Camera Obscura

 Power of The Image

Each time I review Talbot, Bayard, Niepce, and the earlier years of photography I am reminded of the power that a simple image can have. I am also reminded that until artists such as Chuck Close, photography was rarely seen as a valid art form and that our society still seems to have taken the power of the image for granted.

Let's take a second to imagine a world deprived of the invention of daguerreotypes, Kodak, and the influence of a captured image on painters such as Dega.  Hubble would have never been able to capture a cepheid variable (light from a pulsating star) on a simple piece of glass, ultimately proving the existence of the big bang theory. Without the creation of Kodak, images of Hitler would disappear from history books and the zeppelin explosion would have never made it on an album cover. Families would lose vivid memories of loved ones long gone and the history books would tell a different story in regards to slavery. 

The importance of early photography truly shaped the world and no matter the quality of the image a story can always be found and later shared. Today because of the works of these photographic pioneers we can create images at lightning speed, share personal stories, and even challenge the government when civil liberties are being disregarded. As the Kodak camera circulated in the hands of mothers, children, and aspiring artists, my guess is that Eastman would have never guessed that his invention would lead to the influence digital media has today on society.