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Rebecca Dickinson
Mrs. Corbett
Senior Project Research Paper
18 November 2011
Photography; a Universal Art Form
Photography is a luxury which is taken for granted by the world today. However, the
ability to create lasting memories by capturing a moment is relatively new. As Eddie Adams
once said, “If it makes you laugh, if it makes you cry, if it rips out your heart, that's a good
picture” (“Strengths - Photojournalism”). Photography started out as a way of documenting
simple, inanimate objects. Today, photography is used in daily life as a way to connect with the
world. Since its invention, photography has grown from a single camera into a variety of forms
and professions, and at the same time it has changed the world. Photography is an art form that
evolved rapidly. Since the time it was invented in 1839 it has become a part of business, the
international news, and an institution in the lives of most individuals.
Using Aristotle’s camera obscura model, Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre and William
Henry Fox Talbot each created their own version of the first camera in 1839 (Collins).
Daguerre’s version, the daguerreotype, was originally more popular because it created unique
etchings on metal. Talbot’s talbotype created a monochromic image on paper, which is similar to
the more recent process of converting a photograph’s negative to a print. Building off of the
talbotype, Frederick Scott Archer came up with the collodion plate (Rosenblum 32). The
collodion plate helped the process of developing the negative images created with Talbot’s
invention. With the invention of this plate, photographers were then able to travel with a portable
darkroom. They were able to use their cameras to document significant occurrences happening in

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the world. The Civil War became one of the first events where citizens could see the overall
effects of war firsthand. Later the collodion plate was improved into the gelatin dry plate (Garrett
26). The collodion plate was more sensitive to light which meant pictures would develop more
quickly; the darkroom was no longer needed. Next, the shutter was added to the camera which
made capturing objects in motion possible. By 1885, George Eastman had created photographic
film. Three years later he had trademarked Kodak and put a camera with film already inserted
into it on the market. The process of returning the camera to the company to develop the film is
still used today. Thirty years later, a German company developed the Leica 1 (Garrett 28). The
Leica 1 was a smaller, lighter camera which was more convenient for individuals to carry than
the original cameras were. The Leica 1 and Kodak’s 1930s camera are considered the
grandparents of today’s 35mm cameras.
Cameras today have progressed greatly from their original form. Professional
photographers prefer the D-SLR versions. This camera uses the same lens for both viewing the
image and capturing the picture. The process uses a mirror to reflect the picture into the
viewfinder. As the picture is taken, this mirror moves and the shutter opens. The image sensor is
then put into the light (Martin et al. 10). Professionals prefer these cameras because the
equipment manages to take the picture more quickly and accurately, creating a clearer and more
engaging photograph. Viewers are able to connect more with the image and examine the finer
details. The other main type of camera today is the point-and-shoot (Martin 8). Amateur
photographers use these because they are small, easy to carry, and easy to operate. From the time
of the talbotype and the daguerreotype, cameras have transformed into many different versions.
Today there is a camera for everyone.

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Photography has helped revolutionize modern society. In some opinions, “photography
has become the most democratic form of art the world has ever known” (Garrett 14).
Photography is something that everyone can understand; something that is universal. A person
does not need to speak a certain language in order to understand a picture. For this reason,
photography has helped bring the world closer together. Another way that photography has
progressed is how it has become one of the “most powerful means of self-expression” (Garrett
14). People can easily take photographs of anything that interests them. They can capture their
unique memories and not limit their creativity in any way. Equipment that can easily be carried
around has given modern society the ability to document experiences more easily than in the
past. Another way photography has changed the world is how “photographers spread out to
every corner of the world, recording all the natural and manufactured phenomena they [can]
find” (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia). Photographers are able to show what is happening
around the world, sharing details with everyone. The world has become more interconnected
now that photographs help people remain in contact from continent to continent. All in all,
photography has changed the world by bringing people closer together and assisting in
individuality and creativity.
As photography grows, the jobs involving photography also grow. The use of
photography is necessary in many fields. Businesses need to use photography for many different
reasons, “from presentation of products and services, to promotion and record-keeping” (Ang
365). Photographs give a business the ability to give potential customers an accurate portrayal of
its work and the ability to see what a completed project may look like. Photography helps many
businesses become successful by selling their final product before completion. Architecture also
has many uses for photography, and it has “an enormous advantage over almost any other field

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of photography: [the] subject will stay in one place” (Ang 213). Many successful architectural
firms assemble books with photographs of their buildings and constructions, which are then
distributed to other firms for reference material, and to customers for review. Jobs utilizing
photography can be found in almost every media field. Photographs help connect places that are
far apart and help spread news faster.
Photojournalist’s jobs are simple to understand; to become involved in “the world’s great
injustices and [put] a face on them that the public and the government cannot ignore” (Moloney).
Exposing what is wrong and pointing out what is right alerts average citizens to what is
happening in the world, and helps them form opinions. A photojournalist is able to both show
and tell people what is going on. To be fair, a photojournalist must “[tell] their stories with
sincerity” (Moloney). Because a picture is said to paint one thousand words, it is vital to report
the correct facts. If a picture is taken out of context, the wrong message could be sent to the
public. Photojournalists must have qualities such as “adventure and intrigue,” and also “passion”
(Moloney). Curiosity helps drive them as they move from place to place attempting to document
history. Qualities such as these are useful since the best photographs are taken by those who
enjoy what they are doing. Most photojournalists are “socially concerned” (Lacayo and Russell
55). Cameras are the devices used to seize the conditions of a nation and spread the word on
what is occurring during the current period. The job of a photojournalist is to capture present
news and keep the citizens interconnected with their government and other large events. The job
of a photojournalist serves as an important link between the public and the government.
A person’s reason for utilizing photography can be personal. Although some use it for
their job, others use it as their hobby, or even their escape. As Alfred Stieglitz says, “In
photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality” (“Introduction to

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Photography”). Stieglitz means that photography has the power to capture who a person is.
Families and individuals can now immortalize important events in their lives. When someone
takes a picture, whatever they are photographing is relevant to them, and this allows them to put
their perspective into the photograph. Photography also has the power to “seek order and
construct the world” (Clarke 11). Photography shows that everyone looks at the world in a
different way, and photography helps piece everyone together. Having this unique outlook helps
people discover what they want to do with their life, as well as having the power to evoke
emotion. The reasons for entering the world of photography are numerous.
Since its creation, photography has proved to be a groundbreaking development and truly
is the most democratic art form. It is said that “the camera indulges in its capacity to produce
more than what is seen” (Clarke 181). The first time someone sees something, details can be
missed or overlooked. A photograph allows a moment to be viewed again and again because a
minute is frozen in time. The viewer is able to carefully observe that particular minute. One
battle fought between artists and critics would be “the fight to certify photography as a fine art”
(Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia). In the beginning, photography did not seem to be all that
glamorous because of its limitations. Today it has changed into its own art form, thanks to the
improvements made onto the original ideas. It takes an artist’s eye to take a good photograph.
Although some take photography seriously, others use it as a form of amusement and recreation.
Like any hobby, photography brings joy to the people who chose to pursue this engaging
activity. Someone can relive a great memory or moment over and over, and as long as the
photograph survives, the memory will as well. Because photography has managed to become
such a developed career, a seemingly permanent part of businesses, and a way for individuals to

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express creativity, it appears that the camera and its documenting ability will be around for a
long time to come.

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Works Cited
Ang, Tom. How to Photograph Absolutely Everything: Successful Pictures from Your Digital
Camera. Ed. Nicky Munro. New York: DK Publishing, 2007. Print.
Clarke, Graham. The Photograph. Ed. Oxford. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Print.
Collins, Ross. “Modern photojournalism: 1920-1990.” A Brief History of Photography and
Photojournalism. North Dakota State, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. <http://www.ndsu.edu//
~rcollins/photojournalism/.html>.
Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. “Photography, still.” Galileo. EBSCOhost, 1 Sept. 2011.
Web. 14 Oct. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com//detail?sid=9761a61b-5515-4499-bf7f-
b9e42040f9b2%40sessionmgr4&vid=9&hid=123&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ
%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=39003964>.
Garrett, John. K.I.S.S. Photography. Ed. Jennifer Williams. New York: DK Publishing, Inc.,
2001. Print.
“Introduction to Photography.” Georgetown University. N.p., 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2011.
<www9.georgetown.edu///.../intro-web.pp...>.
Lacayo, Richard, and George Russell. 150 Years of Photojournalism. Ed. Jane Kagan Vitiello.
2nd ed. New York: TIME Books, 1995. Print.
Martin, Bob, et al. The Ultimate Field Guide to Photography. Ed. Barbara Brownell Grogan, et
al. 2006. China: National Geographic, 2008. Print.
Moloney, Kevin. “So You Want to be a Photojournalist...” 2010. University of Colorado. Web.
16 Nov. 2011. <http://www.colorado.edu///_You_Want.pdf>.
Rosenblum, Naomi. A World History of Photography. Illus. Laura Gilpin. Ed. Walton Rawls.
New York: Cross River Press, 1984. Print.

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“Strengths - Photojournalism.” The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. The University
of Texas at Austin, 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. <http://www.cah.utexas.edu/
collections//.php>.