History of photography.
Who invented the Calotype and how did it worked?
Ans. William Henry Fox Talbot born 11 Feb. 1800, a british scientist, inventor and the pioneer of photography. He started the "Light-Fast an permanent photogragh".The term Calotype come from the German word which means "beautiful impressions", that was what he must have thought of his first image. In 1835 he created his first camera image using sensitized paper silver chloride. This darkened in propotion to exposure to light.
Who invented the Daguerreotype and how did it worked?
Ans. Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre born Nov. 18. 1787 in a region of France called Cormeilless, was a painter and physicist. He invented the first processing of photography; back then he called it Daguerreotype. (Might I add, there was other edition of processing before his, but he was the first to perfect this method of processing).
After years of research he dicoverd that when he expose the iodized paper in a camera for long periods, he would get a permament image.
What was the difference between the two?
Ans. Calotype uses a drawing paper and added a type of chemical called 'Silver Cloride' to create picture. On the other hand, With Dagurreotype, chemical is also used but also the image was placed on a mirrored surface that has a silver type coatings of "Silver halide coating" particles with vapours of Iodine.
How did photography changed the world?
Ans. Photography has changed the world immensely, photographs provides evidence and it has been used to gather information for documentation. From it's early beginings to it's present stage, photo and photography has changed to what even the early pioneers wouldn't believe themselves.
What did people believe photograph was for in the early 1840-1880?
Ans. People had different perception about photography, but I think the general view was that photograph could be used to preserve life in a sense. One of the common trend in that era was for people to photograph the dead. This was done by getting the dead person to look life-like; by placing the subject in a standing pose (using objects to holding the corpse). This was done righjt after the person had died. Photograph was a more of a class thing as only the middle and upper class could have their photograph taken or own a camera.
Pictorialist vs Naturalism
What was the Pictorialist Movement?
Ans. Pictorialist approaches photograph from a different angle than just focussing on the reality of it. A Pictorialist place more emphasis on the subject matter, tonality and composition. This movement was born in the early 20th centry in a time when photograph was just introduced to the world.
Find a photograph from this period and talk about one of their photograph.
This a the work of a Naturalist photographer, there work are base around everyday life scene. There works are not staged, they venture out either looking for a particular subject or the situations just arised. This image for me is describing two different class of people, the one who is paddling the boat is more up on the social ladder than the other person. This is obvious by their clothes. The photographer who took this image matbe was highlighting the difference in the class structure.
Caroline Hoskine Gurrey (1827-1927)
Was one of the early pioneer of modern photography and was also a Pictorialist.
1.a) What was Jacob Riis profession?
Ans. Jacob Riis was among other thing a photographer.
b)Why did Jacob Riis took the pictures he did?
Ans. He used his knowledge as photographer to help the under privilege of New York.
c) Who was the audience for them?
Ans. Jacob Riis had one could say targetted the well to do of the then society.
d) Were they staged?
Ans. This could be a tricky one, as some of the people in the images could have been placed there at the time, but the situation around them were real.
e)If they were staged, do you think that they had a right to do that in good caused?
Ans. He needed was to hightlight a certain situation which at the time weren't available. So to create the scene he might have to staged it which for me is quite ok.
One might would've ask how is picture could've helped this man, the reason why we might not understand is that we could be looking at it from a modern perpective. To think that Jacob Riis set out to exploit these poor underprivileged could not be wrong, as one would think but this was far from his mind. Was this a staged picture? Well not entirely at least for me, what I can imagine is that he was passing by and this gentleman was there contemplating what the future holds. For me this situation presented itself, the guy was there and he ask hiom for his picture and he might have explained to him what's it for.
2.
a) What was Lewis Hines profession?
Ans. Lewis Hines was Sociologist and a photographer.
b) Why did Lewis Hines take the photos he did?
Ans. He wanted to highlight the unfair treatment that country's children were undergoing at the time.
c) Were they staged?
Ans. Without a doubt, but like other photographer at the time, he too was highlighting the squalid conditions that the poorer class had to live in.
d)Who was the audience for them?
Ans. He had a more liberal audience, one reason for this is that they are the ones who were benefitting from "child labour".
e)If they were staged, do you think that he had the right to do that even for a good cause?
Ans. He needed to hightlight the plight of the children so to staged them and get a possitive result is ok for me.
Scenes like these wolud have been normal for kids that era, there weren't no laws of such to govern the welfare of these underprivilage children. Child labour was a norm, the families needs would have top priority over education. I supposed Lewis Hines was looking into the future and see the need to fix this problem. If these situations weren't dealt with then greater problem could arised from these kids: such as gang violence, child prostitution among other things. The photographer recognised that these kids would serve better in some type of educational institution. This is staged as far as putting them to posed for the shot, but they were going about their daily life doing what
(Take a photo of your choice of each of them and talk about the composition and what ever the story it documents.)
My Influences
After receiving the criteria for the assignment, I was searching for outstanding Victorian street photographers. Why Victorian? For a long time I am always fascinated by Victorian/Edwardian life, this era gives me a chance to look back into life at that time. So as to give an insight into the people who influence me on this assignment, I hope one would’ve understood why I have chosen these subjects.
John Thompson is one of the most iconic photographers of his time, he was one of the early British pioneer who travelled abroad for the sole purpose of taking photographs. While in the Far East, he captured some lovely portraits. In my view I think one of the reason why he captured some of those amazing shots, was because these people would’ve just been seeing a camera for the first time.
John Thompson placed a lot of emphasis on people, whether he was in the Far East or in Britain, his images were based around people in everyday life. Clearly he had put a great deal of planning and thought into his works. So for my project, I would like to add Victorian life to a modern day scene. While doing this project I realised that there is more to talk about Victorian style in the media, I guess someone must have heard what I am planning on doing.
Thomas Annan, like John Thompson hails from Scotland; but unlike John Thompson, Thomas Annan didn’t do much travelling, he did a lot of his work in Scotland. Like other photographers of his time, he took a lot picture of people. He was the first British photographer to document the squalid living conditions of the citizens of Glasgow. Unlike some other documentary photographer of his time, I don’t think that he staged his images. Obviously he knows where to find the situation that he was documenting, and just presented himself and start shooting.
His images aren’t just looking at the people; they were looking at the locations around them. I like this kind of technique, as it helps to showcase the ruins as well as the architecture.
Richard Billingham
Richard Billingham is what one might call desperate. Desperate in a sense that he has gone on documenting his family at their lowest. Documentary photography can be base on any topic so in that sense he has not broken any rules there, he must have thought of the reaction he would get from his images, and that is what makes them generate the amount of attention that they recieve. His situation isn't specific to him though, this is an everyday scenes in a lot of homes around the United Kingdom.
He could have been depressed by seeing his Dad drunk off his face almost everyday and his obese Mother who just sits and does jig saws all day. Coming home to this reality everyday must have helped him to be more determined not to end up in a situation like this in the future himself and photograhy Cont..