Photography Resources from GoPromoCodes

Photography traces its roots many centuries ago in 330 BC, starting with Aristotle. He observed that when light was passed through a square opening, the image projected on the other side was actually round instead of square. Many centuries later, a device was invented in association with this discovery. A darkened room would have a hole at one end. As light passed through the hole, the image of whatever was outside the room was projected onto the opposite wall upside down. The artist could then trace that image on paper to preserve it. This concept was termed camera obscura, which translates to "dark room."

Much later when people created pinhole cameras, they used exactly the same concept. However, instead of employing an entire room, they used a small box, which made it easier to carry around. Later on, more complex versions of these light boxes were developed, using mirrors and light-sensitive paper, and then film.

The First Photograph

Many artists, as far back as Renaissance times, experimented with camera obscura to help them create art. However, it was a Frenchman named Joseph Nicéphore Niépce who became a pioneer in photography in the early 1800s. He used light-sensitive substances, such as petroleum, that coated a glass plate to help transfer a positive image. In this way, he left a plate that was exposed for eight hours and successfully recorded the view below from his building. It was the first true photograph in history.

The Process of Printing Photos

Another Frenchman, Louis Daguerre, was responsible for the daguerrotype process. It essentially built on Niépce's work but replaced the petroleum-coated glass plate with a silver-coated copper plate. A rather different take on this was the Van Dyke process. A painter called Anthony Van Dyke came up with a way to record photographic negatives that could then be overlaid on paper (or other materials) to imprint the image. In the early years, black and white photography, known as monochrome, was the norm.

Creating Color Images

Color photographs only appeared by the mid-1800s. Compared to the earlier monochromatic images, color images required much longer exposure times. It was a scientist named James Clerk Maxwell who thought of shooting the same image three separate times through red, green, and blue filters respectively. When the images were then put together with the help of emulsions, it became easier to create color prints.

Photography Goes Digital

The early 1980s brought an entirely new approach to photography when the Sony Corporation introduced a digital version of a camera. It was called a Mavica, and at the time, it stored image data to a floppy disk. By 1986, their competitor, Kodak had launched a new digital camera that could produce 5x7 sized prints. Over the next couple of decades, the digital camera industry moved at breakneck speed as different manufacturers raced to perfect ever smaller, more efficient, and more powerful digital cameras.

Photography for Amateurs

Ever since digital cameras became more and more widely available to mass markets, consumers became more enticed by their quickly dropping prices. To attract amateurs even more, camera manufacturers started producing simpler versions of the traditionally complex cameras. These became known as "point and shoot" cameras. Quite simply, it enables the user to point at a subject and record an image with a single click. Unlike earlier times, a detailed knowledge of photography is not required.

Professional Photography

Commercial photography is usually considered as photography where the photographer is paid for their images or the use of the images. Commercial photography most usually encompasses photography used in advertising, fashion, magazines, and so on. It serves a commercial purpose to sell or inform the public of a product.

Photography as Art

As a complete contrast from commercial photography, there are also fine art photographers. Art photographers do not normally focus on creating images geared towards selling a product. Their images serve more as artwork and can range from specific subjects to abstract pieces.

Additional Categories of Photography

There are many other types and uses of photography in all fields and sectors. For example, police departments always use forensic photographers to help document evidence of crime scenes. In astronomy, time-lapse photography helps to record exact images of the sky as it was at a certain time and date for comparison purposes. Even in medicine, doctors and surgeons use cameras to record visuals of inner body parts.

Studying Photography

People who wish to become a professional photographer, either for commercial or art purposes usually go about it in two ways. Some people teach themselves, or ask for help from a mentor. Others enroll in a photography program at a college or university. The latter is usually more helpful since it tends to give an all-rounded education of photography, including the business side of it.

GoPromoCodes.com Popular Pages

By:
Online Promo CodesOnline Coupon CodesOnline Discounts and Offers

Download our Extension!

Get our Chrome Extension for the easiest way to save online! With the click of a button get coupons directly in your browser.

Top Stores

Orbitz ProFlowers
Eaze FansEdge
Verizon Tracfone
Rack Room Shoes Travelocity
1800Flowers.com Straight Talk
Zales Rothys

Categories