Photography Chapter 7 Jane and Louise Wilson. The Silence Is Twice as Fast Backwards I. 2008. 72″ square. Copyright ©2011, ©2009 Pearson Prentice Hall Inc. Evolution of Photography • Photography literally means light writing • The concept of the camera started with the camera obscura – Camera obscura literally means dark room – A box or room with a small hole projects what is outside – Originally used to assist with drawing Evolution of the Camera Obscura. Sixteenth-century camera obscura. Copyright ©2011, ©2009 Pearson Prentice Hall Inc. Evolution of the Camera Obscura. Seventeenth-century portable camera obscura. Copyright ©2011, ©2009 Pearson Prentice Hall Inc. Evolution of the Camera Obscura. Seventeenth- to nineteenth-century table model camera obscura. Copyright ©2011, ©2009 Pearson Prentice Hall Inc. The First Photograph • Made by Joseph Nicephore Niepce – He used a camera obscura – He sensitized a pewter metal plate – It took eight hours to expose the photo The “Invention” of Photography • There is much debate about who invented the process we know as photography • Some think Daguerre, others Talbot Jacque Mande Daguerre • Created the process known as Daguerrotypes • Involved highly toxic chemicals such as mercury • Has a highly metallic finish Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre. Le Boulevard du Temple. 1839. Copyright ©2011, ©2009 Pearson Prentice Hall Inc. William Henry Fox Talbot • Created the salt print – He coated paper with salt and silver nitrate – This darkens as it exposes to light Potraits and Photography • Before photography, painting was the only way to have a portrait made – Only the very rich could afford this • With the invention of photography, many people could now afford portraits Julia Margaret Cameron. Julia Jackson. March 1886. 13-1/4″ × 11″. Copyright ©2011, ©2009 Pearson Prentice Hall Inc. Photography as an Art Form • The public was reluctant to label photography as an art form and to this day, many people have doubt as to whether it is an art form • Photography, contrary to some opinions, can be extremely expressive and creative Henri Cartier Bresson • Invented the idea of “the decisive moment” – Decisive moment: that one moment when you are looking through your viewfinder and all the elements come together to create the perfect photography Henri Cartier-Bresson. Place de l'Europe Behind the Gare St. Lazare, Paris. 1932. Copyright ©2011, ©2009 Pearson Prentice Hall Inc. Photography and Social Change • Photography is uniquely suited to documentary work • From the very beginning photographers used the medium to show others what they could not see for themselves • These photographers find it very important to spread awareness and affect change Jacob Riis. Five Cents a Spot. Unauthorized lodging in Bayard Street Tenement. c. 1890. 6-3/16″ × 4-3/4″. Copyright ©2011, ©2009 Pearson Prentice Hall Inc. Margaret Bourke-White. Louisville Flood Victims. 1938. Copyright ©2011, ©2009 Pearson Prentice Hall Inc. Ansel Adams. Clearing Winter Storm, Yosemite National Park, California. 1944. Copyright ©2011, ©2009 Pearson Prentice Hall Inc. Gary Braasch. Polar Bear Outside Barrow, Alaska. 2008. Copyright ©2011, ©2009 Pearson Prentice Hall Inc. Color Photography • Color photography was looked down upon by art photographers for many years • In 1976, William Eggleston exhibited his color photographs of everyday objects – He got horrible reviews – He is now considered a pioneer in color photography as art William Eggleston. Untitled (Nehi Bottle on Car Hood). From Los Alamos Portfolio. 1965–1974. Copyright ©2011, ©2009 Pearson Prentice Hall Inc. Binh Danh. Iridescence of Life #7. 2008. 14″ × 11″ × 2″. Copyright ©2011, ©2009 Pearson Prentice Hall Inc.