camera obsucra is latin for "dark chamber" this was originally used by painters in the 13th-14th century this was a dark room with a whole in it which caused a light leak that then projected the image out side on to the wall however the image was upside down and there was no printing possible of printing the images. Later the camera obscura was reduce to a small box it then had a lens and a mirror at a 45 degree angle which reflected the image upward and focused it on a viewing screen
Louis Daguerre was born in 1787 in France we was an artist and a photographer. He is most recognized for his invention of the Daguerreotype process of photography. He was been known to be called one of the fathers of photography. He also created one of the first ever photographs this was how he invented Daguerreotype process which was the method he used to create a image that stayed there forever. Louis had a background in physics and used this to his advantage. he did this by using silver coated copper plates and mercury vapor.This was created by the image being exposed directly onto a copper sheet that has been covered with a mirror smooth surface of silver which has been covered is silver halide particles.The silver is then mixed with iodine, exposed and then developed in a mercury vapour. This created both a positive and a negative image as the image came out a negative but the mirrored surfaces reflects the image creating a positive. This also made it look almost 3D in some kinds of lighting. This was such a revelation as now he had found a way to get images from a camera and make it stay there forever.everyone was also amazed by the amount of detail within his photo. for this photo he had to have a really long exposure. I really like this image as I love the amount of detail with in it and although the image is a still life it could still have a narrative to it as we don't know who these belong to or do they have a back story to them? I also really like the graininess to the photo.
Henri Fox Tolbot was an English scientist. inventor and photography pioneer. He discovered how to create a negative made of paper this process was called the calotype which was a process for making high quality prints from a sheet of light sensitive gelatin. This became such a revelation as it meant we could now reproduce images over and over again. This process also used a much shorter exposure time this method also created a softer effect within the photos.
the Kodak brownie is one a long running popular series of simple cameras that when in its prime only cost 1 dollar and only 15 cents for a roll this was very cheap.This camera was made of leather with nickel fittings. The brownie was very simple and basic as it's slogan was "you push the button we do the rest." they were originally marketed for children with kodka using them to popularize photography. They were also taken to war by soldiers and many iconic shots we know today were taken on brownie cameras. They believe this is when we started to document our lives as they were being taken all around the world and made photography accessible to masses of people. This now meant photography was not just being used for professional reason and now families could capture family events such as birthdays or very special moments shared between them all,
Edward Curtis was sent out to photograph the American west by the U.S government and the of native america people.He hired several employees to her him on his travels.His goal was not to photograph but to document the culture before there way of life vanished, He ended up taking over 40.000 images from the 80 tribes he visited.By looking at some of his photos most of them are portraits of the native american people. All of these show lots of emotion within the photos. They are mainly posed so the person is facing forward with light directly in there eyes to make they stand out. They also have a really shallow depth of field which creates an atmosphere and softens the images but also brings the face out. The two images i have chosen here seem very static and serious almost staged i think this add more of an atmosphere to the images and you really don't know the background story to these people this adds questionable context to each of his images which contrast the reason he went to photograph the native Americans to look at their way of living. His photographs were such a success as he photographed cultures and places no one had ever seen before.
Lewis hine was an american photographer in 1970 he became the staff photographer for the Russel sage Foundation he photographed life in the steel making district and the people of Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian.In 1908 he became photographer for the National Child Labour Committee where he documented child labour especially in the mills. He put his life at risk while doing this work as it could be very dangerous as he often got threatened to getting hurt or even killed by factory police because that this time child labour was meant to be hidden to the public as they didn't want the outside world to see how bad it really was. To get these photos I really like Hine's style of work as the children almost look ghost like there is really no emotion in the face yet it is all shown in the eyes. The eyes of each children show sadness and almost helplessness in some way. They are defiantly not happy with their way of life. The depth of field in the photo adds to the effect of the images too as this brings the children forward making them the center piece and where your eye is drawn to the minute you look at it,I think the framing has a very big impact on these photos too as the both have leading lines going straight down creating depth and perspective to the image, I also like how he has photographed them next to the window as this shows how close they are to the real world yet there reality is nothing like what is going on in the outside world.
Eugene Atget was a French documentary photographer that was commissioned to photograph Paris. His worked contained a lot of texture creating depth he went into the dark places of Paris including the brothels of Paris. He shot in the moment which I think is such a good way as you can catch some expected moments and you never know what you might find. His work has humanistic quality to it as they are very gritty and down to earth. The Paris he photographed does not exist anymore as it was just before it was bombed and I think that is such a beautiful thing as we now have the history of old Paris to look back on and it's something we will never forget.Some of his more architectural work was used in practical work. I really like his work as it is very as it is very gritty and is framed really well he uses compositional elements such as leading lines which creates depth to the images. I especially like the image on the left when you look at it your eyes follow the road down which makes the image almost 3d.
André kertesz was a journalist who also did fine art and surrealism. He is very well known for his contribution to photographic composition. He used a camera called a Leica this was made from on sheet of metal and took a year to make one. This was very expensive and considered the best camera of its time and today still go on sale for a lot of money. He used one of these to shoot his famous series of Budapest. I really like his work as he is very daring composition and was not afraid to try something unique. In the first photo I have chosen I really like how the mans face is out of focus and the middle of his shirt is in focus I think is very unique and almost create a dreamy effect which works as the man is asleep. I also think this is composed perfectly as the man body is off centre but his face is central for a candid shot this is posed perfectly which shows André had a eye for composition and getting the perfect photo and very unexpected moments. I also like the second photo as its not really in focus but that adds to busyness of the street I also like the way he has composed the photo as your eye follows the road round on an s shape and how he has created depth in his photo with this composition.
Herni Carter was a street photographer he didn't like anything dark or gritty and instead looked to shoot light hearted street photography. His work is known for being very geometrical and for having very strong leading lines. He is know to also have a technique of sitting and waiting for the perfect moment to realise his shutter. I really like his work as it is very structural and eye catching, I really like the first photo I have chosen as you don't really know what is going off in the photo it has no narrative and it makes you question who these men are, what the relationship is between them and why are acting like this? I also love how the magazine table leads up to the men so your eye follows the leading line I also like how his photos are light in colour and they do not have any harsh shadows in it. I love the second photo as i love the depth in the photo and it really amazing when you first look at it, it is composed so well and it's very dramatic i also like the way all the boys are framed around this hole. Again it makes you question why are they here, is this there home? as non of the boys seemed panicked or distressed this again is a very bright image however the boys appear very dark and there is movement in the background as well.
Robert Frank was commissioned to photograph the Americans around the time of black segregation he took over 3,000 rolls of film over 3 months he also had a method of shooting from the hip which made this very candid and real life. He shot with a rolerflex camera. Robert Frank was very keen to capture vulnerable moments but make them look unexpected. The first photo is one of my favourite photo by Robert frank as i love the way it is framed and how the image is perfectly composed yet it is a candid shot i like how the children separate the black and the white. I also love how the windows about there heads show reflections that almost look dream like. The second photo i like as the subject is off centre and there is a lot going on in the photo. Both the main subjects are looking downwards which i think creates a mood to the photo as they both look very serious. i also like the really harsh shadows in the photo again which causes more drama.
