1. Early Concepts and Inventions (Before 1800s):
- Camera Obscura: Used since ancient times (by Aristotle and later by Arab scientist Alhazen), it was a box or dark room with a small hole that projected an image of the outside scene upside down.
- These images couldn’t be fixed or recorded—just viewed.
2. First Permanent Photo (1826/1827)
- Joseph Nicéphore Niépce took the first permanent photograph using a process called heliography, with a metal plate and bitumen of Judea.
- It required an exposure of 8 hours or more.
3. Daguerreotype (1839):
- Louis Daguerre, with Niépce’s earlier work, created a faster method using silver-plated copper and iodine vapor.
- The French government declared photography a gift to the world in 1839.
4. Calotype / Talbotype (1841):
- Invented by William Henry Fox Talbot, it used paper coated with silver iodide.
- Unlike Daguerreotypes (which were single images), calotypes could be reproduced, making them more practical.
5. Wet Plate Collodion (1851):
- Invented by Frederick Scott Archer, this process gave sharper images and faster exposures.
- It required photographers to prepare and develop the plates on-site, making it popular during the American Civil War.
6. Dry Plates (1870s):
- Photographers no longer needed portable darkrooms.
- Gelatin dry plates were easier to use and led to faster shutter speeds, allowing action photography.
7. Roll Film and Kodak (1888):
- George Eastman invented roll film and launched the Kodak camera: “You press the button, we do the rest.”
- Photography became accessible to the general public.
8. Color Photography
- Early experiments in the 1800s; first commercial color film was Autochrome (1907).
- Later improved with Kodachrome (1935) and Ektachrome.
9. Instant Photography (1948):
- Polaroid introduced by Edwin Land allowed people to see photos in minutes.
10. Digital Photography (1970s–1990s)
- First digital image sensors (CCD) in the 1960s–70s.
- First digital cameras in the 1980s–90s.
- Became mainstream in the 2000s.
11. Modern Era (2000s–Now)
- Photography is now part of everyday life with smartphones, social media, and AI tools.
- Photographers use digital editing, drones, mirrorless cameras, and even virtual reality.
