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The history of photography and the camera – Part 2

Published On Sunday, May 30, 2010 By Mark. Under: Photography Tips. Tags: Astronomical Applications, Camera Obscura, Canaletto, Chinese Philosopher, Convex Lens, Crescent Shape, Darkened Room, German Astronomer, Guardi, History Of Photography, Johann Heinrich, Leonardo Da Vinci, Nicephore Niepce, Photographic Image, Photosensitive Paper, Robert Boyle, Seaside Resorts, Silver Chloride, Thomas Wedgwood, Vermeer

The phrase “camera obscura” is not widely used, but it has its roots dating back to the 5th century BC. The Chinese philosopher, MoTi, first wrote about creating an inverted image by light passing through a pinhole into a darkened room. Aristotle viewed the crescent shape of a partially eclipsed sun reflected on the ground through the holes of a sieve as well as the gaps between leaves of a tree.

In the late 15th century, Leonardo Da Vinci gave two clear accounts of the camera obscura in his notebooks. In the 16th century, the viewed image was further improved with the addition of a convex lens and later on, a mirror to reflect the image onto a surface.

1471090790 06e3890d01 The history of photography and the camera Part 2

The term “camera obscura” was first used by the German astronomer Johann Keple in the 17th century, who used the device for astronomical applications. As a portable box device, it became a drawing tool for artists such as VerMeer, Canaletto and Paul Guardi .

Another application of the camera obscura was as a room that was a source of education and entertainment. Used with improved lenses that could cast larger images, it was popular at seaside resorts and scenic areas.

In the 17th century Robert Boyle discovered that silver chloride turned dark under exposure, although he thought it was from air and not light. During the same century, other discoveries that would become applicable to the photography process would be discovered. Angelo Sala found that powdered nitrate of silver turned black by the sun and in 1727, Johann Heinrich Schultze discovered that certain chemicals turned colors when exposed to light.

The 19th century would bring about massive discoveries and advances to photography. Thomas Wedgwood had developed a method for making photographic silhouettes, but was unable to make them permanent. In or about 1816, Nicephore Niepce would use the camera obscura along with photosensitive paper and by 1827, had produced the first photographic image by using material that hardened on its exposure to light. This first image took eight hours of exposure time.

In 1829, Neipce went into partnership with Louis Deguerre, but died a mere 4 years later.

Daguerre continued on with their experiments and in 1837, produced photographic plates of copper, reducing exposure time to a half hour.

But it was Henry Fox Talbot, who, in 1834, created negative images from silver chloride soaked paper, fixed with a salt solution. He then created the positive images by contact printing onto a second