Photography Pioneers

Modern day photography dates back to the earlyyour pictures, mail the camera to Kodak who would
1800's. The word photography is derived from thedevelop your 100 photos and send them back to you
Greeks; photos meaning light and graphein meaningalong with another roll of 100 exposures. Sound
to draw. The word was first used in 1839 by scientistfamiliar? The big difference? You used to get your
Sir John FW Herschel to describe a method ofcamera back, now you don't!
recording images. That was 12 years after the firstThese pioneers would be amazed with the equipment
photograph was captured by Frenchman Louis Jacqueavailable to us today. We have the digital camera, the
Mande Daguerre, a professional opera scene painter.SLR,35mm, the camcorder, automatic exposure and
This first process took eight hours and he thenautomatic focusing, zoom lens and video. We even
worked 12 more years to reduce the expose time totake pictures with our cellphones, which we can then
under 30 minutes and keep the image fromdownload onto our computers. We have the luxury
disappearing. These first photographs were exposedof going just about anywhere to get that perfect
on metal that had been sensitized to accept theshot. Indoors, outdoors, underwater, or on top of a
image and were called Daguerreotypes after theirmountain. We attach our camera to a tripod and set
French inventor. Then came the tintype, invented inthe self timer so we can be in that majestic
1856 by Hamilton Smith. This was a thin sheet of ironmountain scene.
used as a base for light sensitive material to produceWhen the equipment was of a size to be
a photograph.transported from place to place, they certainly didn't
Along came an American from upstate New York,have a camera case with a padded shoulder strap.
George Eastman, who was very fascinated byWe have a camera bag suited to fit every camera
photography, but frustrated with what he consideredand the accessories. Backpacks for hiking up that trail
cumbersome exposure methods. He developed a dryand lens pouches.
photographic plate, patented it in the United StatesWe can take pictures as a hobby, while on vacation;
and England and began his first photographic businesssupplement our income as a weekend photographer
in 1880. In 1884, he replaced the glass plates withwriter for a local newspaper; or travel the world as a
paper rolls allowing multiple images to be taken muchfull-time photojournalist. Today, our photographic
more quickly. Four years later, on September 4, 1888possibilities are limitless thanks, at least in part, to
he patented he "roll film camera". You could takethese photography trailblazers.