Nearly 200 years ago, a simple box that produced blurred photos became the model for the first camera, which marked the beginning of photography. Today, there are a trillion pictures taken annually using various devices. When compared to older shots, pictures taken with modern digital cameras can have hundreds of times higher quality.
Today, anyone can take photos in the push of a button. But in the past, things were not nearly as easy like this. Want to know more about the history of photography here, Yvette Heiser talks about-How Photography Has Evolved Over the Years:
The earliest concept of photography
From approximately around the fifth century B.C.E., the fundamental idea of photography has been in existence. The art did not come into full existence until the eleventh century when an Iraqi scientist created a device known as the camera obscura.
Even at this point, the camera only projected the images onto a different surface, and it did not capture the images themselves. In the original camera obscura, an image was projected into the darker area from outside the tent using a pinhole in the tent. The first idea for a portable camera obscura prototype did not come into being until the 17th century, namely in 1685.
Camera Obscura to Camera
The camera evolved from camera obscura during the first part of the 1800s to become what it is today. Materials that were sensitive to light were exposed to the image projected inside camera obscura boxes. The length of the light exposure influenced how the photograph came out.
Copper sheets coated in light-sensitive compounds and plated in silver were used in early photography. Glass plates were the norm by the middle of the 1800s. In 1885, the first roll of film, which was flexible and made of paper, was made.
Capturing history
Photographs quickly became a means of communication and information. It was initially used as a means of creative self-expression, which is still the case today, but it soon evolved into a tool for documenting every aspect of life.
War photos often portrayed the atrocities of the Great War despite the images being blurry and in black and white. However, good things in life have also been documented by photography. These brief moments of time documented on film are still valued to unite the nation and also in private festivities.
The digital revolution
A split second is all that digital cameras need to capture images. Pictures that capture the 21st century are no longer stored in albums and gather dust on a shelf. They are appreciated and shared.
Apart from cameras today, Smartphones, tablets, PCs, and Laptops are used to take pictures. Pictures can be modified by changing colors, shadows, light levels, and more.
The final picture can be improved by arranging and applying a filter. A lot of digital pictures are lost as soon as they are taken. Like a digital eraser, they can be adjusted so that certain elements are removed and added.
Final thoughts
In the digital age, capturing images has become an everyday thing. However, professional photographers like Yvette Heiser emphasize the importance of the unmatched uniqueness that professionals bring. In Yvette Heiser Texas – The Art of Seeing: Mastering the Basics of Photography, the professional photographer also shares the knowledge of photography with a wider audience.