Category: Historical Essay

Camera has been an essential tool for creating digital media, and visual arts. It can capture any still photographs either on film or digitally. It innovated and inspired a lot of other technology. The biggest revolutionary aspect of the camera has been the digital camera, and the camera phone. The majority of the people in this digital age use it for a variety of reason. Its a tool that people can’t live without. You can share all kinds of life moment for yourself to remember by or share with others, communicate with other with both visual and audio, and create unique visual arts, the possibility for it is endless. However, the function of the camera doesn’t just capture a single still image, it can capture a lot of still images to create a film. While the camera is an innovative technology device, but what it produces signify how important it is. Video and photo become a necessary to communication, education, and preservation of history.

A camera is an instrument for capturing still images or recording sequences of images constituting into a video or movies. Which can be stored locally on a drive or transmitted to another location through wi-fi. The way the camera takes a photo is when it captures the light that reflects through the lens. Then it records the image by the actions of light or other forms of radiation on to a sensitive material. All cameras have the same basic design. It makes use of the lenses for focus, mirrors to reflects the light into the camera, a shutter mechanism that controls the length of time that light can enter the camera. The term photography comes from two Greek words, “Photos” which mean lights, and “graphein” which mean draw. So together it means to draw the light in. The function of the camera works similar to the human eye.

The first camera came from camera obscura or the pinhole camera. Its is also the Latin name for “dark room”. Camera obscura is a phenomenon that occurs when the image is projected through a small hole in the device and project an upside-down image on to the opposite surface. The oldest practice of this phenomenon was by a Han Chinese philosopher Mozi during 470 B.C to 391 B.C. While Mozi discovered that the camera obscura image is inverted due to the light travel in a straight line, it was the Arab Physicist Ibn al-Haytham, Alhazen, that created the pinhole camera in the 11th century. However, at first it wasn’t able to preserve the image in a photographic form, and it was mainly used to watch the solar eclipses. It wasn’t until the early 1800s, that the inventor Nicephore Niepce came up with heliographs which used light to capture the image in prints. He experimented with a sliding wooden box camera and used light to imprint the image on different type of materials, which works like an engraving on to a plate. His ideas were further expanded by his former partner, Louis Daguerre. He created the first practical photographic process called the daguerreotype. The process consisted of a silver-plated copper sheet and coated with silver iodide. In 1841, Henry Fox Talbot simplified the printing process by transferred the resulting image onto a sheet of paper.

Over the course of the photography history, film has been a major part of the history of cameras. The application of film is still being used today. The techniques for making better quality photos improved, and colored photos was made possible due to film. George Eastman was responsible for pioneering the photography with his film and camera. In 1885, he developed paper film, and later used celluloid film a few years later. His camera “Kodak” was the first major portable, affordable, and easy to use camera in the market. It had a fixed focus and a single shutter speed setting. The Kodak had 100 exposures film and need to send back to the factory for processing. However, his camera is popular for its low-cost.

The next type of camera that gain popularity was the single lens reflex camera. It has a mirror that redirect the light from the lens to the viewfinder prior to releasing the shutter. The mirror flips up and allow a specific set of exposure. The significant design of the SLR camera is the finger pressure on its shutter release button. Asahiflex, made by Asahi company, was well known for its SLR camera, during mid-1900s. Other camera brands like Canon, Nikon and Yashica later entered the camera market. Nikon later developed the first interchangeable components camera and established a strong reputation for manufacturing professional cameras.

The most modern and innovative cameras are the digital cameras that we are all familiar with and used today. The most significant photography advancement of digital cameras is that it no longer required film to store images, instead the images can be stored digitally through a memory cards, or internal storage. The image can still be printed, and they can also be viewed on the camera display screen. The photographer can view the picture right after it was taken. There are many models, gadgets, and other features that can be added or integrated into the cameras. Digital cameras are being powered with replaceable, and rechargeable batteries. There are more advance settings to capture different types of picture and in under different circumstances. For example, ISO, white balance, focus, shutter speed, image resolution, aperture, and other cameras controls can all be adjusted. While most digital cameras are aiming to be more compacted and portable, there are still cameras for professional uses. The digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR) is more bulky and expensive than other smaller models. However, it has more features to capture high quality image, and with different variation.
While the digital camera bought popularity of photography in the early 2000s, it was the smartphone camera that bought digital photography into masses. It created a huge impact on professional photographers. While before, photographers won’t waste a single film unless they are confidence that it would work. Now, people can take unlimited photos on their phone with ease. The number of photographs and the quality increased dramatically.

Photos and videos taken from camera are used to communicate, often to tell stories. There is a cliché that a picture is worth a thousand words. It’s a tool to capture events and people. It shows us what is important to us. Its like a record memory that is irreplaceable, and precious to us. Pictures can be our personal story, a timeline of our lives. Not only can it represent your personal stories, it can last a life time, and become a legacy for future generations. Images are more than records. We tend to have the desire to share what we found interesting, funny, beautiful, or sad. Photographs allow people to share and communicate on a personal level. It also allows us to be artists, and enable us to express our feelings, and emotions. People can create breathtaking art with people, things that we interacted with every day. Photography make us appreciate how amazing and beautiful life is.

Camera has come a long way, from a tool to view the solar eclipse to a device that are used to capture life movement or share artworks with others. It has become part of our life on how we preserve memories, in both digital and printed form. The technology of photography is continuing to advance just like other modern digital technology. I hope there are more creative and different ways to alter photos and videos.

 

Work Cited:

A Brief History of the Camera, Photography Basics,
https://www.photography-basics.com/history-of-the-camera/

Five ways the digital camera changed us, Castella Tom De, BBC News Magazine, Feb 28 2012, http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16483509

Why is the Camera Important?, Kichline Patrisha, Techwalla, https://www.techwalla.com/articles/why-is-the-camera-important

The history of the Camera, Jade, History Things, April 1, 2016

The History of the Camera

The Comic Book Story of Video Games, Hennessey Jonathan and Mcgowan Jack, Ten Speed Press, 2017

 

Before headphone was commonly used to play music. Back in the day it had nothing to do with music at all. The development and growth of technology is often inspired or innovated from old technology. Its ancestors were the earpiece that the operator was using back in the 1800s. It was the only way to hear electrical audio signals. In the 1880s, telephone operators carried a 10 pounds earpiece on their shoulders to communicate. (Image a boombox strap to your shoulder.) It was designed to keep their hand free. The main purpose of the headphone is to allow the user to hear the audio source privately. The models after were design for easy access, and better sound quality. Headphone later in the 20th to 21th century made a breakthrough and created a huge impact in the music industry and to the world. However, it may have some negative drawback. People claim that it may drop concentration and productivity for the user using during work or school. The most popular negative drawback is that headphone make people anti-social. Headphone not only changed the way we listen to music but also the relationship to public spaces and other people.

The first headphone that was successfully tested was in the early 1910. Nathaniel Baldwin made a claim that he made a device from his kitchen that can amplify sound. The United States Navy was interested in the device and bought it to use it in World War 1. It was the first model that has the traditional band in the middle and two mini speakers on the ear. They were later commonly used for radio work, like telephone/radio operators, and for the US navy. It wasn’t until late 1950s, John C. Koss developed the first stereo headphone and changed the radio listening habit, allowing people to listen to radio anywhere. After two decades in the 1980s, the headphone gains ah huge popularity due to Sony Walkman cassette players, making listening to music publicly with ease. In the 20th century, there were a lot of music technology developed. Music was able to transmit through radio, speaker made music loud, and cars has speaker to made music mobile. Headphone was the major turning point that changed the music history.

The main purpose of the headphone is allowing the user to listen to the audio source, mainly music, privately. This took a different direction for the music’s social purpose. Before people enjoyed music together, by dancing, singing along with it. It was a way for people to bond. “Music together with dance co-evolved biologically and culturally to serve as a technology of social bonding” said Nils L. Wallin and Bjorn Merker in The Origins of Music. Music was meant to be enjoyed with others, but headphones allow music to be enjoyed alone. However, to most music lovers, headphone was a savor to their privacy. It provided the independence that people have sought. They want the option to share and listen to what they desire. Headphone is the medium for people to express their thought and emotion. It has the capacity to carry our thought, an outlet to vent their feelings, and problems. Music can help changed the emotion and mood for the listener and having the option to listen to their favorite song on the go was something that they wished for.

By listening to music alone, essentially blocking outside audio source and communication with outside. Some people have some concern that headphone can make us anti-social. “Loneliness is one of the first things ordinary Americans spend their money achieving.” Stephen Marche said in his cover story for The Atlantic. “The price of self-determination and self-reliance has often been loneliness. Americans have always have been willing to pay that price. “People like to control their environment” Dr. Michael Bull from University of Sussex explained on how headphone changed the relationship between people and public space. “music is the most powerful medium for thought, mood and movement control.” Social interaction with strangers can be nervous, disturbing, or even painfully awkward. It’s an unconformable situation that no one enjoy. Listening to music with headphone became a way for people to avoid those situations. Wearing headphone in public automatically creates a barrier with the outside people. The society assume people wearing it are busy or just don’t want to be bothered. Controlling the public environment was one of the most important concern in our generation.

As more people listen to their music on their headphone, it not just the easy access, or to avoid interaction. Most people also enjoy their music on high quality. Different audio output has different various of sound, their own sonic anomalies. Bob Power, Grammy winning producer explained the three main differences listening from a stereo headphone than to a regular speaker. The first is the depth perception. The right left signals won’t be as intermingled as hearing it from a stereo headphone. The second is how the frequencies are rendered. Some factory earbuds or computer speakers can’t handle the high or low frequencies. The third is the presence, “a sense of being closer to the music”, since its right into their ears. Another record producer Nick Sansano, also explains that it provides more dynamic range. “I spend more and more time sound-mixing on headphones, knowing a huge portion of the audience will be doing the same. We have to provide music that will translate within the limitations of earbuds, small speakers. Less dynamics essentially makes listeners perceive the song’s sound as loud and present.” Headphones became a way for artist to communicate with their audience. Not only did it change the way how artist produced music, but also the pleasure for how the audience wants to listen.

While the main focus was on the sound quality with many headphone users, it also became a fashion trend. The development and the evolution of headphone is not just the sound quality but also the aesthetic appeal. In 2008, Dr. Dre saw the rise of the headphone and sought after the business as a luxury item. Dr. Dre, Jimmy Lovine created Beats by Dre headphone with the help of Monster. The attitude toward headphone changed, with the texture of the earpads and the color, the style, became just as important as the audio quality. Beats became the headphone fashion icon., with celebrity like Lil Wayne, Lebron and many more wearing it. A whole industry began to complete with Beats as more model became more visually appealing. Consumers became more willing to pay more for the new style, and the quality.

While the use of headphone is simply used for listening to audio sounds. There are many applications uses in the professional fields, and from many different sources. In the studio, high quality sound headphone is used for sound mixing, sound engineering, and monitoring the sound quality. DJs cue up the next song on their headphone without playing it on the main speaker. Singers and musicians sing along to the track with the headphone on. Audio engineers uses the headphone to listen to the sound quality for mixing sound for live concert or during recording. Military and cell center monitor the audio signals and communicate with headphone.

Headphone was able to evolve the music production and give people the independence that people hoped for. Music is a powerful medium for thought and emotion. People wants private music for their own enjoyment. The original use for the headphone developed by Baldwin was communication, a way for people to connect, now its became a way to disconnect with people, an aura of privacy.

 

Work cited:

Marsden Rhodri. The rise and rise of headphones: Why the set you buy isn’t just a question of sound quality, but identity. The Independent. Dec 2015. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-rise-and-rise-of-headphones-why-the-set-you-buy-isn-t-just-a-question-of-sound-quality-but-a6756396.html

Thompson Derek. How Headphones Changed the World. The Atlantic. May 30 2012.  https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/05/how-headphones-changed-the-world/257830/

Petrusich Amanda. Headphones Everywhere. The New Yorker. July 12, 2016. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/headphones-everywhere

Cool Material. History of Headphone.  http://coolmaterial.com/roundup/history-of-headphones/