Mid Valley Blogger: American Icon: Photography

Photography’s Journey To American Mainstream

by Ronald Borst

Today, society sees the camera as part of its everyday convenience. The Technological Revolution of the 21^st century brought that to light, so to speak. That development took two thousand years.

As far back as 400 B.C., documents about cameras tell us that the medium was practiced and even revered. Chinese philosopher Mozi wrote about the “camera obscura,” and the philosopher is credited with the beginning studies of optics.

It wasn’t until 1502, that the camera had a clear and precise description. Leonardo Da Vinci wrote:

“If the facade of a building, or a place, or a landscape is illuminated by the sun and a small hole is drilled in the wall of a room in a building facing this, which is not directly lighted by the sun, then all objects illuminated by the sun will send their images through this aperture and will appear, upside down, on the wall facing the hole.

You will catch these pictures on a piece of white paper, which placed vertically in the room not far from that opening, and you will see all the above-mentioned objects on this paper in their natural shapes or colors, but they will appear smaller and upside down, on account of crossing of the rays at that aperture. If these pictures originate from a place which is illuminated by the sun, they will appear colored on the paper exactly as they are. The paper should be very thin and must be viewed from the back.”

By the start of the Industrial Revolution, camera technology had become recognizable, if not commonplace. The French had marketed and distributed a medium called Daguerrotype, and the Americans were experimenting with permanent “developed” photos. Metal film exposure was popular during this time, and the Americans photographed the Civil War as photojournalism.

George Eastman founded Eastman Dry Plate Company in 1880. The dry plate process was common during this day and age, and used an emulsification of gelatin and bromide on a glass plate.

In 1900, Kodak introduced the Box Brownie. This begins photography’s journey to mainstream culture, as the Brownie is compact, affordable, and convenient.

Technology would dominate the next fifty years, and camera manufacturers would take advantage of the industry’s technological advances. By 1925, both Nikon and Leica are manufacturing advanced cameras as consumer products.

Most cameras of the early 20^th century are “reflex” cameras, meaning the use of mirrors and prisms are used for reflecting the image onto the film. Twin lens reflex cameras employ two lenses, one for the photo and one for the viewfinder.

By World War II, the single lens reflex had become popular, as were rangefinder cameras. Like today, reflex cameras versus the other competition is both pro and con. Rangefinders were like today’s mirrorless cameras, smaller and quieter. The advantages of reflex cameras are the detail, and the use of long telephoto lenses.

Today, digital technology has made very good cameras very affordable. Any high-school student with a part-time job can purchase a camera that is capable of high quality images. Modern cameras come in two categories, consumer and professional. The days of photography being expensive, is true only for the professional. This has led to a blended category, prosumer, which combines professional attributes and affordability. But even entry level camera gear is very good today, and that is the work of an always progressing technology.

Photography historically has many genres. The human nature to document is probably the cause of this diversity. Photography as portraiture has been at the forefront of art and journalism, as well as street photography.

Landscape photography, both artistic and journalistic, led to the U.S. Government commission of Ansel Adams. The American West continues to be photographed to this day for its picturesque vistas. The landscape scene genre uses tripods and long-exposures to photograph wide open places with excruciating detail. Many fine art prints are of landscape photos.

Similar and polar to landscapes are nature and wildlife photography. The outdoor aspects are also candid and realistic, much like street photography. Typically, the genre is conservationists and enthusiasts.

Sports photography employs journalism and photos to athletic events, mostly for media outlets. Like fashion photos, sports photos are often edited and manipulated for marketing. Film techniques such as “dodge and burn” and “airbrushing,” are common editing tools to make entertainment photos marketable.

Most categories of photography, other than professional, have become accessible to almost everyone. The advent of the internet, combined with the ever-changing state of technology, has brought photography to the masses.

As George Eastman became an American icon, so did others. Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen formed the New York Photo Secessionist movement in 1902, to promote photography as fine art. In 1906, Lewis Hine was hired by the National Child Labor Committee to photograph working children. This led directly to progressive labor laws in the United States.

The U.S. Farm Bureau did the same, hiring photographers Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans, to document The Great Depression.

The 1940s became the platform for Robert Capa, who after photographing stark images of the war, would form Magnum Photo, a photography cooperative owned by photographers. Magazines of the 1950s exploded with photography, as Life Magazine and Look both showcased and advertised the medium. Although cameras were still expensive, and the accessories even more so, the medium was gradually becoming an affordable expense.

In the 1960s, as social conscience, art, and journalism collided, photography became commonplace across America, if still not widespread. Cameras were becoming even less expensive, and many professionals were distributing photography skills without regard to “protecting practice.” The same effect is happening today, as learning the skills needed to produce ultra high quality photos is just an internet video away.

As the 70s would see electronic metering- in camera metering- the 80s would see it happen digitally. This occurrence would spark a merger between the technological revolution and photography, one that within three decades would change the medium forever.

Up until the tech advances of the early 21^st century, photography even while affordable, was far from cheap. Film itself wasn’t inexpensive. Developing the film was tedious and costly. The accessories, tripods and lights along with specialized lenses, added so much added cost that the medium simply was not affordable.

In spite of this, the industry was able to capitalize on disposable camera technology, and Kodak led the way, producing inexpensive one-time use cameras for consumers who wanted the convenience of an automatic camera that was very affordable. The camera and 36 developed exposures were less than ten dollars.

Entry level single lens reflex cameras were also approaching ultra-affordability, and literary books dedicated to learning these complicated cameras were plentiful and accessible. Hobby photography was reaching quality never seen before.

The digital age would continue this trend.

In 1991, Fortune magazine declared, “A storm of technological innovations and new products is gathering over the world of photography [that] will blow away much that is familiar— including film, chemicals, and darkrooms—replacing it with a technology that seems both dazzling and old hat: computers.”

Enter the digital age, and the advent of DSLR cameras, digital single lens reflex cameras that were both affordable and simple to use. Soon, it seemed like everybody had a camera. The popular Canon Rebel series, with professional image quality and consumer controls, would propel Canon to the top of the market.

Technology moves forward on a daily basis, and the electronic digital age has changed the photography world. Digital mirrorless cameras are $100, and today’s cellphones have integrated cameras with high quality hardware and expensive-like functions. And for very little money.

As phones have moved from the living room coffee table, to our back pocket, photography has become instantly distributable in real time. Social media has exploded and because everybody has a camera now, the internet is flooded with images.

This has made photography a daily interaction in America. The social fabric of the U.S. is such that a medium like photography, once untouchable, is appreciated at a higher level than ever before. Even if the quality of the images is lacking, anyone with a cellphone is enjoying photography, and doing so at a growing rate. From grade-school children, to aging great-grandparents, the whole country seems to be uploading photos to Facebook or Instagram.

The interesting thing here is the sheer volume of the photos Americans are producing. That in itself has increased the trend. “Everybody’s doing it,” according to Jack King, an Oregon hobby photographer.

Food photography, once thought to be an exclusive genre, is now so prevalent, it is literally impossible to gauge. Photos of crime and law enforcement have yielded truths that we had not seen previously. Art portraits, especially environmental portraits, have become a staple of the “selfie” craze. People are taking photos of the drive to work, of work, and of the drive home from work.

Never before, has a culture had a camera that is that handy.

Current political conversations about photography include camera drones and law enforcement body cameras. Often, photography is discussed in regard to art and U.S. First Amendment rights. These issues will continue to permeate discussion, as the industry technology grows even more sophisticated.

But photography has entered a new stage in its life. Being such a prevalent part of American life, the cameraphone will serve as the documentary camera for most of the next half-century. Backyard barbeques, sports events, life milestones, and the too common “selfie,” will be the focus of the visual future.

In light of such exponential growth, the internet is also providing photography will the means to grow artistically. Phone applications are plentiful, and often add significant upgrades and capabilities to phone cameras. Even phone manufacturers have not missed this added daily function of life, and these cellular engineers have integrated very capable cameras into their phones.

Without the cellphone, it is doubtful that photography could have ever enjoyed such status in America. The cameras of old were clunky, cumbersome, and complicated. They were not cheap and they were not convenient, and hardly American.

Today, more people have cameras than they do watches. Websites such as Instagram and Flickr, have photo libraries larger than that of the Smithsonian.

It is indeed part of the American fabric now.