World Photography Day

Of all my senses, I most cherish my sense of sight.  It is a gift to look into the expressive eyes of another; to see the ever changing colours of the evening sky; to gaze in awe at the unique colours, patterns and shapes of flower petals.

It is part of what makes us human, that we desire to share our experience of the world with others. Long ago, a friend who had gone on an Outward Bound adventure - days of which had to be hiked in isolation - said that he saw so many amazing landscapes, skyscapes, birds and animals, yet there was no one to share the glory of the moment with.  No one to nudge and say, "hey, look at this!"

All of our ancestors must have felt the same desire.  Pick a flower, press it between the pages of a book, and try to describe what it looked like when it was fresh and alive.  Draw a picture.  Paint a picture. 

  

  

Just over two hundred years ago, all that changed.  French inventor, Joseph "Nicephore" Niepce, took the first photographic image, using what was called a camera obscura.   Unlike today's cameras, his 1814 camera needed eight hours of exposure to light to produce an image.  Once the image was formed, Niepce couldn't keep it, because the image blackened the longer it was exposed to light. Now you see it, now you don't.

Then, in 1825 or '26 (or '27, depending on what you read), Niepce took what is now regarded as the world's oldest surviving photograph.  Point de vue de la fenetre du Gras, or View from the Window at Le Gras.  He used a combination of chemicals including bitumen of Judea (asphalt), and lavender oil to prevent light from further blackening the image.

The photograph has since been retouched, so that we are better able to see what Niepce saw from his window, overlooking his family estate in Burgundy.  

The first photograph of a recognizable human figure happened either by accident, or experimentation. In 1837, Louis Daguerre, the inventor of the daguerrotype process, was photographing the street view from his high window, overlooking Boulevard du Temple (near the Knights Templar temple). The exposure was "only" 10 or 15 minutes long, however, people moving about their daily lives are blurred into invisibility...with the exception of a man who stood still long enough to be captured in the photograph.  The world's first person to have his picture taken, was a man having his boots shined on the street corner!  You can see him in the bottom left corner of the picture.  The shoeshine boy, is only recognizable as a human figure, once his customer is identified.

There's some discussion about just how accidental this shot was.  Some say, that a skilled shoeshine boy wouldn't take 15 minutes to shine one boot - what customer would want to stand that long? What's more, the figures appear to have been strategically placed at a visual point of interest, with the tree lined street pointing from the temple to their corner.

Up until 1900, photography had been the realm of wealthy inventors, artists and entrepreneurs.  The Brownie camera, invented for Eastman Kodac by Frank Brownell, brought photography to the masses.  It sold for one dollar (not including the cost of a roll of film).  Colour film came along in 1941.  The beginning of the end of those rolls of film came in 1984, when Canon introduced the first digital camera.  By 1999, the first mobile phone with a camera and video device was introduced. Now, everyone is taking pictures!  We're the most photographed people ever!

We're entering a new era of Computational Photography, which uses multiple cameras and collected data to produce 3D and HDR (high dynamic range) images to create photographs with lighting and detail which is at once super real and surreal.  

Floral photography is my natural pain and stress reliever, thus the company name Widow's Endorphins.  Hours pass, and I am blissfully focussed on a new series of floral images, and eager to share them with you!  Hey, look at this! 

World Photography Day is Saturday, August 19th.  Take your camera, or phone with you wherever you go, and record the gift that is today.

Photographs by Joseph Nicephore Niepce and Louis Daguerre taken from Wikipedia.

Photographs Copyright:  Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.