photographic timeline

2. OVERVIEW
• WITHIN THE LAST 166 YEARS, TECHNOLOGY HAS RAPIDLY EVOLVED AND ITS EVOLUTION HAS NOT JUST
IMPACTED OUR WAY OF LIFE, BUT HAS REVOLUTIONIZED THE WORLD OF PHOTOJOURNALISM
• THE WORD PHOTOGRAPHY WAS FIRST INTRODUCED IN 1839, MEANING LIGHT AND DRAWING OR
DRAWING WITH LIGHT
• IN THIS TIMELINE, YOU WILL SEE HOW THE PROCESSES GO FROM VERY INVOLVED, TO SIMPLE AND EASY.

3. TIMELINE
Wet
collodion
process
1851
Dry Plate
Process
1871
Roll Film
1888
35mm
film 1889
Digital
Cameras
1975
Blogging
1994
Camera
Phones
1994
Wifi DSLR
2005

4. WET COLLODION PROCESS
1851• TECHNIQUE INVENTED BY FREDERICK SCOTT ARCHER
• PROCESS INVOLVED ADDING A SOLUBLE IODIDE TO A SOLUTION OF
CELLULOSE NITRATE AND A COATING A GLASS PLATE WITH THE MIXTURE
• IT IS THEN IMMERSED IN A SILVER NITRATE BATH
• THE PHOTOGRAPHER TAKES THE PICTURE
• THEN DEVELOP THE PICTURE
• VERY INVOLVED PROCESS AND DANGEROUS. ACCORDING TO QUINN
JACOBSON, “ THIS TYPE OF PHOTOGRAPHY IS BOTH SOMEWHAT
DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS TO DO”.
• IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR PHOTOJOURNALISTS TO TRAVEL WITH ALL THEIR
EQUIPMENT AND DEVELOPING THE PERFECT PICTURE WAS HARD FOR
THEM.
Photo By; unknown
Image source:
https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-
content/getty-museum/getty-photographs-
films/photographic-processes/a/understanding-
the-wet-collodion-process

5. DRY PLATE PROCESS
1871
• INVENTED BY R.L MADDOX
• EASIER PROCESS THAN THE WET PLATE COLLODION PROCESS.
• GLASS PLATE COATED WITH A GELATIN
• CAN BE STORED AHEAD OF TIME AND SAVED UNTIL READY EXPOSE
• WAS SUPERSEDED BY FILM IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY
• ACCORDING TO THE NOT QUITE IN FOCUS ARTICLE, THIS NEW
TECHNOLOGY OFFERED LONGER STORAGE LIFE AND WAS EASIER FOR
PHOTOJOURNALISTS TO STORE AND CARRY AROUND.
Photo by: unknown
Image source:
http://www.alternativephotogra
phy.com/wp/processes/gelatin-
silver/silver-gelatin-dry-plate-
process

6. ROLL FILM
1888
• GEORGE EASTMAN LAUNCHED THE FIRST KODAK CAMERA USING ROLL
FILM IN 1888
• THE CAMERA HELD 100 PICTURES AND WAS SENT TO THE COMPANY
AFTERWARDS, DEVELOPED THEN SENT BACK TO THE CUSTOMER.
• HIS ROLL FILM INVENTION HELPED BRING PHOTOGRAPHY TO THE
MAINSTREAM PUBLIC.
• IT EVOLVED TO 35MM FILM BY THOMAS EDISON
• ACCORDING TO GENI.COM, “EASTMAN’S CONTRIBUTIONS
REVOLUTIONIZED THE INDUSTRY OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND
TRANSFORMED THE WORLD’S RELATIONSHIP WITH PHOTOS”. THIS
TECHNOLOGY MADE A PHOTOJOURNALIST’S JOB INFINITELY EASIER TO
DO.
Photo By: Unknown
Image source:
https://bluejayblog.wordpress.com/2016/05/02/re
verend-goodwins-invention/

7. 35MM FILM
1889
• FILM WAS DEVELOPED AND PRODUCED AT AN EXPERIMENTAL SCALE BY
THOMAS EDISON
• ACCORDING TO EXTREME TECH, “EDISON SPLIT 70MM FILM. HE THEN
DOUBLE PERFORATED LONG BAND PASSING FROM ONE REEL TO ANOTHER,
DRIVEN BY TWO SPROCKET WHEELS”.
• WAS FIRST PATENTED IN 1908 BUT DID NOT COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE
UNTIL 1913
• THE FIRST 35MM CAMERA WAS THE LEICA I IN 1925
• ACCORDING TO WIKIPEDIA, “THE GOLDEN AGE OF PHOTOJOURNALISM IS
CONSIDERED TO BE FROM THE 1930’S TO THE 1950’S. THE LEICA CAMERA
ALLOWED JOURNALISTS TRUE FLEXIBILITY IN TAKING PICTURES”.
Photo by: unknown
Image source:
https://thedarkroom.com/product/35mm-
film-developing/

8. DIGITAL CAMERAS
1975
• KODAK ENGINEER, STEVEN SASSON COBBLED THIS UP USING SOME
MOTOROLA PARTS WITH A KODAK MOVIE CAMERA LENDS AND
ELECTRONIC SENSORS
• FIRST CAMERA WAS THE SIZE OF A TOASTER.
• ACCORDING TO CNET.COM, “THE FIRST TRUE DIGITAL CAMERA THAT
ACTUALLY WORKED WAS BUILT IN 1981, USED TO PHOTOGRAPH
AURORAS”.
• IT TOOK YEARS AFTER THAT BEFORE THE TRUE DIGITAL REVOLUTION
TO REALLY TAKE OFF
• WITH THE ADVENT OF DIGITAL CAMERAS, PHOTOJOURNALISTS
WERE ABLE TO TAKE MANY PICTURES UNTIL THEY GOT THE RIGHT
SHOT WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT RUNNING OUT OF FILM.
Photo by: Unknown
Image source:
https://www.cnet.com/news/photos-the-
history-of-the-digital-camera/

9. BLOGGING IN PHOTOJOURNALISM
1994
• CREATED BY JUSTIN HALL ON LINKS.NET BUT WAS NOT CALLED BLOGGING
• THE TERM WEBLOG WAS COINED IN 1997 BY JORN BARGER, WHICH
REFLECTS THE PROCESS OF LOGGING THE WEB
• 1998- THE FIRST KNOWN INSTANCE OF A BLOG USED ON A TRADITIONAL
NEWS SITE TALKING ABOUT HURRICANE BONNIE
• ACCORDING TO WEB DESIGNER DEPOT, “MAINSTREAM MEDIA SOURCES
NOW TEAM UP WITH EXISTING BLOGGERS TO GET AND SHARE THEIR
NEWS”.
• PHOTOJOURNALISTS CAN USE BLOGGING AS THEIR WAY TO GET THEIR
STORIES OUT TO THE PUBLIC FROM THEIR IMMEDIATE PERSPECTIVE.
Photo by: unknown
Image source:
http://blog.bookbaby.com/2016/03/blogg
ing-for-authors/

10. CAMERA PHONES
1994
• OLYMPUS RELEASED A CAMERA THAT LET USERS UPLOAD DIGITAL PHOTOS
OVER CELLULAR AND ANALOG PHONE LINES
• ACCORDING TO MASHABLE, “PHILIPPE KAHN INSERTED THE FIRST POINT,
SHOOT AND SHARE CAMERA INTO A MOTOROLA STARTAC IN 1997”.
• FIRST OFFICIAL CAMERA PHONE WAS INTRODUCED IN 1999 BY KYOCERA
• SINCE THEN THE QUALITY OF THE CAMERAS HAVE DRASTICALLY
IMPROVED AND NOW WE SEE AN INCREASE IN CITIZEN
PHOTOJOURNALISM DUE TO ITS CAPABILITIES OF POINT SHOOT AND
INSTANT SHARE.
Photo by: Unknown
Image source:
http://www.comput
erworld.com/articl
e/2473084/smartp
hones/camera-
phones--a-look-
back-and-
forward.html

11. WI-FI DSLR
2005
• FIRST DSLR CAMERA WAS IN 1991 BUT WAS NOT
PRACTICAL/AFFORDABLE UNTIL 1999
• FIRST WI-FI DSLR CAMERA INTRODUCED IN 2005
• ACCORDING TO HOW STUFF WORKS, “BESIDES THE
BENEFITS OF UPLOADING FILES WIRELESSLY, OTHER
BENEFITS INCLUDE, QUICK ACCESS TO STORAGE,
ABILITY TO SHARE ALBUMS AND PHOTOS WITH ONE
STEP”.
• WI-FI DSLR CAMERAS ALLOWS PHOTOJOURNALISTS
TO POINT, SHOOT, AND SHARE RIGHT ON THE SAME
DEVICE, ALLOWING THEM TO SHARE THEIR PICTURES
INSTANTLY.
Picture by; Nikon
Image source:
http://www.nikonu
sa.com/en/nikon-
products/product/
dslr-
cameras/d5500.ht
ml