History of Photography – How the First Photo was Invented?

Today, wherever we turn our heads, there is definitely a photo-graphic element. From our phone or personal computer, which we use most frequently, to the painting on your wall, to the stores we shop, and to advertising posters … So, how, where and by whom was the ‘photography’ that came into our lives? In this article, we will talk about the History of Photography. Things to know about the history of photography are in our article.

When Joseph Nicephore Niepce managed to take the first photo as a result of his long efforts in 1826, I do not know if he would one day be indispensable in the world, but he did some really admirable work to invent the photo. Absolutely… But I will not start the history of the photo here. We are going back much further…

Camera Obscura – The Role of the Dark Box in the invention of photography

Camera Obscura is the oldest invention that inspired the camera. It is rumored that a Chinese philosopher named Mo Ti was used first before the ancient times. It has passed into our tongue as a dark box. Who did not use it later? Aristotle, Leonardo da Vincins, Kepler … Moreover, İbnü’l-Heysem is the scientist who included the working principle of the dark box when explaining the eclipse as a written resource for the first time.

What is Camera Obscura or Dark box?

As its name implies, the image of the outside is reflected ‘opposite’ to the wall opposite the hole through a hole made from a surface of a light-tight dark box (later supported by a lens and improved the quality of the image). The painters used this reflection a lot and it provided extraordinary convenience in the performance of their professions.

Joseph Nicephore Discovering Niepce’s Photo

Niepce was also affected by the Dark Box and started to investigate how this ‘temporary image’ could become permanent. He worked, struggled and succeeded to take the first photo when Calendars showed 1826.

In fact, it is not Niepce who first investigated the image to become permanent. About a thousand years before Niepce lived, Cabir Ibn Hayyam started with chemical reactions, Silver salts, Silver nitrates, and the black rays of the sun rays, and finally the first photo was created in France with a good-bad lens in a small dark box.

Niepce’s first photo taken at Le Gras

Niepce achieves the first photograph by exposing a 20.3 x 16.5 cm sheet by exposing it for 8 hours (and moreover, after taking the sheet out of the box and taking a bath without exposing the remaining parts). This first photograph was produced positively and the technique used was called the Helicography. The roof taken from his house in the village of Le Gras will also be the first photographic element. Photographic defects are excessive because the time is too long. Due to the displacement of the sun, the contrast in the photo is very weak and the sharpness is low.

In his second year after the discovery of Niepce, he meets a scientist named Daguerre, who has been researching in this field, and they continue their studies together. However, when Niepce died in 1833, Deguerre carries out photography works alone. Daguerre also works as a painter and uses the dark box. When the calendars showed in 1837, Daguerre discovered the photograph for the second time with the Daguerreotype (Dögüryatip) technique, inspired by his own moment.

He used different chemicals in this technique, reducing the exposure time to about half an hour. Therefore, the subject is more clear and contrasted. However, there are deficiencies; If two of the photos are requested, it is necessary to take them again and again. In other words, a positive image can be obtained with this method.

From France to England: William Henry Fox Talbot

In the same years, the scientist named Fox Talbot in England is working to make the image permanent. Between 1835 and 1840, Talbot obtained the first Negative photograph using a thinner paperlike plate and different chemicals. Photograph has gone by for the 3rd time. He named this method Kalotyp and patented it in 1841. Thus, the photo has now been reproduced.

Photographic developments in these years have been spoken by the public as well as by the reputation of science. Until then, portraits that noble families could have pictured a lot of money have now been made with a simple machine in a 5 minute period. Hey, hey. If you are thinking about posing for an artist who is not aware of the photo for hours, his maid can go and take his own photo with the calotype method and throw the air on his boss. 🙂

Firsts in Photography History:

First Photo Montage Study

Now that a negative photograph has been invented, Photomontage studies can start. In 1858, Henry Robinson wanted to emphasize the artistic field of photography as the first photomontage goes to the history of photography. He combined five different negatives and said, “I make art.” I think it was very natural art that Robinson made at that time. Because dramaticity is explained in photomontage.

First Color Photo

One way or another, photo appeared, but a type of colors could not be created. However, this did not take too long in 1861, James Clerk Maxwell managed to take the first colored photograph with 3 separate filters. Even if color photography is invented, it will become widespread approximately 100 years later.

Animated Photo – Video Discovery

With the invention of the photograph in different shapes, the first photograph, the first photograph and the first photograph were taken by different people. I think one of the most important of the firsts is the “cinema”, which was lit up with the invention of Thomas EDİSON in 1894 and the Lumiere brothers officially broadcast their first shows in 1895. In fact, although it is a photography-based invention, it exists with insulting rather than stationary perception of fi. Even today it is so. The only difference was that they were mechanically speeding up to 16 frames per second at that time; now they electronically accelerate 720 photos per second.

The First Photograph of Our World from Space

In my opinion, one of the most important photograph history firsts is that unique WORLD photo taken by Apollo 8 in 1968 on a cold evening. It is the first time that the earth has been photographed in a single frame. If we go even further, one of the important firsts is photographing the solar system with the help of a telescope. The photographing of the system took place in 2005, not in 1905. So recently.

Transition from Analog to Digital: The First Digital Photographs and Cameras

I will end this series of firsts with the invention of digital photography; don’t worry i will not stretch it any more. Since we are in the digital revolution, I cannot close the firsts without mentioning this. The engineer named Steven Sasson first invented the first digital camera in prototype form in 1975. This discovery is one of the anchor points in terms of photography history. Fuji launched the first digital machine on the market in 1988. The first digital camera to shoot video is the rdc-1 announced by Ricoh company in 1995. Interestingly, Casio company became the first company to produce the LCD screen machine in 1995. In 1998, Kodak-Canon co-production and first DSLR camera could not find a place in the market. When the calendars showed 1999, Nikon launched the D1 series. This 2.74 megapixel monster is exactly what the photographers are looking for. But technology does not stop. Canon also develops itself and launches the first 35mm DSLR, 1Ds. In 2008, Nikon will introduce the d90, the first DSLR model to shoot video with completely different awareness. etc etc etc … The mixed competition from the beginning of the 2000s will become even worse; Efforts to establish superiority with new models one after another will continue with different salvos.

We all know the rest of the story; From now on, on the one hand, while megapixels are flying in the air, on the other hand, when we say fps, isos, afs, afs afcs, ccd cmoss … this point is amazing.

From where to where. From a tiny box to millions of kilometers. From chemical reactions to electronic toys. From Le Grass to million dollar squares; Photo history from Niepce to Andreas Gursky…
Let your light be Quality …