Portal:Photography
The Photography Portal
The first photograph was an image produced in 1826 by the French inventor Nicéphore Niépce on a polished pewter plate covered with a petroleum derivative called bitumen of Judea but for centuries images had been projected onto surfaces - artists used the camera obscura and camera lucida to trace scenes as early as the 16th century. These early "cameras" did not fix an image, but only projected images from an opening in the wall of a darkened room onto a surface, turning the room into a large pinhole camera.
The advent of photography, from the Ancient Greek words φως phos ("light"), and γραφη graphê ("stylus", "paintbrush") or γραφω graphō (the verb, "I write/draw"), together meaning "drawing with light" or "representation by means of lines" or "drawing", has gained the interest of scientists and artists from its inception. Scientists have used photography to record and study movements, such as Eadweard Muybridge's study of human and animal locomotion (1887). Artists are equally interested in these aspects but also try to explore avenues other than the photo-mechanical representation of reality, such as the pictorialist movement. Military, police and security forces use photography for surveillance, recognition and data storage. Photography is used to preserve favorite memories and as a source of entertainment.
Selected picture
A long lens allows the photographer to make an object that is far away fill the entire frame. Long focal length lenses appear to compress perspective (in fact this is a function of the relative position of the camera to the subject rather than a function of the lens), and have a very small depth of field compared to short focal lengths and so must be focused with precision. Photo Credit: mdf
Selected biography
The first successful permanent photograph was produced by Niépce. He began experimenting with processes to set optical images in 1793. Some of his early experiments produced images, but they faded rapidly. He was said to have first produced long lasting images in 1824.
Did you know
- ...that the first photograph was an image produced in 1826 by the French inventor Nicéphore Niépce on a polished pewter plate covered with a petroleum derivative called bitumen of Judea?
- ...that the inventors of Kodachrome, Leopold Mannes and Leopold Godowsky, Jr. were both accomplished musicians?
Quotes
| “ | The camera has interesting ideas of its own. | ” |
Selected article
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