Photography
Photography is the art and science of capturing images through the use of light, a practice that dates back to ancient times. The earliest known device, the camera obscura, which projects images through a small opening, has been referenced since the fifth century BCE. Significant advancements occurred in the early 19th century when Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre and Joseph Nicéphore Niépce developed the first practical photographic techniques, including the daguerreotype, which provided a more affordable alternative to traditional portrait painting for the middle class. The subsequent invention of film cameras, particularly Kodak's Brownie camera, revolutionized personal photography.
Throughout the 20th century, photography evolved not just as a means of personal expression but also as a vital tool for social documentation, with iconic photographers capturing significant historical moments. The rise of digital photography has transformed the field, making it accessible to a wider audience, particularly through the use of smartphones. Current trends often focus on post-production techniques, allowing for creative manipulation of images. Aspiring photographers may seek to turn their hobby into a profession, although competition is high in the saturated market. For those interested in showcasing their work, options include submitting to stock photo agencies or local exhibitions.
Photography
History
The art of using light to create representational images of the real world is an ancient one. The "camera obscura" is mentioned in texts dating back as far as the fifth century BCE, and by the seventeenth century such devices were in fairly common use. A camera obscura (Latin, "dark room") is any device that passes light through a tiny hole to form upside down images on a flat surface, such as the wall of a darkened room. Pinhole cameras are one example.
The images produced by these methods, however, were only temporary, and even when a photosensitive mixture was used to "fix" the image onto a material such as leather, the pictures quickly broke down. It was only in the first part of the nineteenth century that two Frenchmen managed to create the first practical technique for photographic images. The better remembered of the two is Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre, who called the pictures produced using his method daguerreotypes. The other was Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, who created the first "permanent" photograph in 1827.
Daguerreotypes offered Europe's middle-class a relatively inexpensive way to have portraits made of family members (although the process of exposing and fixing the image was extremely laborious, it was still cheaper than hiring a painter). As a result, the science of photography enjoyed a period of rapid development. By 1851, the process of making positive images from plate glass "negatives" had been invented, which meant that multiple copies of the same picture could be produced. By 1889, the Eastman Dry Plate Company (later Kodak) was selling the first film camera; its famous Brownie camera appeared in 1900.
Over the course of the twentieth century the photography industry grew by leaps and bounds. The modern 35mm camera was created in 1914, Man Ray made the first photograms in 1921, Harold Edgerton developed strobe photography in 1931, various types of color film came into production, and Polaroid invented instant film.
Along with technical advancements came other changes. No longer simply a substitute for traditional portraiture, photography became a tool for recording social and political history. In the United States, for example, photographers like Dorothea Lange were hired to document the lives of farmers during the Dust Bowl era, and French photographer Henri Cartier Bresson created an extraordinary series of candid street photographs. But just as photography became an indispensable part of national and world journalism, it also inserted itself into the lives of ordinary people, with pictures from birthday parties, weddings, and picnics filling the pages of countless family albums.
More recently, the introduction of digital cameras into the market (especially affordable "prosumer" quality digital cameras) has prompted a tremendous surge in the popularity of photography as a hobby. Using the Internet, millions of people around the world share their memories, the details of their everyday lives, and their artistic ambitions with each other. The widespread use of smartphones, which have cameras by default, made digital photography accessible to even more people, but for the first decade or so of the existence of smartphones, their cameras were not sophisticated enough for any but the most casual of hobbyists. By 2019, this had begun to change, although most serious photographers still owned a separate camera.
Techniques
The overwhelming popularity of digital photography has changed the field somewhat (most people no longer develop and print their own images in a darkroom, for example), but the two major considerations when actually creating a photograph have not changed. These are composition and exposure. Composition refers to the way the subject is framed in the photograph. Exposure refers to whether the photograph is appropriately lit, so that darker areas are not lost in shadow, and bright areas are not blown out at the expense of detail. Learning how to control these two elements is fundamental for the aspiring photographer.
Trends
Current trends in photography often revolve around interesting post-production techniques that can be used to manipulate images after the fact, with a software program such as Adobe Photoshop or Apple's Aperture. For example, High Dynamic Range imaging, or HDR (a graphics utility that makes use of a much larger tonal range than ordinary digital imaging, and which was originally a cinematography application) has become a popular post-processing technique among amateur photographers.
Other trends are more nostalgic: the Holga, an inexpensive, plastic Russian film "toy camera" is enjoying a renaissance, for instance. It produces dreamy images with lots of light leaks.
Photography for Fun vs. Profit
As a photographer becomes more proficient, he or she may begin to think about becoming a professional portrait or wedding photographer, for example. Although it is certainly possible to make the transition, especially since high-quality cameras are becoming more and more affordable, it is worth noting that the current market is saturated with professional photographers. As a result, it is difficult to break into the pro market and expect full-time work. However, there are ways to get one's work into the public eye while making a small amount of money.
For example, it is possible to submit photographs to an online stock photo agency (where photographers are paid for every download of their images).
Many restaurants and cafés are also open to displaying art, including photographs, by local artists. This is one way to offer work for sale.
Another possible avenue for freelance work (for those interested in journalistic photography) is to approach a local newspaper about covering an upcoming event.
Learning More
Organizations
American Museum of Photography <http://www.photographymuseum.com/>
Apogee Photo Magazine <http://www.apogeephoto.com/>
Digital Photography Review <http://www.dpreview.com/>
North American Nature Photography Organization <http://www.nanpa.org/>
Photography at National Geographic <http://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/>
Photo.net <http://www.photo.net/>
Society for Photographic Education <http://www.spenational.org/>