Pre-Digital Photographic Technology

Photo by: Keith Dotson

Image source: https://keithdotson.com/products/downtown-nashville-seen-from-the-pedestrian-bridge-shot-on-35mm-film-000018350030

    

    Before the invention of photography, there were several methods and technologies used to take or create images, these techniques that were used before the technology invented: photogravure, cry palate collodion, rotogravure, black and white roll film, twin lens reflex cameras, Leica 35mm cameras, 35mm color film, 35mm SLR cameras, interchangeable lens for 35mm SLR cameras, 35mm SLR cameras with motor drives. but today I will be writing a blog about black and white roll film.

    Before I knew about this class I used to be obsessed with black and white films because my cousin whom I used to be close with in Thailand used to watch this series where they have a lot of clues and references to black and white films needing to be developed. As Aaron Gold from the DRproview mentions "black and white film is the oldest and simplest type of photographic emulsion. black and white film is easy to work with because it can be developed at room temperature using beginning chemicals, and print can be made in a room illuminated by a safelight. black and white film is coated with an emulsion consisting of light-sensitive silver halide crystal suspended in gelatin. exposing these crystals to light can cause a chemical change, and the pattern of exposed crystals forms an invisible 'latent image' on the film. when the film is developed, crystals that have been exposed to silver halide are removed from the film. this forms a visible negative image with dark spots of silver representing the lighter part of the image. the negatives can be scanned or printed on black and white photographic paper, which works much like a film and must also be developed." 

Many types of black and white film are divided into two main groups: tabular grain and traditional grain.  tabular-grain films with a flattened crystal structure were introduced in the 1980s, including Kodak T-Max and Ilford Delta. Compared to films with traditional grain, they offer a greater resolution and less pronounced grain. For their larger, more random grain structure, traditional grain films like Kodak Tri-X, Ilford FP4+, HP5+, Kentmere, and Fomapan are currently preferred by certain photographers. Higher ISO film is more light-sensitive and requires shorter exposure times. Most black-and-white movies available now are panchromatic, catching all colors of light and reproducing them in shaded gray. In contrast, the infrared film picks up infrared light that is undetectable to the human eye, while the less popular orthochromatic film is sensitive to blue, green, and yellow light. Most papers only react to blue and green light when generating black-and-white prints, allowing them to be used securely under red or orange safelights. Developing a black and white film at home is an easy option due to its low-cost effectiveness and ease compared to lab processing, unlike color film black and white film uses a distinct chemical process, and lab services for it are often pricier due to the low demand and greater variability in development methods. after deleting your film, you can either print it or scan it, most labs offer both printing and scanning services or you can invest in a film scanner, setting up a home printing darkroom is also easy because it requires a light-tight space with a safe light, your negatives pictures, developing trays, water supply for washing prints and sufficient drying space. 

    with the help of Art of Headhsot, I found out about how photojournalism was affected by black and white film when it was invented. when the first camera was invented in the 1820s people relied heavily on traditional media for capturing images for example: painting, sketching, and drawing. just like during the Civil War where line art illustration based on photography from the battlefield helped make the paper one of the definitive documents of the war. the first successful black-and-white images were developed by Joseph Nicephore Niepce a French developer. from the video that was provided by Professor Nordell the wet collodion photographic process was found and it produced a glass negative and a beautifully detailed print. this method thrived from 1850 until about 1880 when other methods were found. black and white pictures are not black and white sometimes they have a blue tint to the pictures from the cyanotype process and the brown tone that used the albumen process. people from relying on the traditional medium started using cameras that take black and white photos and that was when photojournalism started to become popular.

    In this picture after raising my phone and taking a selfie of me and Charlotte in her room after we finished our assignment. the photos were taken on Sunday 25 September, 2023. this picture is important because this is the first time we finished our homework in time for us to cook mac and cheese and fried eggs after as a reward for finishing our assignment. the process of just picking up my phone and taking the picture and then seeing it afterward is way easier and faster than taking the picture and then taking time to develop the pictures and then scanning it.

    After reading through a lot of generations and generations of how people take photos. taking pictures today with more photographic technology is very different from how it was done before the advances of technology. some of the major difference that I can see is the size of the equipment, the image quality, access and availability, and the overall cost. taking pictures back in the day involved carrying a big, bulky camera with a complex process that requires log exposure time and makes it hard to capture the subject without moving as Cappa is said to have shot 106 photographers over the course of 90 minutes but because the photos take log to capture before these photos come out blurry and not in focus. the image quality of the picture was often monochromatic and had limited resolution. photography was an exclusive pursuit mainly active by professionals or hobbyists who could afford the equipment and materials, especially during the great depression from 1929 and 1932. Nowadays we can take pictures with digital cameras, and smartphones and these devices are portable and offer instant results with higher-resolution images. nowadays everyone has access to a camera and it is a common hobby and Images can be instantly shared on social media platforms it also costs less once you have a smartphone because you use your phone more than just to take pictures.