Daria Shevtsova, pexels.com
Get your camera ready! In observance of Camera Day, June 29th, we will be doing a deep dive on the history of the camera. Got your quill and scroll ready? Well, you’ll need it for how far we are traveling back in time, to the very first camera. Welcome to the 11th century.
A Lesson on the Camera Obscura, art-critique.com
Ibn al Haytham was known for being the founder of the Camera Obscura, a box-shaped device that aided artists and later astronomers in their field. The word Camera Obscura translates to “dark room” which is where it would be placed when in use. It had a small pinhole on the side that light would pass through and reflect the image (upside-down) on a blank wall or canvas. Later a mirror would be placed inside the box to flip the image right-side-up.
Little Visuals, pexels.com
Fast forward time and we arrive in 1888 Rochester, New York, where a George Eastman invents the Kodak camera and film. He wanted to make a camera that was easy to use and portable for on the go fun. The Kodak 1 was born, this led to the Kodak Brownie and then to the Kodak Hawkeye.
Polaroid SX-70, wikipedia.com
Put your dukes up Kodak, Polaroid has entered the ring. The year was 1948, Edwin H. Land had the idea to create a camera that could be portable, easy to use and, get this, print a photo! The Polaroid was born and so did the era of shaking it like a Polaroid picture, in all honestly don’t shake the Polaroids, it doesn’t help with anything.
Sony Mavica, wikipedia.com
Move aside Polaroid and Kodak, Sony is up next. 1981, leather was in, hair was big and Sony threw its name into the hat by creating the Sony Mavica. This revolutionized digital cameras by becoming the very first digital still camera! This paved way to Kodak’s first professional digital camera and then the famous camera phone in the late 1990’s to early 2000’s.
Even now, a camera is always within reach, which honestly comes in handy more ways than one. The camera has revolutionized the way we communicate and see things around us, it helps us share things that we may never fully be able to see, it’s not like we can just take a trip to Mars and snap a shot of the Red Planet. We aren’t Bezos or Musk. Cameras help us see the world through a different lens. Pun intended. And we are thankful the invention of these amazing contraptions because without it, I think it’s safe to say our world would be a little less developed. Alright, I’m done with these puns.
Go take a picture to commemorate the day! Happy Camera Day!
Read some more of our blogs on cameras and photography! Capturing the Perfect Water Feature Picture, Don’t Throw Away Your Shot! It’s Nature Photography Day, and Tips & Tricks for Photographing Water Features!
About the Author:
Leah La Farciola