Ten important moments in history that changed photography
Oct 28, 2019
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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Like any other field of art or technology, photography has been changing and evolving over the years. But there were some moments that significantly changed the course of photography history. In this video, Tony & Chelsea Northrup bring you ten of these important moments and discuss how they affected photography.
Tony and Chelsea start with the introduction of Daguerreotype in 1839, almost two centuries ago. They go all the way to our days and the moment when Nikon and Canon introduced mirrorless cameras. These are the moments they discuss. Make sure to watch the entire video and hear more about the importance of these historic moments.
- 1839 – the introduction of Daguerreotype
- 1900 – the introduction of Kodak Brownie, the first consumer camera
- 1927 – Leica adopts 35mm film
- 1945 – Allied occupation of Japan, camera companies start developing their business again after the Second World War
- 1959 – Nikon introduces F Mount and popularizes SLR cameras
- 1987 – Canon develops the EOS and electronic AF
- 2000 – digital cameras start taking over
- 2007 – the first iPhone (2 MP camera, remember that?)
- 2016 – the rise of computational photography in smartphones
- 2018 – Nikon and Canon (finally) launch full-frame mirrorless cameras
Just like Alex of FStoppers and numerous YouTube users who left their comments on the video, I’d add one more moment on the list: the introduction of the Polaroid. Instant cameras were the first to bring us instant results, before digital cameras and smartphones. Because of that, it’s also a moment that changed people’s view of photography. After all, Instagram was inspired by those instant photos. In the beginning, at least.
Would you agree with Tony’s and Chelsea’s list? Which moments in photography history would you add to this list?
[10 Moments in History That Changed Cameras (Picture This! Podcast) via FStoppers]
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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17 responses to “Ten important moments in history that changed photography”
I don’t agree with anything Tony and Chelsea post. They are annoying.
Do your reputation a great service and replace the iPhone with Samsung or Sharp or Nokia, ALL came up with a camera in their phones years before iPhone was even invented.
The Nokia N20, released in 2005, had a 2MP camera, Carl Zeiss lens, auto focus and a LED flash.
The Sony Ericsson K800i released in 2006, had a 3.2MP camera with auto-focus, image stabilization, and a Xenon flash.
What’s with this iPhone menia? Everything in it was already invented and in the market years before the first iPhone even came to life.
Putting the iPhone as one of the “TEN IMPORTANT MOMENTS IN HISTORY THAT CHANGED PHOTOGRAPHY” is pathetic.
It sorta was the iPhone that really started off the phone as a regular day to day camera in the conscious mind of the general public. Although, it wasn’t really Apple that did it. It was Chase Jarvis with his “Best Camera” app that really gave early mobile phone photography that first kick – which was only available for iPhone.
Actually, it was Nokia that made phone camera so widely used. Nokia was the king of phones and everyone had a camera. However, what made phone cameras so popular at the end were not the cameras themselves but the social web apps that let you share your photos taken with them.
Instagram was the real reason phone cameras became so popular and used so widely.
Apple just followed a trend that was invented and developed by others.
Agreed. Nokia N95 was legendary. Everyone had one and was used as a main camera for many people.
Oh, yeah, lots of people used Instagram on their Nokiias. :)
Really? That’s your answer? So let me explain in a clearer way. iPhone cameras were a tiny ripple in the photography world, definitely not in the top 10 or top 100 of ‘changing photography’.
Phone cameras from Nokia and Samsung were a game changer in terms of ‘ready-in-your-hand–camera, and as for the Nikon, an amazing camera. However, what made a huge impact on photography, and should be in the top ten, were the social apps like Instagram.
The amount of photos taken by phones around the world was stagaring right after Instagram came out. Easy to use phones, ready in your hands and quick sharing with everyone (who is interested).
I hope we are clear on this one :-(
“However, what made a huge impact on photography, and should be in the top ten, were the social apps like Instagram.
The amount of photos taken by phones around the world was stagaring right after Instagram came out.”
Which was only available on the iPhone. That’s the point. :)
“I hope we are clear on this one”
Yes, crystal.
I can do you one better.
I had (well, have, as it’s just stuck in a drawer somewhere) a Samsung A990.
https://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=950
3.2MP, actual autofocus, LED flash.
It was a flip phone that the screen was on a 180 degree swivel, so you open the phone to reveal the number pad and screen; but, then you can rotate the screen, then flip it back down to be holding a phone that is all screen.
It had media playback buttons on the side, as well as a shutter release, and it had a lens cap.
Yes, I remember that one :-)
Minolta invented the AF years before canon did anything.
What about Matthew Brady’s work photographing the Civil War? Joseph Niepce taking the first photograph? The invention of the camera obscura?
What? You mean they are all more important than Apple iPhone? No way!
these guys still making videos?
You forgot about Steve Sasson in 1975 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfnpVRiiwnM
Honestly, I half-expected them to have “Launching the Tony & Chelsea YouTube Channel” in that list somewhere. ;)
And everyone has missed colour photography…