Contemporary versus Historical Photographers

Eadward Muybridge and Cornelius Jabez Hughes, two photographers of the 19th century, introduced revolutionary ideas impacting the way photographs could be taken, categorized, and used. Muybridge, better known as the ‘father of the motion picture,’ studied landscape photos and invented a device that drastically improved their quality. In addition, he helped to pioneer work in the studies of motion and motion-picture projection. Hughes developed new technology related to photography and helped to guide many other amateur photographers into producing better forms of photography. The two had lasting impacts on the growth and importance of photography in the art, science, and everyday realms.

Photography, meaning “drawing with lights” in Greek, is an art as well as a science of capturing light and storing it on a medium with unprecedented accuracy. Yet, up until the late 18th century, history was mainly recorded through the techniques of painting and the press. These mediums unarguably contained a certain degree of a truth, though, it was not uncommon for events, such as war to be composed with glorified details, or an unfavorable bias from the artist at hand. Beginning in the 1830’s, cameras provided a revolutionary solution by combining the advancements in optics and chemistry. Consequently, the new medium of photography was established and forever changed how history would be visually captured. Unlike other methods, photography

For this essay the works of Robert Draper, author of “Why Photos Matter,” and Fred Ritchen, author of “Photography Changes the Way News is Reported,” will be analyzed. Though both deal with the topic of photography, their take on the matter is very different. While Ritchen is a photographer who writes on “what professional photographers will be doing in the future,” Draper is a writer for the National Geographic writing on how the photographers of the magazine share “a hunger for the unknown.” Both writers, however, write on the topic of photographers having a deeper understanding of their subjects, Ritchen due to research and practice, and Draper because the photographers “sit [with] their subjects, just listening to them.” In both essays the need for a deeper understanding of the

Sense the invention of the camera in 1826 photography has been used to document everything from family portraits, social injustice, sporting events, world news, expressions of joy and sorrow, and hundreds of monumental moments. The camera has given man the power to reveal the truth visually. Throughout history photographs have made enormous impacts on social consciousness and ultimately shaped public opinion on many pressing issues in society. Although photography is often considered a casual pastime, the invention of the camera has contributed to many aspects of history, science, and other important pieces of todays world.

The purpose of my study is to give people a chance to understand what is the meaning of photography and how it was invented, plus how people was able to take photographs before the camera was invented.

Between the use of film or digital photography, film is the more effective method when looking for originality and creativity. With the adoption of digital photography, the younger generations, as well as the older and more current photographers are becoming lazy. These groups must recognize that the art of the photograph is being jeopardized by the digital camera and the camera phone. For the current photographers as well as amateur photographers, this essay will serve as testimony to film as well as other chemical methods, and how they shouldn’t be ignored, but preferred. The digital era has had a massive impact on the art world and all of its mediums, but for photography this impact has resulted in the removal of the human from the photograph making process. This intimate process is what makes it an art form. All of films imperfections and unique qualities, as well as its monetary value and scarcity are just a few factors that have made it so precious. To replace this entire process with a microchip is offensive and undermines the importance of the process that is needed to make a photograph. Anyone can take a picture but you must make a photograph, and this skill is being simplified to a digital camera. The impact of the digital era on photography has hindered the process of making a photograph; painting the art form obsolete in today’s society.

I’ll tell you a little about photography. Back then photography isn’t like it is now obviously. Photography took longer to process, and you had to sit very

Ansel Adams was one of the most important photographers of century XX. Recognized for its beautiful landscape photographs in black and white; Adams had a unique style to take photos and techniques of revealed. He took many photographs of strong contrast of light and shadow, bare mountains, giant trees and huge clouds, many of these photos represent highlights in the history of this art form. Adams like many geniuses artistic was marked with Mother Nature at an early age, to see and enjoy its beauty, its delicacy, its simplicity; from that specific moment he knew that photography will be his live and profession. Adams was an expert in the control of the photographic exhibition. His knowledge was so profound that led him to develop his

Since its inception, photography has been used to capture moments in time all around the world. This wonderful technology has existed since ancient times, and has only improved in recent history, changing society in the process.

The name "Photography" comes from the Greek words for light and writing. Sir John Herschel, was the first to use the term photography in 1839, when he managed to fix images using hyposulphite of soda. He described photography as "The application of the chemical rays to the purpose of pictorial representation". Herschel also coined the terms "negative", "positive" and "snapshot".

Photographers David Politzer and Katrin Korfmann both implore different artistic styles but emphasize similar subject possibilities in their work. These artists show different uses of camera position and design in their work layouts, but show related subjects in their photographs. Korfmann and Politzer show life in their work, but display it in different ways by using their own perspective and composition.

SNAP! SNAP! You 've just caught the perfect picture of your friend running on the beach, your dog stealing your favourite shoe, or your little brother with his hands deep in the cookie jar. Now pause and think about the future and how many times you would laugh showing these pictures to friends or family. Now rewind a couple of hundred years and imagine a world without photographs to capture these precious memories. As much as photography is used on day-to-day bases, has the concept truly crossed your mind as to how it came about? Personally, the evolution of photography has always been intriguing process - difficult and fascinating at the same time for me to understand. The first photograph was taken in 1826, by Joseph Nicéphone Niépce. The picture was taken from a window with a view at the Le Gras with a camera obscure. Unfortunately in the early years there had to be so many problems with photography, with long exposure times and working on the image. So as we know of the when photography “first” came about was in the year Fast forward 13 years later to 1839, when William Henry Fox Talbot presented his results from negative and positive processing to the Royal Institution in London, calling the “photogenic drawing”… Photography. Throughout the years photographs have been used for a variety of things from a personal level to business (promotional and commercial). But just how important is photography when the options are limitless today, could you honestly image a world

The word photography derives from two Greek words, photo and graph. Photo meaning “light” and graph meaning “drawing”. The phrase to describe photography is to say “drawing with light”. Forms of radiant energy like x-rays, or light is used to document a thing or landscape on a light-sensitive surface when a photograph is made. Photographs in the early days were called sun picture because direct sunlight was used to create an image in the pictures. We, mankind, are the creators of photography since caveman paintings about 20,000 years ago. With this phenomenal invention, we can record anything with exact detail within half a second as opposed to a talented artist who would take hours or days to construct.

Until recently, at least, it was possible to define photography as a process involving optics, light sensitive material and the chemical processing of this material to produce prints or slides. Today though, that definition is subject to change. Technological innovations…are shifting photography from its original chemical basis towards electronics… It is not overstating it to say that the advent of this new technology is changing the very nature of photography, as we have known it. (Bode and Wombell 1991)

In this study, I will be investigating four photographers: Ansel Adams, Karl Blossfeldt, Robert Mapplethorpe and Adam Burton. I have chosen these photographers as their work consists of