Timeline of Photographic Technology
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1840
The first American patent in photography was issued to Alexander Wolcott for his camera.
Photo by: Khanh Hmoong
In 1840, Alexander Wolcott, a dentist and machinist, was issues the first American patent in photography for his camera. The camera was called a Daguerreotype mirror camera. This camera did not have a lens and was primarily used for portraiture. This technology reduced the exposure time from 30 minutes to 5 minutes (1). This helped photojournalists to be more efficient. They would need to spend less time letting images expose, therefore freeing up time to take more photographs. With this type of camera the subject would have to be still in order for the image to be clear and not blurry. It is much easier for subjects to sit still for 5 minutes vs. 30 minutes. Also, because of the nature of the camera and the longer exposure time of 5 minutes, photographers could not photograph motion.
1851
The wet plate collodion process was invented by Frederick Scott Archer.
Photo by: FunGags
Frederrick Scott Archer invented the wet collodion process in 1851. In this process a glass plate is coated with a wet solution of odized collodion before being exposed to the image. This method of capturing images was revolutionary because it produces a negative with fine details and the ability to be reproduced multiple times, all while using less exposure time than previous methods. This would have changed the field of photojournalism because the images that were produced were able to be produced multiple times and be spread to multiple sources. The fine detail that was presented in the pictured could enhance the subject matter and let the photojournalist's talents shine through (2).
1865
Photographs and photographic negatives are protected under copyright.
Photo by: Pixabay
"In simple terms, copyright for photographers means owning property. With ownership, you get certain exclusive rights to that property. For photographic copyrights, the ownership rights include:
(1) to reproduce the photograph;
(2) to prepare derivative works based upon the photograph;
(3) to distribute copies of the photograph to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending;
(4) to display the photograph publicly"(9)
When photographs and photographic images became protected under copyright laws it gave photojournalists more rights. Newspapers and other publications could no longer take photographs and use them as they pleased. Photographers now had to grant permission, and/or transfer ownership of images. This helped to support photojournalism as a profession and helped photojournalists to be able to make a living. Photojournalists and publication companies had more formal business relationships because of copyright laws.
1871
Maddox invents the dry plate collodion process.
Photo by: Erin Singleton
The silver gelatin dry plate process is much more efficient than the wet plate collodion process. The emulsion if put onto glass plates and allowed to dry. It is portable and does not need to be developed immediately, unlike wet plate collodion. This made the life of a photojournalist much easier. Photojournalists no longer needed to travel with wagons full of portable darkroom equipment in order to develop the plates immediately (3).
1884
George Eastman invented paper based film.
Photo by: Jordan Toggle
George Eastman invented a paper based film that was on a roll and could be advanced through a camera manually by photographers rather than using individual plates. Even though the images that this paper film produced were lower quality it was still an invention that advanced photography and photojournalism. Paper based rolls of film were easier to carry and less cumbersome for photojournalists to use, releasing them from the restrictions of glass plates (4).
1913
The first 35mm still camera was sold.
Photo by: Max Bertacchi
This camera, called the Tourist Multiple, was the first commercially produced 35mm camera to be marketed to the masses. It contained a roll of paper film that could create about 750 half frame exposures (5). This invention allowed photojournalists to take along a camera that was small and more compact. It was also readily available to the average citizen.
1963
Polaroid makes instant color film.
Photo by: Red Fox Press
Polaroid instant color film developed within approximately five minutes after exposure. This is compared to other methods of developing photographs which took a minimum of an hour at the time (6). Professionals liked to use this film because of the instant results. The instant results helped to further the field of photojournalism and could have been used to shorten deadlines or report breaking news.
1978
Konica introduces the first point and shoot auto-focus camera.
Photo by: The Camera Evolution
Konica introduced the first point and shoot, auto-focus camera in 1978. The auto focus feature on this camera helped photojournalists to be able to capture images without having to worry about manually focusing their images. One has to wonder how accurate this technology was the first time around, and if it helped photojournalists, or if there were missed shots due to a lack of precision in the auto-focus technology.
1984
Canon makes the first digital, electronic still camera.
Photo by: Canon
This is one of the first attempts at a camera with an on board computer. This system has both auto-focus and manual focus capabilities. This was the beginning of the digital age of cameras. Digital technology has changed photojournalism and made the job of a photojournalist easier in some ways. There is no need to bother with film when images are recorded onto an embedded microcomputer. Images are stored in the camera and do not need to be developed. The turn around time on producing images is greatly reduced (7).
1991
The Kodak Professional Digital Camera System is launched and marketed to photojournalists.
Photo by: James McGarvey
"The KODAK Professional Digital Camera DCS-100 System is a portable system consists of a camera back and camera winder fitted to an unmodified Nikon F3 camera, and a separate digital storage unit (DSU) that connects to the camera winder via an interconnect cable."(8) This camera system was marketed to professional photographers and photojournalists. The digital storage unit which was like a mini computer with memory for storing images allowed photojournalists to take more photographs and store them in larger quantities in a digital format.
1995
The Vancouver Sun becomes the first newspaper to convert to all digital photography.
Photo by: Charles Apple
Vancouver Sun made news of it's own by switching to an all digital format for it's photography in 1995. This has an impact on photojournalists and photojournalism by setting a standard that would guide the industry toward the exclusive use of digital photography. Over the coming years photojournalists would have no choice but to switch from a traditional print format to a digital format if they wanted to keep working and have their photographs published.
2000
Samsung integrates the telephone and the digital camera to create the first camera-phone.
Photo by: Simon Hill
With the rising interest in cellular telephones, Samsung integrated a camera into some of it's phones. Many people began carrying cell phones with them regularly and the camera was a welcome addition to consumers. Professionals and casual photographers could have a camera in their pocket at all times. The quality of these first digital cameras was not nearly as good as taking a photograph with a regular camera, however this invention paved the road for today's more advanced technology such as the iPhone. During certain recent events, such as Hurricane Sandy, photojournalists were instructed by their editors to used only their iPhones to take photographs of the damage left in Sandy's wake.
2006
Nikon stops making most film cameras.
Photo by: Woodysee
Photo by: Nikon
In 2006 Nikon, one of the largest manufacturers of cameras stopped making most of it's film cameras in order to focus on the production of digital cameras. Digital was now the preferred format of most photojournalists and publications. The advantages of digital are astounding. The quality of the images matches, if not exceeds the quality of traditional prints from film. The ability to quickly upload images and send them to an editor or publication has helped to make publication deadlines much shorter and help to spread up to the minute breaking news stories and eyewitness accounts of events.
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