TECHNOLOGIC TIMELINE

HISTORY OF PHOTOJOURNALISM

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.

TIMELINE

Wet collodio

n process 1851

Dry Plate

Process 1871

Roll Film 1888

35mm film

1889

Digital Cameras 1975

Blogging 1994

Camera Phones 1994

Wifi DSLR 2005

WET COLLODION PROCESS1851

• 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; unknownImage source: https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/getty-museum/getty-photographs-films/photographic-processes/a/understanding-the-wet-collodion-process

DRY PLATE PROCESS1871

• 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EXPOSE• WAS SUPERSEDED BY FILM IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY• ACCORDING TO THE NOT QUITE IN FOCUS ARTICLE,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: unknownImage source: http://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/processes/gelatin-silver/silver-gelatin-dry-plate-process

ROLL FILM1888

• 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: UnknownImage source: https://bluejayblog.wordpress.com/2016/05/02/reverend-goodwins-invention/

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 PHOT

OJOURNALISM IS CONSIDERED TO BE FROM THE 1930’S TO THE 1950’S. THE LEICA CAMERA ALLOWED JOURNALISTS TRUE FLEXIBILITY IN TAKING PICTURES”.

Photo by: unknownImage source: https://thedarkroom.com/product/35mm-film-developing/

DIGITAL CAMERAS1975

• 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: UnknownImage source: https://www.cnet.com/news/photos-the-history-of-the-digital-camera/

BLOGGING IN PHOTOJOURNALISM1994

• 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: unknownImage source: http://blog.bookbaby.com/2016/03/blogging-for-authors/

CAMERA PHONES1994

• 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: UnknownImage source: http://www.computerworld.com/article/2473084/smartphones/camera-phones--a-look-back-and-forward.html

WI-FI DSLR2005

• 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; NikonImage source: http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/dslr-cameras/d5500.html