history of photography illustrated
As a student sudying Photography in England I was always intrigued by this picture. Taken by Monsieur Nicephore Niepce in 1826, it's the view overlooking the Stables in his back yard somewhere in France and is reputedly the first Photograph ever taken and recorded as a permanent image. One of my first thoughts about it was, was he surprised that it wasn't in colour? Then I thought well, he must have known beforehand after all the experimentation it took to produce it.
But what if it was in colour?
Consider this. What if Television had been invented before Radio? Would Radio have ever risen into the airwaves?
Because colour imaging took a further 75 years to produce, Black and White images became firmly entrenched in the Psyche of Mankind, progressing beyond a mere recording medium to Artistic levels in Portraiture and Still-Life studies.
Of course they are neither black nor white but thousands of shades of grey, each transposed from the particular hue of every colour in nature. No canvas Artist had ever conceived of such an abstraction. Line drawings there were but they are black and white only. It’s possible that Charcoal Sketch Artist’s could have thought of it but didn’t, they couldn't possibly equate all colours to shades of grey anyway. It was a new and revolutionary view of World and the the camps of thought prevalent today, that is, BW vs. Colour, are the legacy left to us by old Niepce. His creation was not just the first photograph ever but the introduction of a completely new art form to the World that otherwise we may never have known – Black and White
Photography. Mercy Beaucoup Monsieur Niepce. We salute you. (to be continued)
Photography. Free Resource for Photography, Cameras, Digital Cameras, Tutorials and Black and White Photography, f8 Pro Photo
f8 Logo, Text, Graphic Design and all Original Photography herein, Copyright 2007/2008 f8prophoto.com except
Submitted Work Copyright Accredited Photographers, Authors and Designers
Reproduction in Whole or in Part strictly prohibited
