The term "camera obscura" originates from the Latin vocabulary translating to "room" and "dark". A small hole allows light to travel through and projects images upside-down onto a screen or wall within a dark space. The projected image appears indistinct; however it visible enough for an artist to trace or accurately sketch. The sketch can later be transformed into a painting. It was the first stage of photography's evolution in Europe and this process was made portable by the 1660s.
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Daguerreotype |
The daguerrotype was named after the inventor, Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre. Iodine, silver, and mercury vapour are applied to a silver plate where a chemical reaction occurs and permanently creates an image, which is then set with a salt solution. Due to the unique process of making a daguerrotype image, creating multiple copies of one image is impossible.
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Calotype, also known as talbotype, is a technique that involves exposing a sheet of paper coated in silver chloride to light inside of a camera obscura. The areas struck by light become dark, creating a negative image. The negative image is then placed over a second paper and exposed to bright light to produce in order to create a positive image. The calotype process allows for an artist to make multiple copies; however, each time a copy of the original image is made, it becomes less clear.
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Collodian Wet-Plate |
The collodian wet-plate process involves coating a glass plate with a mixture of soluble iodide and collodian. In a dark room, the plate is immersed in silver nitrate and then exposed to a camera. It is then developed by pouring a solution of pyrogallic acid creating a clear image that is capable of being multiplied many times making it the best of both worlds.
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Lewis Hine |
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Eadweard Muybridge |
The zoopraxiscope was an invention made by Eadweard Muybridge that showcases a series of images creating the illusion of a moving picture. The images or photographs are printed onto a wheel that is placed in the zoopraxiscope and displayed on a screen and with this invention lead to the modern cinema we experience today.
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