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
Robert Capa (Budapest, October 22, 1913 – May 25, 1954) was possibly the most famous war photographer of the 20th century. He covered five different wars: the Spanish Civil War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II across Europe, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and the First Indochina War. Capa documented the course of World War II in London, North Africa, Italy, the Battle of Normandy on Omaha Beach and the liberation of Paris.
Born in Hungary as Endre Ernő Friedmann, Capa left the country at an early age because of his political involvements with protestors against the fascist government. Capa originally wanted to be a writer. However, he first found work in photography in Berlin and grew to love the art.
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
The first real zoom lens, which retained near-sharp focus while the effective focal length of the lens assembly was changed, was patented in 1902 by Clile. C. Allen (U.S. Patent 696,788). The first industrial production was the Bell and Howell Cooke "Varo" 40-120mm Lens for 35mm movie cameras introduced in 1932. The Kilfitt 36-82mm/2.8 Zoomar introduced in 1959 was the first zoom lens in regular production for still 35mm photography.
Since then, advances in optical design, particularly the use of computers for optical ray tracing, has made the design and construction of zoom lenses much easier, and they are now used widely in professional and amateur photography.
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