If you haven’t read the first part of this “What the F-Stop Is Photography?” series, please check it out here.
In Part 1, we went over what photography is and the importance of finding a photographer. Now, we can go into some nerdy history and facts. So, hang on to your hats and goggles because we’re about to go Back to the… Past?!
So, then who was the dude who invented the very first camera? According to “The Ansel Adams Guide: Basic Techniques of Photography (Book 1)“, author John P. Schaefer states that the camera obscura was first coined in 1604. The camera obscura (meaning “dark room”) was a light tight box that had a hole in one of its four walls. The world outside reflected the scenery onto the opposite inner wall. But the image was upside down and backwards, as the diagram below shows:
The operator would climb up into the camera obscura through a trap door. He would then trace the reflected image onto a canvas. Jittery caffeine addicts most likely rescheduled their portrait sessions. If we thought that some photo shoots today run a long time, this pretty much takes the cake! We have quite a bit more to talk about, so stay tuned for the next post!
Blog question: Would you volunteer to have your “picture” taken with the camera obscura? Leave a comment below! Feel free to ask any questions. Don’t forget to check back for next week’s insightful blog post!
