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    Timelines – Photography



    Initial Developments (1800-1850s)

    1. Heliography (Around 1800): Nicephore Niepce made the first successful attempts of preserving camera images on paper coated with silver chloride and later on bitumen-coated metal plates, known as ‘Heliography’. This marked the inception of capturing real-world visual representation.

    2. Daguerreotype Process (1839): Developed by Louis Daguerre, this process produced a sharp, detailed image on a silver-coated copper plate. It is often recognized as the practical start of photography due to its relative accessibility and replicability.

    Evolution (1860s-1890s)

    3. Collodion Process (1851): Frederick Scott Archer introduced a technique using a glass plate coated with collodion and then sensitized, developed, and fixed immediately. This significantly decreased the exposure time, increased the detail of the photographs, and offered the potential for copies.

    4. Dry Plate Process (1870s): Richard Leach Maddox’s technique of using gelatin instead of glass plates allowed photographers to prepare their plates ahead of time and develop images later. This breakthrough made photography more portable and practical.

    5. Eastman Kodak’s Box Camera (1888): George Eastman introduced a compact, user-friendly, and inexpensive box camera that used roll film. Marketed with the slogan “You press the button, we do the rest,” this marked a key point for mass-market photography.

    Modern Photography (1900s-1990s)

    6. Leica I (1925): The first practical 35mm camera made by Leica introduced high-quality, portable, and easy-to-use equipment. It represented a milestone in photojournalism and everyday photography.

    7. Transparencies and Kodachrome Film (1935): These innovations provided photographers with films that offered unprecedented color accuracy and saturation.

    8. Polaroid’s Instant Photography (1948): This allowed photographers to capture an image and view it instantly, making photography immediate and accessible for amateurs and professionals alike.

    9. Digital Photography (1975): Steven Sasson of Eastman Kodak developed the first self-contained digital camera, marking the transition to images produced by a collection of discrete (pixel) units.

    Contemporary Trends (2000-today)

    10. Camera Mobile Phones and Smartphones (2000s): As integral features of mobile phones, cameras dramatically changed the landscape, making photography ubiquitous in everyday life.

    11. AI-enhanced Photography (2010s-today): Introducing artificial intelligence to the mix has redefined photography, with features such as facial recognition, digital enhancements, and filters, greatly expanding creative possibilities.