Author Archives: Tegan

Local History

This is a photo of the 1oth street bridge in 1917. I chose it because it is right near my work and although the bridge has been redone it is interesting to see what it had looked like in the past.
This photo shows 3 men and 1 woman camping at Harrison Park after 1893. I chose this photo because I found it cool how so many years later I have camped in the same park, perhaps the same spot as these people before me.

Life Without Photography

Imagining life without photographs is hard to wrap our minds around. Photography is such a fundamental part of being human. Especially having grown up in an era of phones and social media, photos have played a major part in how we understand life. Instagram and Facebook have in some way shaped our identity and have given us a source to share our lives with those around us. Without photography life would become dull. We would lose a connection with those around us. For example, when my brother had his baby in PEI, my family in Ontario were able to see the baby through photographs being exchanged. This brought so much joy to my dad. In a way, he was able to experience the birth of his grandchild all the way in another province, showing the impact photos can hold on one’s life.

Also, with a lack of photographs I believe we would lose our identities. Understanding who we are would feel so different. I think being able to take a photo of yourself and see it representing you gives another sort of angle at understanding what you look like and who you are. This could be a positive considering all the insecurities that are created from edited photos, but I believe this would also take some of our identity.

The most devastating aspect perhaps would be the loss of memories. Photos have the remarkable ability to capture a moment in time and stay unchanging forever. It tells the story of the past even when those in the photos have forgotten.

The First Cameras

The first portable camera was designed by Johann Zahn in 1685, although the first photo wasn’t taken until 1814 by Joseph Nicephore Niepce. The credit for the invention of the camera is shared between these two.

What did the first cameras look like? They were huge in size and even required several people to operate them. These cameras would take non permanent photographs and the photographer would he to trace out the images after snapping them.

The first digital camera came out in 1975, developed by Eastman Kodak engineer Steven Sasson. He built his prototype from a movie camera and Motorola parts. It required 16 batteries and CCD electronic sensors.