Edited by Gerald Boerner
Commentary:
Photography came on the scene in 1839. For years the dominate type of image available was the Daguerreotype which recorded the image on a metal plate; duplicates were not possible. In the 1850s, glass negative came onto the scene and multiple images could now be produced from a single negative. But with both of these techniques, large, bulky, “view” cameras were required. These were the tools of the professional photographer, not the amateur “snapshot” hobbyist.
But in the 1880s, George Eastman developed a flexible film that could be used by both professionals as sheets and by amateurs as rolls of film. In 1888, Eastman made available a box camera preloaded with film that only requires the hobbyist to push a button to take a picture. After winding it to the next position, another picture could be taken. When all images were completed on a roll of film, the user sends the entire camera to Kodak.
When Kodak receives the spent film, it is removed from the camera and processed. The camera is reloaded with fresh film and returned to the user with the negatives and prints from the last shoot. The hobbyist now can be a photographer! Breakthrough like this immediately put technology in people’s hands by removing unnecessary obstacles to their use. We have seen this repeated with digital cameras in recent years.
So, let’s get our exploration started… GLB
These Introductory Comments are copyrighted:
Copyright©2011 — Gerald Boerner — All Rights Reserved[ 4076 Words ]
Quotations Related to EASTMAN KODAK:
“You push the button, we do the rest.”
— George Eastman
“I have to stay in soaps to pay my bills to Kodak.”
— Michael Zaslow
“What we do during our working hours determines what we have; what we do in our leisure hours determines what we are.”
— George Eastman