How did photography evolve from camera obscura to digital?

The history of photography began with the optical principle of the camera obscura and the discovery that certain substances alter when exposed to light. Early experiments by figures like Thomas Wedgwood and Nicéphore Niépce eventually led to Louis Daguerre's commercially viable daguerreotype and Henry Fox Talbot's calotypes. Subsequent innovations reduced exposure times, introduced roll film, and ultimately paved the way for the digital revolution and smartphone cameras.

What we know

• The history of photography rests on two critical principles: camera obscura image projection and the discovery that some substances alter when exposed to light. [2]
• Nicéphore Niépce managed to fix an image captured with a camera around 1826 or 1827, requiring hours or days of exposure. [2]
• Louis Daguerre developed the daguerreotype, the first publicly announced and commercially viable photographic process, which required only minutes of exposure. [2]
• The commercial arrival of digital cameras in the 1990s revolutionized photography, leading to a decline in film as digital technology improved. [2]
• Photography is defined as the art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light electronically or chemically. [3]

Where to go next

• how it workedWhat was the daguerreotype process?
• whoWho was Nicéphore Niépce?
• what followedHow did digital cameras change photography?
• the bigger pictureWhat is fine-art photography?
• what caused itHow do camera obscura projections work?
• an unexpected connectionHow did essayist Susan Sontag view photography's impact on society?Susan Sontag's 1977 collection of essays examines how photography fosters a voyeuristic relationship with the world and can diminish the meaning of events.

Sources

• [1]history of photography (Wikidata Q355472) · CC0 1.0
• [2]History of photography · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Photography · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]On Photography · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Fine-art photography · CC BY-SA 4.0