Fundamentally, photography occurs when a light-sensitive surface reacts to exposure to light by producing an image. In only 200 years, photography has undergone many phases of evolution.
Centuries before Joseph Nicephore Niepce created what generally is believed to be the oldest surviving photograph (actually a heliograph), people had been producing images with the aid of a camera obscura. The phrase "camera obscura" literally means "dark chamber." Chinese philosopher Mohi's written record of its effect in the fifth century BC mentions the camera obscura. The device refers to any box or chamber with a small and circular opening that allows the passage of light and the production of an inverted image on the inside of the box.
Using a portable camera obscura and a small piece of pewter coated with a solution of bitumen and lavender oil, Joseph Nicephore Niepce produced the first photograph. He later partnered with an artist, Louis Daguerre, to conduct further experiments to fine-tune the procedure. Unfortunately, Joseph Nicephore Niepce died less than a decade later. Nevertheless, Daguerre continued working with the notes left by Niepce.
Subsequently, Daguerre created the process he called Daguerreotype, which shortened the exposure time of the photosensitive surface to minutes, a process that used to take days. That was a significant improvement from the lengthy period of exposure in the previous methods of photography. Daguerre published his innovation for free, as a gift to the world, in 1839.
The Daguerreotype process maintained its popularity until the late 1850s when emulsion plates, a much better system, replaced it. Cheaper and with only a few seconds of exposure needed, emulsion/wet plates were better suited to portrait photographs. In the 1870s, Richard Maddox built on the principles of the previous invention to make dry gelatin plates. Unlike the wet plates, these dry plates could be manufactured and stored long before their use.
The first camera with a mechanical shutter was developed in the 1880s. George Eastman, the founder of Kodak, created flexible roll film, eliminating the problem of changing solid plates. In contrast to the staged photographs taken before the advancement of photography, photographers began using portable cameras to capture images of life in real time. Henri-Cartier Bresson used this style of photography to vividly capture the horrors of the Second World War, which began in 1939.
When 35mm cameras became popular, Polaroid launched a camera that could develop photos less than a minute. Next, Japanese companies, such as Asahi and Nikon, gave more image control to photographers by producing SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras, which used a prism and mirror system to view subjects. SLR cameras remained prominent until the early 1980s, when compact cameras became popular. Also known as "point and shoot," compact cameras calculate aperture, shutter speed, and focus, allowing photographers to concentrate on composition. Soon after, digital cameras were invented.
Building on the basic principles of producing images in the camera obscura and the science of photosensitive materials, photography has advanced from recording long moments in monochromatic, grainy pictures to split-second, high-quality color photos.
