The Invention of Photography/The Pros and Cons of the Invention of Digital Photography

For this task we’re looking at the invention and the history of photography. Looking at when black and white photography first started , when colour photography was introduced and then when digital photography began.  The word Photography was coined by Sir John Herschel in 1839 and the word photography comes from the words ‘light’ and ‘to write’, in Greek. In 1826 the first ‘permanent photograph’ was produced by an inventor Joseph Nicephore Niepce., although it was accidentally destroyed later. These first images where produced on a plate covered in a substance called bitumen of Judea which was then dissolved in white petroleum. Bitumen hardens with exposure to light then the unhardened material may then be washed away and the metal plate is then polished and you’re left with a positive image. Using bitumen of Judea is one of the oldest known photography processes. He then started experimenting with silver compounds based on a discovery made in 1721 by Johann Heinrich Schultz, that silver nitrate darkens when exposed to light.This is the first photograph of people ever, the photo was originally of a busy street but because the exposure time was over 10 minutes, the city traffic moved so quickly that it didn't show up. The only exception was two people in the bottom left of the image who had stayed there long enough for them to be in the image. This was taken by Louis Daguerre in either later 1838/early 1839.
The first colour image was of a tartan ribbon, taken by James Clerk Maxwell, a Scottish physicist in 1861. Up until this point any colour images that had been produced were temporary images instead of permanent ones.< This is the first colour photograph. 1861.However the first 'fully practical plate', Autochrome, was not available on the market til 1907. In the space of time between 1861 - 1907 there had been various other experiments/discoveries about colour images to get them to this point.It was later that you could shoot in colour on colour film cameras, after a lot of further development. Disposable were also introduced and a later date. 
The invention of digital cameras and the introduction of digital photography is linked to the invention of Television and the technology that allowed people to capture live images from the T.V, the first video tape recorder was created. Then in 1986, Kodak invented 'the world's first megapixel sensor, capable of recording 1.4 million pixels that could produce a 5x7 digital photo-quality print. The first digital camera that was really available for people to use at home with their computers was in 1994/1995. Over the years technology has developed even further with there being countless cameras readily available for people to buy. From compact cameras, to professional/studio cameras there are a large variety available to everyone now and compact cameras can now do more and more other than point and shoot. There are even cameras available now that can upload to the internet/your computer without them being connected.  You can also take pictures on your phone/laptop now which you weren't able to do until quite recently. 



The Pros and Cons of the Invention of Digital Photography. 
When you compare the difference between film and digital photography, as digital cameras and the technology behind them gets more and more advanced you could say that there is less that goes in favour of film cameras. However even now with all the technology available to us film cameras still have some advantages over digital.
One of the advantages of shooting on digital is the time you can save, whilst shooting and actually having your images. When you shoot on film you can't look at what you've just taken, or whether you need to change how you're shooting. However, if you're shooting on digital you can reshoot there and then by altering the settings, aperture and shutter sped, to what you need them to be depending on conditions or because of what sort of effect you wish to achieve. Arguments have been made in favour of digital cameras and photography when it comes to actually editing the image. However I see this as an invalid point because with alternative technology, such as using a scanner, you can make a digital copy of an image taken on film by either scanning the negative or the image itself. Once you've done this you are able to edit the image like you would any digital photo. I see this as a positive thing for film as you're still able to manipulate it to a certain extent and means people are able to use film instead of digital if they wish.Although I think you have to look at the positive sides of digital because of how popular it is worldwide and how simple it is to use along with being instant. New technology means that people all over can take a photograph and instantly see what they've shot. It's not just professional  photographers, everyone is able to use compact cameras or cameras on their phones. I think this is one of the reasons it's become so popular and taken over from film in a way, there's no need to get their photos developed they are able to see there and then if the image needs to be re shot. Digital photography keeps on developing and growing with technology, it is now possible to put images on the internet as soon as you've taken it uploading it to social networking sites as well as other websites such as Flickr and Tumblr making it possible to share your work with people quicker than ever before.

When digital photography was first developed and then released to the public, I think film was still known for being much better quality still. However as digital cameras have got better and improved over the years there's some digital cameras that are said to produce images to the same standard as film, although basic compact digital cameras may still not produce images to this standard.

For me, I think both digital and film photography have their positive points although I think it's a shame that less people are working on film and actually developing their own images as photographers or photography students. For a lot of people though, including photographers I understand the appeal to being able to view an image immediately and retake images there and then. However one more point I'll make is how the invention if digital photography has changed how people work with cameras, is that with film I feel people had a more technical understanding of camera settings and how they work and what they needed to be. Whereas with digital you can put it on automatic and there are usually a range of different filters or shooting options readily available so you don't have to do a great deal of work to get your images how you want them.

When it comes down to it I think it's really up to the individual and personal preference and what sort of image you want to achieve. It sometimes comes down to how much money you have and what sort of budget you're working to as film can be a more expensive process in general but I do think working with digital and film both have their advantages and disadvantages. 

Summer Task

On our first day back we were asked to do a small task, to go out and take a photo/some photographs that we'd present as one final image to show what we'd done over the Summer. I've been over to America and got to spend some time in New York City so I wanted to show this in my photo. As we were asked to do this photo in college time, I couldn't use any items that I got in NY at home as props so I tried to be as creative as possible. I used my hands to spell out NYC just as a clear symbol of where I'd been and what the highlight of my summer had been. I also considered doing something to do with travel/waiting and time as I spent a lot of time travelling and waiting at airports/train stations and thought that, that would also be a good way to represent my Summer.