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Example research essay topic: History Of Color Photography - 1,394 words

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History of Color Photography Color photographs have now gained the status of one of the most common commodities of modern living. It is quite impossible for us to imagine newspapers and magazines without them. However, it took a long time for the practitioners of photography to develop a reliable technique of color imaging. In 1777, Karl Shall discovered that silver chloride darkens, after it was being exposed to violet light.

Thus, for the first time it became obvious for scientists that color photography is possible in principle. Nevertheless, it was not up until the beginning of 19 th century that people realized that color pictures can only be obtained by perfecting the method of light filtering, along with finding a chemical formula for emulsion that would be sensitive to different colors of specter. In 1800, Thomas Young proved that our eyes can only distinguish 3 basic colors red, green and blue. Ten years later, Johan Site discovered that silver chloride absorbs all colors, while being exposed to white light. The trick was to find a way of making emulsion of chloride silver to stick to the flat surface this took another 30 years.

Only in 1840 Edmond Bekerel was able to get a stable colored image on the plate, which was covered with a thin layer of silver chloride. However, it is a Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell who is officially credited with invention of color photography. This occurred in 1861, when Maxwell produced a colored image of two crystals. In 1878 Louis Ducos du Huron publishes a book, called Color photography, where he described two different methods of obtaining colored images additive and subtractive.

The additive method is based on the theory of three colors. It allows photographer to obtain a realistic colored images through mixing three basic colors in different proportions. When we project green, red and blue lights onto the screen at the same time, we can regulate colored gamma by adjusting the intensity of lights. There are two types of colors chromatic and achromatic. Chromatic colors contain are contained in the rainbows specter.

Achromatic colors are white, black and grey. The mixing of chromatic and achromatic colors is the main principle of additive method. The essence of subtractive method derives from its very name colors are being subtracted until photographer obtains a realistic image. Colors are subtracted from white light by dyes or pigments.

This method became the most popular in the second half of twentieth century, as numerous scientific discoveries, in the field of chemistry, allowed designing of a multilayered film. The year 1893 is marked with the invention of liner light filter by John Jolly. It simplified the photographic process to a considerable degree, because photographer no longer needed to produce three positives, which were being used for obtaining one image. The liner light filters were being widely used in color photography up until thirties. The main drawback of cameras with such light filter is long exposure, which means that they cannot be used for taking dynamic pictures.

In 1903, brothers Lumiere designed photographic process called Auto chrom. It immediately boosted the popularity of color photography, because this process reduced the exposure time to 1 - 2 seconds. In his article Color Photography: Introduction Werner Hammerstingl describes the essence of auto chrom process: The photographic plate was covered with minute grains of starch, dyed orange, green and violet in equal proportions. Washed with an emulsion of silver gelatin-bromide, the plate was exposed in the camera, the untouched side of the glass foremost. The colored grains acted as selection filters. Development turned the negative into a positive reproducing the original colors by the phenomenon of complementarity (Hammerstingl). 1904 marks the time when first high quality colored images were being produced.

The colored photos taken by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorski i in 1905, for example, still amaze viewers with their exceptional quality. Nevertheless, the technological complexity of color photography was remaining too high. This was preventing the majority of photographers from switching to color. This is why chemists continuously worked on developing the reactive's that would allow miniaturization of the whole process.

It was clear that color photography will only be able to gain a wide recognition after becoming more affordable. Another important date in the history of color photography is 1912. In this year, Rudolph Fisher had discovered special chemicals that enabled the refinement of colors, during the developing of film. These chemicals are being injected into the emulsion to act as catalysis. During the process of developing, they restore the original colors and create negative images that are later being layed upon each other. In 1924, Leopold Mani's had patented his original subtractive method, which allowed the creation of double-layered film.

However, the practice proved that designing of multi layered films represented a great technological challenge. The biggest difficulty was to find a way to prevent two emulsions from reacting with each other, while being in contact. It was not up until 1935 that the first color film was being introduced by Kodak for mass use. The film Kodachrome had three emulsion layers, which reacted to the different colors of specter. The colors were being added in this film one by one, during the process of development. Also, the process itself was very complicated, because it required the application of exact amounts of chemicals.

Therefore, the buyers had to send used films to companys headquarters, for the development. It would usually take from two to three weeks for the developed film to be delivered back to the customers. This was not very convenient; therefore, Kodachrome could never become very popular among people. The first truly popular film was being introduced by Kodak in 1942.

It was called Kodacolor and it could be developed by amateur photographers at home. Despite it high price, Kodacolor instantly became a hot sold item in stores. In fact, company could not even keep up with the demand. Ever since, digital photographs begin to circulate on ever-increasing scale. By 1950, a half of printed photographs in U. S.

were colored. More and more people were buying color films. Nevertheless, it was only in 1963 that it became clear to everyone that future belonged to color photography. This year marks the introduction of the first instant color film by Polaroid. The whole principle of color imaging was being revolutionary re-considered. Polaroids film served as both actual film and photo paper.

After taking a picture, camera would initiate a chemical process within the film. It would result in producing a positive image in the matter of minutes, after the film was being ejected out of camera. What was important is the fact that Polaroid simplified taking a color pictures to a degree that anyone could become photographer, without having to learn a theory. People no longer needed to memorize the proportions of chemicals that had to be used for films development. By nineties black and white photography became virtually extinct. Color images became a necessary attribute of even the cheapest newspapers.

Still, as it appears now, the technological advancement of color photography did not stop at that. 70 % of all color pictures taken in U. S. in 2006 were digital. The digital technology opens new horizons for the color photography, because it allows colors intensity and realism not to be affected by the chemical factors. In 2004 Kodak ceased production of film cameras. This example will be followed by other cameras manufactures in very near future.

Thus, we can see the technology of color photography is going to change its very essence. By 2010 there are going to be no more films produced for photography, as they are becoming thing of the past. The historical evolution of color photography progressed with amazing speed. It is not too long ago that having a color photographs on the wall was considered to be the symbol of status. Now, anyone can print its own colored photographs within seconds at home.

This proves that the scientific progress is objective category. Bibliography: Bellis, Mary History of Photography and the Camera. 2007. About: Inventors. 18 Mar. 2007. web Hammerstingl, Werner Colour Photography, Introduction. 1999. Olinds. com. 18 Mar. 2007.

web Green spun, Philip History of Photography Timeline. Jan. 2007. Photo. net. web Photography. 2005. Wikipedia. 18 Mar. 2007.

web Lewis, Jim Kodachrome Moment. 10 Feb. 2003. Slate. com. 18 Mar. 2007. web


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