Photography Pioneers

-- End Ad Box --->your pictures, mail the camera to Kodak who
Modern day photography dates back to the earlywould develop your 100 photos and send them
1800's. The word photography is derived fromback to you along with another roll of 100
the Greeks; photos meaning light and grapheinexposures. Sound familiar? The big difference?
meaning to draw. The word was first used inYou used to get your camera back, now you
1839 by scientist Sir John FW Herschel todon't!
describe a method of recording images. That wasThese pioneers would be amazed with the
12 years after the first photograph was capturedequipment available to us today. We have the
by Frenchman Louis Jacque Mande Daguerre, adigital camera, the SLR,35mm, the camcorder,
professional opera scene painter. This firstautomatic exposure and automatic focusing, zoom
process took eight hours and he then worked 12lens and video. We even take pictures with our
more years to reduce the expose time to undercellphones, which we can then download onto our
30 minutes and keep the image from disappearing.computers. We have the luxury of going just
These first photographs were exposed on metalabout anywhere to get that perfect shot.
that had been sensitized to accept the image andIndoors, outdoors, underwater, or on top of a
were called Daguerreotypes after their Frenchmountain. We attach our camera to a tripod and
inventor. Then came the tintype, invented in 1856set the self timer so we can be in that majestic
by Hamilton Smith. This was a thin sheet of ironmountain scene.
used as a base for light sensitive material toWhen the equipment was of a size to be
produce a photograph.transported from place to place, they certainly
Along came an American from upstate Newdidn't have a camera case with a padded shoulder
York, George Eastman, who was very fascinatedstrap. We have a camera bag suited to fit every
by photography, but frustrated with what hecamera and the accessories. Backpacks for hiking
considered cumbersome exposure methods. Heup that trail and lens pouches.
developed a dry photographic plate, patented it inWe can take pictures as a hobby, while on
the United States and England and began his firstvacation; supplement our income as a weekend
photographic business in 1880. In 1884, hephotographer/writer for a local newspaper; or
replaced the glass plates with paper rolls allowingtravel the world as a full-time photojournalist.
multiple images to be taken much more quickly.Today, our photographic possibilities are limitless
Four years later, on September 4, 1888 hethanks, at least in part, to these photography
patented he "roll film camera". You could taketrailblazers.