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Evolution of Capturing an Image

Pinhole Camera (Obscura Camera)

The pinhole camera also known as obscura camera, goes back to the fifth century. The obscura camera includes any pitch-black room where an image is projected through a small hole in which that image is inverted and displayed on a screen (white cloth or wall) opposite of the opening. The people responsible for the discovery of the development for the pinhole camera are: Mo Tzu (468-376 b.c.), Aristotle (384-322 b.c.), Al-Kindi (795-873), and Alhacen (965-1040). Mo Tzu was a Chinese philosopher who first projected an image using “the analogy of the oar in the oar cradle”. Aristotle discovered that the smaller the hole, the clearer the image is when displayed. In addition, he is also known for the fact that when light passes through a small hole, the image being displayed will appear opposite on the wall or background. Writings of Al-Kindi were discovered and he was very helpful in the science industry. To add to this discovery, Alhacen also had pieces of writing, but what was discovered was theories of light and color through such a small hole. Later in the sixteenth century, Italian artists started experimenting with the Obscura camera. Giovanni Della Porta took all of this knowledge and ended up with a revised version which included this pinhole camera with a lens. As we know of it today, the lens is an essential part of taking photos. Researchers today have done their own experiments using the pinhole method. Proving that any space is built for a pinhole camera, they conducted an experiment on the floor in a house. Using a white cloth as the screen and starting off with a hole 4-5mm, they discovered for themselves that the bigger the whole, the clearer the image. They proceeded to use a cigarette to get the diameter of the whole to 10mm. By doing this they were able to get more light and an inverted image. Although historic evidence is hard to find of the exact origins of the obscura camera, historians know that the pinhole camera was the foundation to starting digital cameras.

Daguerreotype

In the 1830s, a French artist named Louis Daguerre introduced a method that allowed photographers to take pictures of people with an exposure time of one minute or less in bright sunlight. During this time, Daguerre discovered two essential components that would eventually be in the process of what is known as Daguerreotype photography. First, he discovered that if iodine vapor was added to polished metal plates then one would be able to capture an image. Secondly, when his cabinet of stored metal plates contained a broken thermometer that was filled with mercury, Daguerre found out that mercury vapor develops images. This method of photography allowed people to get their picture taken. While taking a daguerreotype, only one copy could be printed. These prints came in six different sizes. The largest being six and a half inches by eight and a half inches. In addition, the smallest print being 5/8” by two 1/8”. These images required a coating on top which added a level of protection to these delicate pictures. In addition to the metal plate, adding a gold coating to the daguerreotype photography leaves a metallic appearance. The idea of processing an image to keep forever on a shiny plate was a first in the photographic industry. For the first time, an object that was light sensitive was able to capture information that would be stored forever on a plate that was treated with chemicals. This method of daguerreotype photography was just the beginning of how film cameras were influenced and later invented to change the way of capturing images.