HUMN 303N Week 6 Discussion; Photography and Cinema

Week 6 Discussion 1 Required Resources Read/review the following resources for this activity: Textbook: Chapter 11 Lesson 1, 2 Minimum of 1 primary or scholarly source (from photographer or critic – either will count as your scholarly source requirement for discussions) Option 1: In the 19th century, the camera was a revolutionary invention, and many artists were concerned about the effect that photographs would have on the art world. Did the invention of the camera change the arts? Why or why not? The invention of the camera changed more than just the arts. It changed the lives of future generations making it one of the most appreciated forms of art that there is. The ability to capture a moment in time, exactly how it is to everyone’s eyes, was groundbreaking. For decades, you could only view the past based off of a creation that someone else made. Nowadays, photography is used as art, an ability to capture a memory or moment in time, can be used to express every emotion, and is some of the best representations of life during a time period. Photography has adapted and evolved in so many ways that it is almost unbelievable. The best point of reference would be the earliest surviving photograph using a heliograph and camera obscura. Joseph Nicéphore Niépce is the one who created the photograph above around 1827. “To make the heliograph, Niépce dissolved light-sensitive bitumen in oil of lavender and applied a thin coating over a polished pewter plate. He inserted the plate into a camera obscura and positioned it near a window in his second-story workroom. After several days of exposure to sunlight, the plate yielded an impression of the courtyard, outbuildings, and trees outside” (Harry Ransom Center, 2019). Niépce even described the process in writing acknowledging that it required further improvements, but it was nevertheless “the first uncertain step in a completely new direction” (Harry Ransom Center, 2019). It is unremarkabl