|
Roger
Clark from the Ross on Wye photography society explains more:
PHOTOGRAPHY
- The capture of an image from life onto a sensitive material so
that copies could be made dates back to the latter part of the first
half of the 19th century.
Originally
the material was paper coated with light sensitive chemicals to
be soon followed by glass plates similarly coated, which in turn
gave way to coated film which was rolled into spools. Cameras
were designed to cope with the different materials.
Until
about twenty years ago all photography was film based but then digital
photography emerged and over the past five years has come to dominate
the colour scene as cameras have become cheaper and picture quality
improved.
The
basic thing is still the same, i.e. an image is captured on to a
sensitive material from which a finished picture can be produced.
Most
people have a camera even though it might only be used once a year
for holidays or recording family events but it has been estimated
that there is a roll of film used each year for every person in
the world (at least until digital arrived)
From
the later years of the 19th century photography took hold as a popular
pastime throughout the western world and spread world-wide.
There
had been photographic societies from the very first days notably
in Edinburgh. The Royal Photographic Society now based in Bath was
an early creation and has become one of the major photographic institutions
in the world bringing together the professional and hobbyist wings
and they as much as any other body has defined the hobby as we know
it today.
In
most towns today there is a Photographic Society or Camera Club
which meets, usually weekly, to listen to speakers, look at portfolios
of interesting work, discuss techniques and take part in competitions
(though let it be said there are those who are not minded to get
involved in competitions and still enjoy their photography)
Some
members of clubs have their own darkrooms where they process films
and make the finished pictures but more and more people use mini-labs
and scan pictures into computers to get the finished picture or
of course use digital cameras to get the original image.
There
has been a battle over whether digital pictures are photographs
but it is generally accepted now that it is the finished picture
that counts.
The
photographic clubs are usually members of a local federation such
as the Midland Counties and these federations are under the Photographic
Federation of Great Britain. Very
few clubs are not in the hierarchy.
What
is the attraction of Photography? Is it the ability to record a
moment in time for ever and use that record in the future (Grandmas
old shoe box full of family treasures and memories) or just a way
of attempting to keep imperishable something which was the perfection
of a moment, or simply a record.
Whichever
way you look at it there is something which appeals to human nature.
Check
out our gallery of photographs
from Ross on Wye photographic society.
|
