MONDAY, JULY 01, 2024
Ajit John
At one point in time, people would paint to capture an event or to keep memories. It was a tedious and time consuming process. Then, the camera was invented. What is a camera? A camera is an irreplaceable tool used to record and replicate memories, events, and people/places. Capturing an image of a person or place in a drawing took time and skill.Very few people can perfectly draw the likeness of someone, let alone capture the essence of an event. On June 29, India celebrates National Camera Day.
The origin of National Camera Day is unknown, but it is used to remember the existence of the camera and its many benefits. After all, how many other mediums can capture people and places so beautifully? How many other mediums can evoke smiles of memories of the past, or reminders of events that have shaped our lives? Cameras and photography have developed substantially over the years, from its early roots with the French inventor Joseph Niépce right up to modern day digital photography.
Joseph Niépce was a French inventor and is most noted as one of the inventors of photography and as a pioneer in the field. He developed the heliograph; a technique used to produce the world’s first known photograph in 1825, the view from the window at Le Gras, the family’s estate. In 1839, Louis Jacques Daguerre took the first fixed image that didn’t fade. He is recognized for his invention of the daguerreotype process of photography. He became known as one of the fathers of photography. His method required 30 minutes of exposure. He named the process – the Daguerreotype. Tintypes were developed in 1856 by Hamilton Smith and decades later, George Eastman invented flexible and unbreakable film that could be rolled. This was the birth of the first Kodak that was offered for sale in 1888.
In 1925, the Leica I went on sale, and its immediate popularity spawned a number of competitors. Kodak was one such competitor, and they released the Retina I in 1934. Though 35 mm cameras were still out of reach for most people things would soon change with the introduction of the inexpensive Argus A in 1936. The Japanese camera industry began with the birth of Canon in 1936 with its 35 mm rangefinder. Japanese cameras would soon become incredibly popular in the West after the Korean War as veterans and soldiers stationed in Japan brought them back to the United States.
While conventional cameras were becoming more refined and sophisticated, an entirely new type of camera appeared on the market in 1948. While TSLR and SLR were still the rage this new camera would change the way people would capture memories. This was the Polaroid, the world’s first instant-picture camera where no film development was needed. Known as a Land Camera after its inventor, Edwin Land, this camera was able to produce finished positive prints from the exposed negatives in under a minute. This new camera took the market by storm as people no longer had to sit still for long periods of time in order for their photographer to snap a picture.
The first digital camera that was commercially sold was in December of 1989 in Japan, the DS-X by Fuji. In 1991, Kodak brought to market the Kodak DCS-100, the beginning of a long line of professional Kodak DCS SLR cameras that were based in part on film bodies. It used a 1.3 megapixel sensor and was priced at $13,000.
With the standardisation of JPEG and MPEG in 1988, image and video files could be compressed for storage onto a SD or CF card. With the introduction of the Nikon D1 in 1999 at 2.47 megapixels, this was the first digital SLR that was entirely by a major manufacturer. The D1 cost just under $6,000 and was inexpensive for professional photographers and high-end consumers. This camera also used Nikon F-mount lenses, which meant photographers could utilise many of the lenses they already owned.
By 2010, nearly all mobile phones featured built-in cameras with a resolution of 1-2 megapixels digital video cameras. Many cameras also featured built-in GPS.
For photographers in Goa, it has been quite a love affair. For Ganadeep Sheldekar, it has been a passionate affair. A veteran who started photography in 1985, he started off his career using a Fujica camera. Over a period of time, he has used in the medium format brands like the Mamiya and then the Hasselbad. In the 35 mm, he used the Fujica, Nikon-FM, FM2, F5 and in the digital format the Nikon D 3100, D750, D850. With regards to the lenses, he has used the 200mm, 600mm and the 300mm2.8. He enjoys shooting wildlife and particularly birding.
Another photographer in love with his art is Akshay Naik. He has been a photographer for five years. He does wedding and corporate events. His friends introduced him to photography and he then took off from there. His sister first gave him a Nikon 6 and he later purchased a 750. He says his job is to capture emotions that make life so interesting. He says that is what makes his job so fascinating because he never knew what to expect at an event. He says, “One should learn to expect the unexpected. My job is to capture the joy that is the essence of such events.”
Surendra Hari Naik is a Goan photographer who is based in Brazil. “I have been a photographer for almost 15 years now. I started with a Nikon D40 back then, and now I have a Nikon D810 and Nikon D750. In photography, it’s the eye behind the that matters and a good camera just enhances the image. With time you notice that you already see the image before the camera captures it. This is beautiful and satisfying feeling, how you see things differently.” He has made a career photographing expecting mothers for their maternity shoots.
Agnelo Lobo, a veteran photographer, says he started in photography at the age of 8 and is now 61 and has seen it all and done it all. He has done weddings both domestic and NRI in India and abroad. He has also used a drone and was the first to use it in Goa. He has used cameras across various companies ranging from Nikon, Hasslebad, Panasonic and now Sony. He says, “I always liked to use the best equipment and it was never about only making money but about making a mark. I am now doing the weddings of the children of people I shot twenty five years ago.”
The camera has evolved over a period of time. It has become more advanced and importantly smaller and easily portable, this is an invention which will stand the passage of time for sure. It is estimated that according to research, man takes more than 1.5 trillion digital photos annually. One can only hope this love affair continues to grow as time passes.
