Lesson Tasks (History and Camera Basics)

Task 1.1

”Throughout this lesson, you’ve learnt about the various inventors that contributed to the art of photography. Choose one, do some additional research and, in your own words, write a report on why you think the chosen inventor contributed to modern photography.

Explain your research and choice of inventor.
Elaborate on the inventor’s contribution/s.
Include any images which you think are necessary to explain your thought process.
Your final report should be 500 – 1000 words.”

George Eastman Report

In this lesson I am going to talk about an inventor that has contributed to the art of photography, George Eastman. I will talk about his history, contributions and how he made an impact on modern photography. The reason I chose George was because his invention of flexible roll film has always interested me. It was a big step in the film and photography industry and he made a big difference with his Kodak camera and dry plates.

George Eastman’s story starts in 1854 when he got born. His parents George Washington Eastman and Maria Kilbourn had three children, and George was the only male and youngest out of them. When his father died, their family suffered from economic crisis and George had to quit his studies to help his mother and sisters at the age of 14. He started doing simple jobs, but did not earn enough to provide for the family so he studied accounting to get a better job in the future. And so, he did, and looked like a promising entrepreneur already in his young 20s.

After a friend recommended documenting a trip George was going on, he bought a set with photographic equipment. He got baffled over the complicated process of taking a photo, and got very dedicated to finding an easier way. He started reading different magazines that showed how photographers made their own gelatin emulsions that stayed sensitive to light after it dried. He looked at one of the formulas and started investigating his own formula. After three years of experimenting, he produced his own working formula, and in 1880 he invented the dry plate formula and a machine that could mass produce these plates. He starts a company with Strong Eastman and calls it Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company. Their goal? To make photography an everyday thing, making it as practical as a pencil.

His second invention was based around finding a better and more flexible base than glass plates. In 1883 he produced the roll holder, which made it possible to replace glass plates with the flexible film. It also would fit to photographers’ cameras, making it easy for their consumers to adapt. Unlucky for George, the flexible roll film did not take off as he expected, and he had to figure something else out.

In 1888 Eastman launches his Kodak camera with their iconic slogan ”You press the button; we do the rest”. The camera had roll film with 100 space capacity. When the photographer was done taking photos, he simply sent it back to the company which took care of the film, reset the camera, and sent it back to the costumer. George even wrote the camera instructions himself to make sure everyone could understand. Over the years Eastman worked on perfecting Kodak, making it safer and accessible to a lot of people.

The reason I think George had an impact on modern photography, is because he made photography more accessible for common people. Before Kodak camera the photographer had to carry a heavy camera, bring a tent, tripod, chemicals, and the entire process was just messy and had to be done by professionals. Most of the time photographers also had to bring along assistants to help them out. Another reason is due to his invention of Gelatin dry plates, making no need to bring chemicals and processing equipment. The one main thing George was working towards, was making photography easier and more accessible. His Kodak camera was a huge jump forward in photographic science, making it easier on the road to our modern cameras we have today.

Resources;

https://photofocus.com/inspiration/history/history-of-photography-introduction-of-kodak/

https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-photography-and-the-camera-1992331

https://snl.no/George_Eastman

https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/eastman-the-inventor-george-eastman-house/rAKCveGC_3DdJQ?hl=en

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Eastman

Task 1.2

Please answer the following questions. If necessary, refer to your Camera Manual:

Name all the functions/buttons on the front of your camera.
Name all the functions/buttons on the back of your camera.
Explain, in your own words, what ISO is and how you would set it.
Now take three images of the same scene at ISO 100, ISO 1600, and your camera’s highest ISO setting. Place them next to each other to see the impact this had and post them to your blog. (Remember to include details about your camera settings on your blog.)
Explain, in your own words, what aperture is and how you would change it.
Now take three images of the same scene and set your aperture to F22, F5.6, and F1.4, (or the lowest possible f-stop your lens would allow), respectively. Place them next to each other to see the impact this had and post them to your blog. Remember to include details about your camera settings on your blog.
Explain in your own words* what shutter speed is and how you would change it.
Now take three images of the same scene and set your shutter speed to 1/1000, 1/60, and 1/4, respectively. Place them next to each other to see the impact this had and post them to your blog.(Remember to include details about your camera settings on your blog.)

I had some problems with my original camera’s (Nikon D5600) battery charger, and have bought a new one but it has not come yet. Therefore I had to take pictures with my mothers old Canon, but I will name the buttons on my Nikon since this will the camera I am working with in the future.

Camera Buttons (front)

Flash button; When clicked the flash on top of the camera will pop out.
Lens on/off button; Allows you to take on and off your lens.
Lens focus slider; Let’s you decide focus in your image.

Camera Buttons (back)

Menu button; Shows up the menu alternatives on screen.
Screen; Shows image display.
Info button 1; Turns on and off the information on screen.
Zoom out/in; Allows you to zoom in and out on images that are getting previewed.
Delete button; Lets you delete a selected image.
Control buttons; They are the buttons you navigate on the camera with.
Info button 2; Shows information about your image.
Image button; Lets you see a preview of your photos.
Screen viewer or View finder button; Lets you choose between looking through the digital screen or the screen finder.
Record button; Choose if you want to start recording or not.
On/Off button; Turns camera on or off.
Mode Circle; Turn the circle around to get different camera modes.
Auto Exposure/focus lock; Let’s you lock an exposure or focus in an image.
View finder; The place on the camera where you can see what you take a picture of.

ISO

ISO is how light sensitive your camera is, it determines how bright your image will be. The more ISO, the more light on your image. I would set it depending on the situation. In a dark room, I would put a high ISO, 6400 to let all possible light come through so it is possible to see my subject. If the room is bright I would have a low ISO, maybe around 100 to make sure the light does not overpower the image.

Camera Details (Aperture=5.6 / ISO=100, 1600, 6400 / Shutter Speed= 1/25

Aparture

Aperture is basically like the cameras eyes, expanding and closing depending on the amount of light around it. Changing aperture gives you the opportunity to choose how much light you want to hit the image sensor. A large aperture (Eye is open) on the camera would be set as small f numbers, while a small aperture (Eye is closed) would be set as large f-numbers. I would change the aperture of my camera depending on how bright it is around where I am working. Outside where it is medium bright, I would put the aperture around f5.6 to balance the light. In a dark room, I would put a large aperture (f1,4) to access most light to my image sensor so I could capture the subject better.

Camera Details (Aperture=22, 5.6, 4.5 / ISO=1600 / Shutter Speed= 1/500)

Shutter Speed

Shutter speed is how fast your camera takes an image. A high shutter speed will let you take images instantly, but with a low shutter speed your camera will use more time resulting in different effects. It basically is how fast the light hits your cameras image sensor. I would not really change the shutter speed setting too much. Having it on a high/medium speed will let you take the normal action/portrait photos you normally take. If you want to experiment with different types of effects like freeze.