Question 1
Research, written and practical assignment (4 hours)
Throughout this lesson you’ve learnt about the various techniques used and inventors that contributed to the art form that is Photography. Choose only one, do some additional research and in your own words write a report on why you think the chosen technique contributed to what we are able to do today through photography.
- Explain your research and choice of technique.
- Include any images which you think are necessary to explain your thought process.
- This should be 500 – 1000 words.
George Eastman – Kodak
George Eastman was born in 1854 in Waterwille, New York where he lived on a 10-acre farm with his two older sisters, Maria and Katie and parents. His father died in 1862 of a brain disorders, and his sister Katie died of polio in late 1870. At this time George was only 15 and ended up leaving the school so he could work and help and support the family.
In his early 20’s he was supposed to go on a trip to Santo Domingo and bought all the equipment that he really thought was big, heavy and expensive. Instead of taking this trip he ended up spending a lot of time in his mother kitchen. George was inspired by the big and heavy existing camera, and he wanted to make a camera that was smaller, lighter and easier for a average person to enjoy.
At this moment there where no dry plates, only wet plates. This required the photographer or an assistant to do the development of the photos. This would take considerably longer time and it was also very expensive. In a British publication he saw a formula for a “dry plate” emulsion, and after getting some guidance from two local photographers he formulated a gelatin-based paper film and a device for coating dry plates.
He resigned from his current bank job and in 1885 he went to the patent office with a roll-holder device that he and camera inventor William Hall Walker had developed. This roll-holder would allow the cameras to be much smaller and cheaper. In 1888 he developed the Kodak camera, witch was the first camera that was design to use roll film, the camera came with a roll that could take 100 exposures. He came up with the slogan, “ You press the button, we do the rest”. This meant that after the 100 exposures you would send the camera back to the company where they developed the photos, and then the photos and camera was sent back to the costumer. It was also possible for the customer to make a request for reloading the camera with fresh film for an additional &10 (about &250 today). The developed negatives was contact printed on gilded edged brown colored card stock. As film stock became standardized, George continued to lead in innovations, and refinements in colored film stock continued after his death in 1932.
I grew up with film rolls and I’ve seen how the camera has changed throughout the years, I’ve always been interested in photography, my grandfather has some really old cameras so I have always been fascinated how a camera works. The reason that I wanted to write about George Eastman and his invention of dry film is because this was a big game changing thing. This made the photo development prosses much quicker, the cameras was smaller and lighter. Ant the fact that he wanted the camera to be available for average people and not just the upper class people is such an good and inspiring way of thinking and taking actions. There would probably be someone else that would come up with this patent, but because George Eastman did it the camera history changed early. And because of that the cameras is by this day digital, gives us a insanely good quality, are small and light weighted and comes in a big variation price classes. If he didn’t invent this dry film I’m sure the camera industry wouldn’t be where it is today.
Sources
https://www.biography.com/inventor/george-eastman – History
https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Eastman – History
https://www.eastman.org/about-george-eastman – History + photos
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Eastman – History + photos
https://photofocus.com/inspiration/history/history-of-photography-introduction-of-kodak/ – History + photos