View of the boulevard du temple paris louis jacques mande daguerre

The History of Photography

By natashanmp
  • 5 BCE

    Principles and optics of the camera

    Principles and optics of the camera
    Shen Kuo and Plato (Chinese and Greek) philosophers describe the basic principles of optics and the camera.

  • Discovery of White Light

    Discovery of White Light
    Isaac Newton discovers that white light us composed of different colours. This discovery ranged through the time of 1664 to 1666

  • First Photographic Image

    Joseph Niepce achieves the first ever photographic image with the camera obsecura. The image required eight hours of light exposure and would fade later on.
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  • Daguerreotype

    Daguerreotype
    From 1839 on, the popular metal plate process known as daguerreotype opened up photography to the masses. Though it may have been one of the easier metal plate photographic processes, it was still messy, expensive, very time consuming, and somewhat dangerous.

  • The Calotype Process

    The Calotype Process
    William Henry Talbot patents the Calotype process-the first negative-positive process making the first multiple copies a possibility.
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  • First Advertisement

    First Advertisement
    The first advertisement with a photograph was made in Philadelphia.

  • The Collodion process

    The Collodion process
    Fredrick Scott Archer invented the Collodion process-images required only two or three seconds of light exposure.
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  • Photojournalism

    Photojournalism
    In addition to its scientific uses and all the art produced, photography also made its way into the news. Written journalistic descriptions and hand-drawn or painted illustrations were replaced by photographic images. These images were displayed in public shows and published in newspapers and magazines.

  • The Sutton

    The Sutton
    Panoramic camera patented-the sutton

  • Gelatin Dry Plate

    Gelatin Dry Plate
    Richard Leach Maddox invented the gelatin dry plate silver bromide process negatives no longer had to be developed immediately.

  • Paper-based Photographic Film

    Paper-based Photographic Film
    George Eastman invents flexible, paper-based photographic film. In 1888, Eastman patents Kodak roll-film camera.

  • 35mm Still Camera

    35mm Still Camera
    First 35mm still camera was developed between 1913/1914

  • Modern Flash Bulb

    Modern Flash Bulb
    General Electric invents the modern flash bulb.

  • Kodakcolor Negative Film

    Kodakcolor Negative Film
    Eastman Kodak introduces Kodakcolor negative film.

  • Polaroid Camera

    Polaroid Camera
    Edwin Land markets the Polaroid camera.

  • Extreme Depth Water Camera

    Extreme Depth Water Camera
    EG and G develops an extreme depth underwater camera for the U.S Navy.

  • Instant Color Film

    Instant Color Film
    Polaroid introduces instant color film. In 1973 Polaroid introduces one-step instant photography with the sx-70 camera.

  • Earth from the Moon

    Earth from the Moon
    A photograph is taken of the Earth from the Moon.

  • First Consumer Camcorder

    First Consumer Camcorder
    Sony demonstrates the first ever consumer camcorder.

  • First Digital Electronic Still Camera

    First Digital Electronic Still Camera
    Canon demonstrates the first ever digital electronic still camera.

  • Photo CD

    Photo CD
    Eastman Kodak announces Photo CD as a digital image storage medium.

  • First Digital Camera

    First Digital Camera
    Kodak created the first digital camera. It was the Nikon F-3 camera, which was mainly aimed ay photojournalists and was a 1.3 megapixel camera.

  • First Cell Phone with Camera

    First Cell Phone with Camera
    As cameras were becoming smarter, smaller, lighter and more efficient, mobile phones were also advancing. The age of the cell phone was already underway as early as the 80s. They too were becoming smaller and smarter.