Notes

In this lesson, you’ll recall the key developments in the history and evolution of commercial photography. You’ll also define depth of field and explain how it is applied in photography. Then, you’ll select the correct type of light and lighting technique to create a desired effect. You’ll also select the correct composition technique to create a desired image. Additionally, you’ll identify careers related to photography and explain the type of work involved with each career. You’ll also state the education and training required for a career in commercial photography. Finally, you’ll identify the current trends in commercial photography.
History and Evolution
After the invention of the camera, people started using photography as a substitute for painting. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes described photography as “a mirror with a memory.”

The camera obscura was among the first photography devices. It was a simple, lens-less, “pinhole camera.” Initially, people used this device to view eclipses without damaging their eyes. Later, during the seventeenth century, people equipped it with a lens to generate better and brighter images.
Before the invention of the modern-day camera, Tiphaigne de la Roche spoke of the possibility of such a device in his work titled Giphantie, which was published in 1760. He claimed that it was possible to create a device that would capture images from nature on a canvas layered with a sticky substance. Then, by drying the canvas in the dark, one could etch the image on the canvas permanently.

Roche’s idea became a reality when Nicéphore Niépce invented a technique called heliography to etch images on paper. However, this technique required an image exposure of eight hours. In collaboration with Louis Daguerre, Niépce experimented with silver compounds. In 1839, the duo developed a process called daguerreotype. This process reduced the exposure time to just a half hour. In 1835, William Henry Fox Talbot produced the calotype negative (or paper negative). This technique captured poor-quality images compared to the images captured using a daguerreotype. However, its advantage was that a photographer could easily create multiple copies of a photograph.

Daguerreotype of Louis Daguerre