Photo tidbits

So, I have to admit that I hadn't a clue what all these things meant before now, but hopefully after you have read the following definitions, we'll both have a clearer understanding of these fancy photo words. 

Here goes nothing.

Daguerreotype. This was the first method that proved commercially successful in the photography industry, prominent in the 1700s and 1800s. In this method, a piece of paper was covered in a mirror-like combination of silver foil and copper. The nifty thing about this was that the photographs captured were direct positives. It was awfully helpful on account of the fact that it was more advanced than the camera obscura method, which required much more time an effort.  


Albumen. Album was the first method of making a photo from a negative. The secret ingredient in this process was egg whites - how versatile the egg is, eh?. The piece of paper was coated in egg white and then dipped into the regular silvery stuff. Alas, this method only lasted from the 1850s to the turn of the century.


Stereograph. Stereographs were the world's first attempt at 3D images; they were quite popular in the mid and late eighteen hundreds. The graphs themselves were two images set side by side, viewed by magic stereoscope glasses.


Carte de Visite These were the first trading cards, so to speak. After Napoleon III had his photograph done on one of these, these little photographs became all the rage with friends and travelers and who not. They became a phenomenon! Usually, they'd be created using the albumen method. Yes yes. 

Famous Photogs: Alexander Gardner and Matthew Brady

Alexander Gardner was a Scottish photographer (Scottish Power!) who was famous for his photographs of the civil war and Abraham Lincoln.  

 

Matthew Brady was also famous for his civil war photos, but he's also credited for being the father of photojournalism.