10 Useful Resources On The Historical Facts of Photography

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Historical facts about photography can be rather curious!

Photography is where the photographer captures or records the image of an object using light. It began in the early 1800s and the first photograph was made in 1826 by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. Using the principle of the camera obscura that was known more than 2000 years ago, Niépce was able to capture the first successful photograph. 

In a very short period of time of less than 200 years, photography has evolved from the use of chemicals, heavy cameras, and photographic plates, to simple means for creating and sharing images instantly. In this article, we have put together 10 useful resources on the historical facts about photography and its various genres.

1. A Brief History Of Photography: The Beginning

Photography is one of the fastest-growing hobbies with almost everyone having a camera of some form or the other. Some hobbyists even use cameras without the basic knowledge of aperture values, shutter speed, and so on. This article from Tuts Plus talks about how photography was created and developed.

large format camera
Photo by PNG Design

2. The First Camera Ever Made: A History Of Cameras

The history of the camera is a series of inventions and discoveries over more than a century before and it can be traced back to a time when the camera obscura principle was used to reproduce images. Based on this technique, many scientists, and inventors started developing various methods and materials to capture permanent images. This article from History Cooperative talks about the history of cameras starting from when the first camera was invented. 

3. A Quick Lesson In The History Of Flash Photography

The invention of flash in photography brought about a huge difference in how photographs can be made, especially in situations that required more light than what was available. The invention of electronic flash has saved photographers from the dangerously explosive flash lamps and flashguns that existed before the 1900s. This article from Moneymaker Photography talks about how the wonderful world of artificial lighting came about.

old square flashbulb
Photo by Futurebobbers

4. History Of The Digital Camera And Digital Imaging

Digital photography started very recently a few decades before and it has made photography accessible and affordable for a lot of people. Rather than the high technicalities there were involved in the photographic process during the film days, digital photography has made the process of capturing images easy and instant for both amateurs and professionals alike. This article from Digital Kamera Museum talks about the history of digital cameras and digital imaging in detail.

old canon lenses
Photo by Conor Luddy

5. A Brief History Of The Start Of Landscape Photography

Landscape photography may seem simple and easy, but there is a lot that goes into capturing a great landscape in camera. People have always been fascinated by landscapes and this is evident from the numerous paintings that were made before photographic equipment was invented. How did landscape photography begin? This article from Life Pixel discusses a brief history of landscape photography.

black and white landscape
Photo by Ashim D’Silva

6. A Brief History Of Portrait Photography

Portrait photography has been popular since the early days of photography because it made the long process of painting portraits cheaper and quicker. With the improvement in photographic technologies, the popularity of portraiture also increased. This article from Jay Soriano talks about the history of portrait photography.

7. History Of Photojournalism

Photojournalism is a form of journalism where images are made for news publications and broadcasting in order to tell a story. It demands honest work with no manipulation and exposes the photojournalist to many elements and factors on-site. This article from Street Bounty presents the complete history of photojournalism from its beginnings to today.

8. Documentary Photography – History, Ideas, And Important Photographs

Documentary photography is a genre of photography where the photographer records events, people, places, etc., that are of historical and political importance. The photograph usually conveys a message about the events and happenings in the world around us and can be presented as a story in a series of images or as a continuing story of an ongoing issue. This article from The Art Story discusses the summary, overview, ideas and accomplishments in documentary photography, along with its history and concepts and important photographs and artists of documentary photography.

9. A Brief History Of Street Photography

Street photography originated from photojournalism and is a form of candid photography of people in public places. Street photography has existed since the 1850s and during those times there were huge obstacles due to limited technologies in photographic equipment. This article from Street Photography discusses a quick history of street photography.

historical facts about photography black and white
Photo by Robert Linder

10. A Complete Guide To The History Of Fashion Photography

Fashion photography is a type of fine art photography and it was mostly used to promote fashion items. It has existed since the 1860s and fashion photographs were later printed in magazines during the 1880s. Over the years, artists have changed the mindset of fashion photography from being a mode of advertisement to a legitimate art form. This article from High Snobiety discusses a thorough history of the movements that defined fashion photography.

Further Resources

About Author

Dahlia is a stock photographer and full time educator at Light Stalking. You can find her on Gurushots and see some of her more popular articles at The American Society of Media Photographers. Get to know her better here.

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