The search for realism:
In the 16th century some artists started to become interested in representing the reality of nature. One of the most famous artists to show interest in this was Leonardo Da Vinci who was most well known for anatomical drawings. |
The camera obscura:
A camera obscura is one of the optical devices that led to photography and the photographic camera. The device is a room or box with a hole in one side. The hole in the side allows light in to project the outside image onto the opposite wall. when the image is seen on the wall or inside the box it comes out inverted. |
The first photograph:
In 1826 a French scientist called Joseph Nicephor Niepce took the first photo. The title of this photo is the "View from the window at Le Gras" which was taken from the window at his family country home. The photo is a view of a courtyard and outbuildings from the view of the upstairs window. To make this photo he used a bitumen-coated plate in a camera obscura and left it for several hours on his windowsill.. |
Louis Jacques Daguerre:
Louis Jacques Daguerre was a French artist and photographer who is known for inventing the Daguerreotype process of photography. He became known as one of the fathers of photography. Louis Daguerre worked with Joseph Nicephor Niepce when he was trying to fix a projected image.
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William Henry Fox Talbot:
William Henry Talbot was an English scientist and inventor who is known for coming up with the Calotype process. The Calotype was the Daguerreotypes main competition. One advantage the Calotype had over the Daguerreotype was that you could reproduce the photo as a negative as oppose to being a single image.
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Old photo of my nan, her sisters and her parents in 1948:
In this photo you can see that the quality of the image is nowhere near as good or clear as the modern day photo. The cloths that my nan and her sisters are wearing were normal German dresses that a lot of girls wore at the time. you cant tell much about the setting as they are in front of a white background but I think that it was taken in some kind of photo studio. This photo is a lot more structured than the modern photo as you can see that the two girls with the same dress surround the rest of the family who are wearing dark cloths except from my nans youngest sister in the middle.
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Modern photo of my sister, great grandparents, nan and dad:
This photo is a lot more casual as everyone is wearing normal cloths and there is nobody wearing the same or similar cloths like my nan and one of her sisters in the old photo. The setting of this photo also give the image a casual feel as the photograph was taken in my house in front of a window and blinds rather than a plain, white background. This photo shows that family photos today are not as special as old family photos as more people have cameras and they are taken almost everywhere. Unlike old family photos which seemed to be more organized and professionally taken.
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