Digital Photography Technology

There have been many Great Photographers since the beginning of photography in the mid 19th century.  Women and men both made their mark in photography and many became Great Photographers. Comparing the photographs these Great Photographers made, and those of today, they would stand up very well in today’s world. They didn’t have all the modern technology that is available today, but these great photographers did it the hard way in the darkroom.

Taking the photograph was also not easy. Before roll film, the negative, as we call it today, was a glass plate negative with emulsion on one side. Extreme care was needed handling these plates, as they were fragile, and could be easily scratched.

The camera was bulky and heavy. Viewing was done on a piece of ground glass at the rear of the camera. When the picture was ready to be taken, the glass plate negative was inserted in place of the ground glass, and the shutter then released.

There were many variations of cameras in the early days of photography. Emulsion on the film was slow, lenses were slow, which meant a tripod was necessary for every photograph. Most of pictures taken were portraits, or still photography, as anything in motion was not able to taken.

Photography developed as a very fast pace. Cameras were improved upon, emulsion speed improved, and camera lenses became faster.

The early photographers made good use of what they had to work with. The articles below are about these photographers and some of their work.