What is photography? You will say that this is also a question. Everyone knows that taking a photo with a camera is photography. Absolutely correct. But, why a whole article just for this little thing? Actually, the purpose of this article is to briefly introduce you to the history of photography, its various interesting aspects and the purpose of photography. With this, you will have a holistic understanding of photography in your head right from the very beginning of your exposure to photography.
Content:
Importance of observation or observation in photography
Importance of Subject and Story-telling in Photography
History of Photography: Technological Development
Evolution of Photography – Photographers of the Beginning
Different Fields of Photography
Essential tools of photography
Technical Aspects of Photography: Camera Settings and Photography Basics
Changes in life and society through photography
'Photography' made up of two Greek words
(photo+graph) means 'photo' i.e. light to prepare 'graph' i.e. picture.
Basically, what happens in this is that the rays returning after hitting
(reflecting) the object reach the negative-film or digital sensor inside the
camera through the lens and the image of the object is formed. In negative
film, the picture is formed by a chemical process (due to photo-sensitive
chemicals on the film). Whereas, in a digital camera, the image sensor does the
same thing electronically.
Whatever you have to do in photography, you
have to do it with the help of light. The painter does his painting 'in the
light', but the photographer does his painting 'with the light'. In
photography, light is like a raw material (raw material) using which a photo is
made. Thus photography is the art of using light. The more you develop the
skill of using light, the more your photography will develop.
Generally, a new photographer thinks that a
good photo is one that is sharp and has lots of details. But no, a truly great
photo is one that creates an effective impression on the viewer. In answer to
the question 'What is photography', we believe that photography is not just
about taking an exact picture of an object, but it is a medium through which
one can express oneself, express one's feelings. can be expressed; The beauty
of an object, person or scene can be recorded and the truth of a situation or
event can be brought to the world. In this way, photography is an art-form, an
art, a medium.
2. Importance of observation or observation in photography
“Photography helps people to
see.”
-Berenice Abbott
To understand 'what is photography' it is
necessary to understand some fundamental things. In comparison to any other
art-form, the importance of 'observation' is the highest in photography. There
is nothing unusual in showing things as they normally appear, because that is
what everyone can see. The real importance is to see things in a way that
reveals their meaning. American photographer Berenice Abbott believed that
'Photography helps people to see', ie teaches to see. In this context,
photography is the 'Art of Seeing'.
A successful photographer is the one who sees
things not only from the perspective of an observer but also from the
perspective of an artist. This is the essence of photography. That's why an
artist can create a great picture even with a very simple camera, while a
normal photographer gets entangled in the sharpness, brightness, light and
details of the picture. That's why painting should be studied to become a good
and meaningful photographer. Its principles should be understood and an
artist's eye should be created.
3. Importance of Subject and Story-telling in Photography
Generally people understand that a clean
shining high quality photo taken with a nice expensive camera and lens is a
sample of the best photography. But the matter is actually not like this. No
matter how high quality the photo is technically, but if there is no message
for the viewer, then everything is useless. The subject is important in the
photo. The beauty of the photo, good exposure, light, brightness and details,
all these things come later. What you are showing through your picture is
important.
A photo taken with a simple camera, even a
simple smart phone, can make a splash if it is based on a powerful meaningful
subject or a strong story behind it, or an emotion or beauty that touches the
heart of the beholder. . The picture should be one that has a story to tell, or
something that evokes an emotional feeling in the viewer, or something that
highlights an unseen side of life.
A lot can be done by making photography a tool
that inspires the viewer to connect with life and the world. People's attention
can be drawn towards the problems of society and environment through
photography. Through photography, a change can be brought in the life of a
person and society, a meaningful message can be given, and this is also the
biggest power of photography.
4. History of Photography: Technological Development
It is true that photography is an art but unlike painting, music, dance and theatre, it has to be more technology based. Like cinema-art, it also requires a camera, light and photo-medium (negative-film or electronic sensor) to produce the picture. Therefore, the history of photography had to go hand in hand with the development of camera technology.
The primitive form of the camera had come into existence in the form of the camera obscura in the 16th century or even earlier. It used to be a dark chamber or dark room used by the artists of Europe. There was a small hole in it and in front of the hole there was a white wall or curtain inside the dark chamber. Light reflected from the outside scene or subject entered the dark chamber through the hole and a shadow image of the scene or subject was formed on the screen, with the help of which the artist sitting in the dark chamber prepared his painting. This picture was temporary and remained only as long as there was light inside the dark room.
For the first time, a Dutch scientist Wilhelm
Homberg found in his experiments in 1694 that some chemicals such as silver
nitrate and silver chloride or silver bromide change form when light falls on
them. That is, they undergo photo-chemical changes. Taking advantage of this
fact, the idea of converting the image formed in the camera obscura into a
permanent image with the help of those chemicals was thought of.
After Niepce, his work was carried forward in France by Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre. Louis Dagier further simplified the process and made it possible for commercial use. The protography process developed by Louis Daguer became known as 'Daguerreotype' and his photographs were called 'Daguerreotype' photographs. Silver-coated copper plates were used in this. From 1839 to 1860 photographs were prepared in the world by this method.
This was followed by the collodion method, which was invented by Frederick Scott Archer of England, and Lewis Carroll, who wrote for children, produced many photographs with this method. In this method the photo-sensitive material was used in wet sticky form. That's why it was called 'collodion wet plate' process. It was an improved form of photo-negative according to those times.
The methods of photography did not become
popular until the 19th century (1800s). Due to its complex and lengthy
processes, it was beyond the control of common people until the beginning of
the 20th century (1900s). Till this time the camera was in the form of a heavy
wooden box.
But the 20th century brought a revolution in
photography when George Eastman of America established the Eastman Kodak
Company and started making Kodak cameras with smaller and lighter photography
reels. In 1900, Kodak's Brownie box camera came and revolutionized the world of
photography according to that era. The reel we used to put in our old film-reel
cameras was invented by this Eastman Kodak. Then other camera making companies
like 'Leica' and 'Argus' also came in the market.
This was the era of black & white photos,
but then soon in 1935 Kodak introduced its Kodachrome color film and after that
the color photo era began. SLRs came along, lenses improved, and so cameras
continued to improve, adding features and functions. Then digital technology
started developing.
In the 1980s, the photo-reel was replaced by
digital cameras with digital image sensors. It was truly a mass revolution in
the world of photography as after this photography reached the hands of every
common man. Now the compulsion of loading the reel in the camera and then
preparing the photo from the negative in the dark-room is over. With the
availability of digital cameras as well as desktop/laptop computers, it has
become possible for everyone to become a photographer.
5. Evolution of Photography – Photographers of the Beginning
We should know some of the great photographers
who played a major role in making photography an art-form and a medium to be
recognized all over the world.
Alfred Stieglitz, America:
He used photography as an art form, as a
creative medium. His role in making photography a medium of art will always be
remembered. He proved that photographers can be artists and that it is possible
to express emotions through photography in the same way as painting, music etc.
Ansel Adams, America:
In the early days when photography was limited
to human portraits, Ansel Adams focused his camera on natural scenes and
landscapes. It would not be an exaggeration if he is called the 'Father of
Landscape Photography'. His photography of natural scenes contributed
significantly to early environmental protection campaigns in America.
Robert Capa, Hungary:
Robert Capa is one of the rare early
photographers who made the horrors of war their subject matter. By showing the
horrors of war through his photography, he presented evidence to the world that
how much humanity goes through due to war. Kapa's unforgettable contribution to
the world history is still-documentary of horrors of World War II,
Sino-Japanese war, Arab-Israeli war etc.
Dorothea Lange, America:
Dorothea Lange's work will always be remembered
in the development of documentary photography. Some of the key photographs that
exposed the effects of the historic economic depression that swept the world in
the 1930s continue to inspire documentary photographers around the world.
Henri Cartier Bresson, France:
Henri Cartier Bresson is considered the pioneer
of 'Street-Photography' and 'Candid Photography'. He played a decisive role in
the development of modern photojournalism. He roamed the streets and alleys and
exposed the rare moments of common man's life (which he called Decisive Moment)
through photography.
Currently, Steve McCurry around the world and
Raghu Rai in India have made excellent use of photography in recording the
history and life story of their times.
6. Different Fields of Photography
Photography touches many aspects of the life of
modern man. We are all familiar with the role of photography in creating
portraits of people, depicting everyday life, family moments and social events.
But today the utility of photography is essential in many other fields. To
understand what photography is and its usefulness in our lives, let's take a
look at its various applied fields -
Photo-journalism and press photography –
photography for magazines and newspapers
Fashion photography – related to modeling and
fashion
Advertisement / Industrial photography –
photography of products and market products of various industries
Studio photography – for human portraits or
group photographs in a variety of everyday needs
Wildlife photography - documentation of animals
and their habitats
Forensic photography – to assist the police in
criminal investigation
Science photography – photography of scientific
research and laboratory activities in various branches of science
Film Photography – Various stages of film
shooting and photography of film personalities and actors
Event Photography – Photography of various
occasions, functions, family functions, gatherings, parties, weddings etc.
Stock photography – Photography done for stock
photo agencies which are like online photo libraries.
Marine photography - photography done inside
the sea
7.Essential tools of photography
It is important for those who take a new step
in the world of photography to have an idea of what tools are required for
different areas of modern photography. Apart from different types of cameras
and different types of lenses for all kinds of needs, there are also many tools
and accessories for photography and other essential things.
- Camera
- Lens
- Flash
- Different types of lighting
- Diffusers
- Filterstripod
- Monopod
- Camera bag
- Strap
- Rain-Shield
- Cleaning kit etc.
Photography with a film-reel camera required
knowledge of photo washing and dark-room techniques. Setting up your darkroom
requires a variety of equipment and chemicals, as well as knowledge about it.
However, instead of doing this, we can get negative rolls developed in the
photo lab.
Digital photography is widely prevalent today.
For this, you must have a computer along with knowledge of software like
Photoshop or Lightroom. An external hard disk with sufficient storage capacity
is required to store the photo files.
8. Technical Aspects of Photography: Camera Settings and Photography Basics
It is necessary to have basic knowledge of
camera for photography. According to the average value in the automatic digital
camera, all the settings are done for you by the inbuilt software of the
camera. But, for better photography, you have to set everything manually by
yourself. For this you need to know the mechanism of the camera as well as
exposure setting, how to set focus, use of flash and other techniques.
Understanding the amount of light falling on
the subject, the ISO, the shutter speed of the camera, and the aperture of the
lens helps in achieving the correct exposure. The success of photography
depends on properly exposing the photo. It is an essential skill of the
photographer. There is no fixed formula for how much exposure should be, how it
should be and which part of the scene or object should be exposed. It totally
depends on the need, understanding and artistic inclination of the photographer.
For complete technical and artistic knowledge
of photography, a course can be taken from an institute that teaches
photography. If you have the patience and passion to learn on your own, you can
learn with the help of the internet, from books, through 'trial & error' on
your own or from the experience of a knowledgeable photographer.
9. Changes in life and society through photography
Photography is just a hobby for many people,
but keep in mind, photography is much more than that. Apart from being a medium
of expression, it is also a means of bringing change in life and society. With
an effective documentary prepared on social subjects, people's understanding
about the problems can be created, people can be made aware.
Renowned Indian photographer Raghu Rai has
sensitively and effectively touched various aspects of Indian life through his
photographs. His photographs of the Bhopal gas tragedy drew the attention of
the whole world to the horrors of the gas accident and the suffering of the
affected people. This certainly gave additional impetus to the government
departments and concerned agencies for rehabilitation and relief work. The
Bhopal gas tragedy that happened in the midnight of 2nd December in 1984 shook
the whole world. This accident was a very sad example of the dangerous extent
to which multinational companies are negligent in developing countries. This
accident happened due to sudden leakage of poisonous gas called methyl
isocyanate in the Bhopal plant of Union Carbide, an American company that
manufactures batteries. In this, about 16,000 people died and more than 6 lakh
people were physically affected forever. A large number of those who died were
children.
In this article, on the pretext of the
question, 'What is photography', you learned about the brief history of
photography, its major areas and the usefulness of photography in life. Hope
this helps you understand photography and become a better photographer.
FAQs
Q. Explain what is photography?
When a fixed or moving image (picture) is made
by recording the radiation emanating from a physical object on a sensitive
medium (such as photographic film, electronic sensor etc.), it is called a
photograph. The process of photography is also an art to some extent.
Q.How many types of photography are there?
There are 6 types of photography :
- landscape photography
- wildlife photography
- portrait photography
- food photography
- wedding photography
- fashion photography
Q. What is the importance of photography?
Photography is one art that will never go out of
fashion because it has the ability to literally stop time. A child always
remains a child in the photo and the bird keeps flying. In this way photography
captures a moment out of the ever-moving eternal time and this is its beauty
and greatest attraction.
Q. When did photography start?
Centuries of progress in chemistry and optics, including
the invention of the camera obscura, set the stage for the world's first
photograph. In 1826, the French scientist Joseph Nicephore Niepce took the
photograph, titled View from the Window at Le Gras, at his family's country
home.
Q. Who was the inventor of photography?
3 inventor of photography :
- Nicephore Niepce
- henry fox talbot
- Louis Dague
Q. Who is the father of Indian photography?
The Raw Society | Raghu Rai, the father of
Indian photography
Q. Which is the first photo of the world?
French inventor Joseph Nicephore Niepce titled
it - 'View from the Window at Le Grasse'. This is the world's first photograph,
which is 190 years old. It was drawn in 1826 or 1827.
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