of the most precious items in the Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A. Most famous of al are the simple little cameras nicknamed ‘mousetraps’. These were given this name by Talbot’s wife Constance, partly because of their appearance and partly due to Talbot leaving them around the house for long exposure times of up to several hours.
The mousetraps are study little wooden boxes with a brass tube housing a lens at one end, and a sliding wooden panel at the other. Into the wooden panel at the back Talbot would tick a piece of normal writing paper that he had made chemically sensitive to light. On some you can still see the traces where successive pieces of paper have been stuck in place. The mousetrap cameras themselves are pleasant to hold – toy-like even – and their simple design allows even a photographic novice to understand how they might work.
Once the paper was inserted, the camera would be placed in front of the subject being photographed and left for several hours to expose. After that, the paper inside would be carefully removed and chemically treated to bring out and then stabilise the latent negative image. if the experiment reached this point successfully, the negative was used to create positive prints by sensitising a further sheet of paper, laying the negative on top of it in a frame, and exposing it in the sun for several hours. The resulting print would then need to be fixed to stop the image from fading. Getting the right balance of chemicals and treatments for this stage of the process was one of the most vexed areas of research for the duration of early photographic experimentation.
The earliest of the cameras dates back to 1835, when cameras weren’t available to buy. Instead Talbot made some himself out of cigar boxes and other readymade wooden boxes he could modify. He also employed a local carpenter to make more robust boxes to fit lenses from microscope and telescopes
Louis Daguerre
Who was he?
Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre was a French artist and photographer, recognized for his invention of the eponymous daguerreotype process of photography. He became known as one of the fathers of photography.
What is a daguerreotype?
The daguerreotype is a photographic process that involved capturing an image on a polished sheet of metal, usually sharp and detailed, but also incredibly fragile. The process of creating a daguerreotype involved a number of steps. starting with preparation of a metal plate. The daguerreotype plate was coated with a light sensitive chemical, and then placed inside a camera. The image was captured by exposing the plate to light for a certain amount of time, depending on the lighting conditions and the desired result.
Once the exposure was complete, the plate was processed in a chemical bath to fix the image. This involved washing the plate in a solution of salt water and alcohol, and then exposing it to mercury vapor. The mercury vapor reacted with the light-sensitive chemical, creating a visible on the daguerreotype plate. One of the most difficult aspects of this stage of the process was ensuring that the image was properly exposed. This required a high level of expertise and experience, as well as the use of specialised equipment. The final was to polish the plate, which gave it its unique, mirror-like finish. The resulting daguerreotype was then placed inside a protective case, and could be viewed by tilting it at different angles to catch the light.
Why was the daguerreotype not as successful as Talbot’s system?
But the daguerreotype had serious limitations. The mirror-like surface of the image could only be viewed from a narrow angle. Further, the process produced a one-of-a-kind image that did not permit printing duplicates.
Cyanotype
Cyanotype photography is a camera-less technique that involves laying an object on paper coated with a solution of iron salts before exposing it to UV light and washing with water to create stunning white and Prussian blue images.
Sir John Herschel: The inventor of cyanotypes Later, in 1842, he used paper coated with a solution of iron salts, sun exposure and a water wash to create the very first cyanotype – a white image on a deep blue background.
Richard Maddox
Richard Leach Maddox was an English photographer and physician who invented lightweight gelatin negative dry plates for photography in 1871.
The Gelatin or Dry Plate photographic process was invented in 1871 by Dr. Richard L Maddox. This involved the coating of glass photographic plates with a light sensitive gelatin emulsion and allowing them to dry prior to use.
Richard Leach Maddox invented the gelatin dry plate silver bromide process. This led to the invention of dry plate photography, which did not require the photographer to develop the plate immediately after exposure. This proved to be a highly successful process, which continued to be used into the 1920s.
George Eastman
George Eastman was an American entrepreneur who founded the Eastman Kodak Company and helped to bring the photographic use of roll film into the mainstream.
In the 1880s, Eastman developed a convenient method of preparing ready-to-use plates. Improvements led to flexible, roll film as well as photo processing and printing done by mail order. Millions of people worldwide captured memories using cameras and film, leaving all the chemistry to Kodak.
In 1881, with the financial backing of Rochester businessman Henry Strong, Eastman formed the Eastman Dry Plate Company (reincorporated as the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company in 1884 and as Eastman Kodak Company in 1892). With a series of innovations, the company created easy-to-use cameras that made photography widely accessible, established the practice of professional photofinishing, and developed a flexible film that was a critical contribution to the launch of the motion picture industry.
Kodak (Brownie)
The Brownie was a series of camera models made by Eastman Kodak and first released in 1900. It introduced the snapshot to the masses by addressing the cost factor which had mean that amateur photography remained beyond the means of many people; the Pocket Kodak, for example, would cost most families in Britain nearly a whole month’s wages.
How was the kodak brownie influential?
It was easy to use compared to other cameras, and could be loaded in the daylight. Through the advertising schemes used by Kodak, and because of the affordability of the Brownie camera, many amateurs and middle class people were able to discover the joys of photography.
Who invented it?
It was invented by Frank A. Brownell for the Eastman Kodak Company. Named after the Brownie characters popularised by the Canadian writer Palmer Cox, the camera was initially aimed at children.
How did it work?
The Brownie was a basic box camera with a single lens. It used a roll film, another innovation from Eastman Kodak. Users received the pre-loaded camera, took their photographs, and returned it to Kodak. Kodak would develop the film, print the photos, reload the camera with new film, and return it to the customer.
Digital Photography
Digital photography is a process that uses an electronic device called a digital camera to capture an image. Instead of film, it uses an electronic digital sensor to translate light into electrical signals. In the camera, the signals are stored as tiny bits of data in bitmaps, tiny bits of data that form the image.
in 1957, the first digital image was produced through a computer by Russell Kirsch. It was an image of his son. First digital image ever created, by Russell Kirsch. It is an image of his son, Walden.
DSLR
In 1991, Kodak released the first commercially available fully digital SLR, the Kodak DCS-100, previously shown at Photokina in 1990. It consisted of a modified Nikon F3 SLR body, modified drive unit, and an external storage unit connected via cable.
The first mirrorless camera commercially marketed was the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, released in Japan in October 2008. It was also the first camera of Micro Four Thirds system, developed exclusively for the mirrorless ILC system.
Aaron Siskind was an American photographer whose work focuses on the details of things, presented as flat surfaces to create a new image independent of the original subject. He is best known for his black-and-white, close range, and aerial photos of surfaces and objects.
Siskind’s photos can seem both sculptural and vast or diminutive and painterly. Their ambiguity has caused spectators to “muse (sometimes in print) in front of a Siskind photograph like analysands in front of ink blots,” wrote art critic Thomas B. Hess. Born on December 4, 1903 in New York, NY, Siskind didn’t begin photographing until he received a camera as a wedding gift and soon after joined the New York Photo League. His work follows in the lineage of Bauhaus photographer László Moholy-Nagy and American photographer Harry Callahan, inspired by their formal and technical approaches to the medium. His works—which range in subject matter from volcanic lava to graffitied walls—are in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C., among others. Siskind died on February 8, 1991 in Providence, RI.
The camera obscura is a device that is sort of an early version of a camera. It works on the principle of letting light through a small hole, therefore projecting everything upside-down outside on a surface inside a dark room. People figured out this trick as far back as ancient times, first mentions coming from the Chinese and Greek. It wasn’t until the Renaissance, however, that it really hit its stride with the help of artists and scientists who used the device to study the way light and perspective function. For many centuries, it was an essential tool for artists and scientists alike, and eventually some of its concepts would be used to create photography as it stands today.
Nicephore Niepce
Nicéphore Niépce is generally considered an early pioneer in photography who invented the first photography procedure that worked. He captured what has come to be considered the world’s first permanent photo, View from the Window at Le Gras, using a photography method called heliography. Until recent times, however, Niépce was not widely credited as the first photographer. His work was then overtaken by Louis Daguerre, who perfected the process and made it famous with the daguerreotype. For this reason, Daguerre was considered the major developer of photography, while the role of Niépce was brought out fully only much later.
Henry Fox Talbot
Henry Fox Talbot perfected the early photographic process known as Photogenic Drawing, where he placed an object directly onto light-sensitive paper and exposing to sunlight created a silhouette or “drawing” of that subject. This was an important step in photography’s development since now multiple prints could be realized. Talbot also used small wooden cameras small enough to hold in one’s hand-whom he referred to as “mousetraps.”. These cameras incorporated a lens that focused the light onto the light sensitive paper inside to create a negative image. He could put the negative on another sheet of paper and make positive copies, a technique which would set the stage for modern photography.
Daguerreotype
Daguerreotype was a process invented in 1839 by Louis Daguerre. In this process, pre treated polished silver coated copper plate was exposed to iodine vapours to make it photosensitive and then to light followed by development in mercury fumes. This would give highly detailed but unique images on a reflective surface. This yielded an extremely sharp image but with a great limitation. Each photograph was unique and unrepeatable, the process being cumbersome and hazardous since it incorporated mercury. Henry Fox Talbot’s system incorporated negatives in combination with Photogenic Drawing to allow for multiple copies of an image, Talbot’s method was thereby more practical and adaptable for wide use.
Richard Maddox
Richard Maddox was an English photographer who invented the dry plate process in 1871. Before his invention, photographers used wet plates that had to be prepared and exposed while still wet, which was cumbersome and time-consuming. Maddox’s dry plates were coated with a gelatin emulsion that could be stored for longer periods and didn’t require immediate development. This innovation made photography much more practical, as it allowed photographers to prepare their plates in advance and develop them later, greatly increasing flexibility and convenience. Maddox’s dry plate process was a major leap forward for photography, paving the way for the development of modern photographic films and making photography more accessible and efficient for both professionals and amateurs.
George Eastman
George Eastman changed photography by making the photo camera accessible to all. Before his improvements, photography was rather complicated and required very expensive equipment. Eastman managed to change that with his invention of the Kodak camera in the year 1888. Such a camera was easy to use; it was preloaded with films and allowed people to take their photos and then send the entire camera to Kodak for developing and printing. This slogan coined the “You press the button, we do the rest” approach, making photography easy and within the economic reach of the general masses. In this process, he established a company known as Eastman Kodak Company, which soon emerged as a multinational photographer company and played a very important role in popularizing photography as one of the characteristics of everyday life.
Kodak (Brownie)
The Kodak Brownie was a popular series of cameras introduced by the Eastman Kodak Company, founded by George Eastman. The Brownie cameras were affordable, simple to use, and played a significant role in popularizing photography among the general public. They were designed for amateur photographers and allowed people to capture moments easily. The Brownie cameras used roll film, making photography more accessible and enjoyable for a wide audience. The simplicity and affordability of the Brownie cameras contributed to the democratization of photography as a hobby and art form.
Digitial Photography
Digital Photography is a modern method of capturing images using electronic sensors to record light. It became popular in the late 20th century as technology advanced. Instead of film, digital cameras store images as electronic data. When a photo is taken, the sensor converts light into digital information, which is then stored on a memory card. This digital data can be easily transferred to a computer for viewing, editing, and sharing. Digital photography revolutionized the way we take and interact with images, offering instant feedback and the ability to manipulate photos easily.
On a camera there are two focus modes, auto focus is for general use as it automatically sets the camera settings for you and manual focus is used for close up and fine detailed photos.
The focal length (F stop) determines what you see in the camera.
The depth of field means how much of an image is in focus, so if there is a wide aperture it has a small focal length with a small depth of field. Furthermore a narrow aperture contains the opposite meaning it has a large focal length (F stop) with a large depth of field.
Soft focus typically refers to a narrow depth of field and slightly blurred focus, resulting in ‘soft’ edges surrounding the subject. Sharp focus typically results in a wider depth of field and precise focus on the subject. Increasing the focus on more parts of the image results in a sharper appearance of the edges.
The foreground of the photo is defined by the element nearest to the viewer. The background is the farthest element from you, with the middle ground being the space in between. Some photos may just have a foreground and background, and not necessarily all three elements present or required.
Shutter Speed– The length of time your cameras shutter stays open, and therefore how long the sensor is exposed to the light. The longer its on the more light can enter the image. If its open less, the darker the image due to there not being enough light. Shutter speed is part of the exposure triangle.
Example of Slow Shutter Speed.
This photo was taken by Francesca Woodman. She puts the shutter speed at 1\6, so she can make the photo blurred and she can make it in a spot of no light, so you are able to achieve this image.
Example of Medium Shutter Speed.
An example of Medium shutter is to blur a running child to give impressions of a fast movement. The shutter speed used is 1/250 to 1/30 sec. So you can achieve this type of image.
Example of Fast Shutter speed.
An example of Fast shutter speed is to freeze an image in action. The fast shutter speed will create a short exposure .The shutter speed used is 1/2000th second or faster. The image below is an image of a bubble being popped in action.
Shutter Speed Chart
Eadweard Muybridge– Use of Fast Shutter Speeds
Eadweard Muybridge is known for his pioneering photographic studies of motion, which ultimately led to the development of cinema. He was hired to photograph a horse’s movement to prove that a horse’s hooves are all lifted off the floor. Muybridge is known for his pioneering chronphotography of animals between 1878 and 1886, which used multiple cameras to capture the different positions in a stride.
Harold Edgerton– Fast Shutter Speed
Harold Edgerton is famous for revolutionized photography, science, military surveillance, Hollywood filmmaking, and the media through his invention of the strobe light in the early 1930s, which influenced his work.
These photos where taken with a fast shutter speed. Fast shutter speeds of 1/500th are used for capturing fast moving objects, such as freezing a bicycle when moving at top speed. Fast shutter speed will allow you to capture crucial moments. The fast shutter speed allowed me to expose for the bright light.
Francesca Woodman- Slow Shutter speed
Francesca Woodman’s family spent all of their summers at her parents’ farmhouse in the countryside near Florence in Italy and many of her photographs were taken there. She was heavily influenced by European culture due to being in Italy and had a massive impact on her life. She was influenced by surrealist art, particularly the pictures of Man Ray and Claude Cahun can be seen in the style of her work. She developed her ideas and skills as a student at Rhode Island School of Design.
She was born on 3rd of April in 1958 and died on the 19th of January 1981. She was very important as an innovator , particularly in the context of the 1970s when the status of photography was still regarded as less important than painting and doing a sculpture. She led the way for later American artists who used photography to explore themes relating to identity such as Cindy Sherman and Nan Goldin.
Hiroshi Sugimoto– Slow Shutter Speed
Hiroshi Sugimoto is a Japanese photographer and architect. He leads the Tokyo-based architectural firm New Material Research Laboratory. Hiroshi Sugimoto is well known for black and white photographs of particular subjects that he has observed in depth for many years: Images of natural-history dioramas, wax-figure installations, amazing seascapes, and ornate movie theatre interiors.
My Work of a Slow Shutter Speed
This is one of my photos taken with a slow shutter speed. As you can see the two of the leaves are in a midground focus. The slow shutter has made the camera focus on two of the leaves and made them have texture with having leading lines. This was taken at a shutter speed of 1/30, since it has a slight blur.
My Work of Fast Shutter Speed
This is one of my photos taken with a fast shutter speed. As you can on the table there are water droplets running down the side of the table, by doing this with fast shutter speed it will create a short exposure and will make the water droplets become more focused.
A Class Photoshoot
I have done to represent the difference between fast shutter speed and slow shutter speed.
Photos from the studio Fast Shutter Speed
This photo has been taken on a fast shutter because the photo is in focus ,by using a filter called black and white. Black and white creates a gloomy emotion.
Photos of the Studio of Slow Shutter Speed
This photo was taken at a fast shutter speed because the photo is blurred. Fast shutter speed allows you to capture crucial moments in a photo and allows you to freeze an image.
In photography, shutter speed is the length of time that the film or digital sensor inside the camera is exposed to light when taking a photograph. The amount of light that reaches the film or image sensor is equal to the exposure time. 1/500 of a second will let half as much light in as 1/250. In addition to its effect on exposure, the shutter speed changes the way movement appears in photographs. Very short shutter speeds can be used to freeze fast moving subjects while very long shutter speeds are used to intentionally blur a moving subject for effect.
Slow SS
Medium SS
Fast SS
Eadweard Muybridge – Fast Shutter Speeds
Muybridge was challenged to settle the old dispute about whether all four of a horse’s legs are off the ground at one time during a gallop. In 1872, he took a single image of a trotting horse with all hooves aloft. But his eventual solution was to capture moving objects with cameras capable of a shutter speed as brief as 1/1000 of a second.
Hiroshi Sugimoto – Slow Shutter Speeds
Sugimoto has spoken of his work as an expression of ‘time exposed’, which serves as a time capsule for a series of events in time. Sugimoto often uses large format cameras and long exposure times to capture light behaving in expected but controlled ways.
Harold Edgerton – Fast Shutter Speeds
In 1950, Edgerton worked with Herbert Grier and Kenneth Germeshausen to design a camera shutter device devoid of mechanical components. This allowed the exposure times for his photographs to be taken at four to ten millionths of a second.
Francesca Woodman – Slow Shutter Speeds
Woodman uses slow shutter speed and double exposure when photographing so that she can actively feature in her own work. This also meant that she could capture different stages of movement in a way that could trace the pattern of time. As a result, her images are blurred which suggests motion and urgency.
Eadweard Muybridge is remembered today for his pioneering photographic studies of motion, which ultimately led to the development of cinema. He was hired to photograph a horse’s movement to prove that a horse’s hooves are clear of the ground at a trot.
The above images are taken with fast shutter speed. Fast shutter speeds of 1/500th are used for capturing rapidly moving objects, such as freezing a race car hitting its top speed. The slower the shutter speed, the more motion blur your camera will capture when shooting fast-moving subjects.
Slow shutter speeds include 1/15 – which is an excellent shutter speed for panning moving subjects. 1/8 – This shutter speed will blur fast-moving objects. 1/4 – Will blur people when walking. 1/2 – You will be able to get slow-moving water with a blur.
Francesca Woodman’s family spent their summers at her parents’ farmhouse in the countryside near Florence in Italy and many of her photographs were taken there. European culture and art had a significant impact on her artistic development. The influence of surrealist art, particularly the photographs of Man Ray and Claude Cahun can be seen in the themes and style of her work. She developed her ideas and skills as a student at Rhode Island School of Design. Her importance as an innovator is significant, particularly in the context of the 1970s when the status of photography was still regarded as less important than painting and sculpture. She led the way for later American artists who used photography to explore themes relating to identity such as Cindy Sherman and Nan Goldin.
Hiroshi Sugimoto is a Japanese photographer and architect. He leads the Tokyo-based architectural firm New Material Research Laboratory. Hiroshi Sugimoto is best known for black and white photographs of particular subjects that he has explored in depth over many years: images of natural-history dioramas, wax-figure installations, sublime seascapes, and ornate movie theatre interiors.
plan for tomorrow: come in grab a camera go outside use slow shutter speed to get a clear shot of a bike then use fast shutter speed to capture a moving bike these two photos demonstrate the differences in shutter speed.
Here are some of my photos and our class photoshoot
We successfully experimented with slow and fast shutter speed to achieve these brilliant photos
