History of Photography

Purpose: 

• In what ways does photography help you understand the lives of people of different times, places, and cultures?

• How does analyzing and understanding the history of photography, along with well-known photographers over time influence the way in which you create your own photographs?

• How has photography evolved over the last few hundred years to the present?

Answers to Essential Questions:

1. Photography began much earlier than the 1800s, but we only have evidence of photos taken from that era which have been deemed the first. The first camera to take permanent pictures was created by Joseph Niecephor Niepes in 1826. The first image captured by it was of Niepes’ courtyard. Since that moment, the technology behind photography has been in constant development and has resulted in the modern digital photography we have today--- though there is a substantial number of people who choose to shoot film. One of the most important advancements to modern photography was the inclusion of a camera on mobile phones because it allowed anyone with a phone to be able to take pictures. This meant that even if people weren’t professional photographers, they could capture moments from their lives with a level of simplicity not found in a traditional camera. Today, many photos that we take are digital because of the advancements that have been made since Niepes created his first camera back in the 19th century. 

2.  Without photography, many of us would not have been exposed to unfamiliar cultures around the world. It is because people take photographs to document these people, that their culture can never go extinct which is incredibly powerful. Steve McCurry is known for his work documenting South Asian cultures for this reason. In addition to its importance in showcasing our modern lives, photography acts as a historical source because it has advanced and evolved with the world. For instance, looking at a black-and-white film picture can indicate when the picture was taken and where, because photography wasn’t available in every part of the world when it was first created. Photographers can also choose to photograph daily life which gives people an idea of how things are or were in certain parts of the world. A good example of this is Carrie Mae Weems, who took pictures of African-American life, and informed Americans about a part of their country that they may not have been aware of. 

3. Understanding the history of photography helps us understand how much photography has evolved over time. There were many types of photography, including different cameras and styles. Many photographers also had different intentions behind photos. For example, some photographers wanted to capture a community's culture, while others may have wanted to capture a simple landscape. Along the lines of capturing a community’s culture, capturing people’s emotion was also very common. However, taking pictures of emotions looked different for different photographers - it could be a picture of a model, it could be a person in their home, or many other things. Overall, when thinking about photography, it makes us consider the purpose of a photo. The more intention behind a photo, the more interesting it will be. Taking photos is also a lot easier now than it was back then, so taking advantage of that and photographing things that mean something to you is important to continue documenting history.