Photography - General

Arguably today's most popular and prolific art form, photography has revolutionized how we see and capture images of the world. It has evolved from a cost-prohibitive art that required extensive time and equipment to one that can now be developed in a less than a second.

The first publicly announced photographic process was that introduced by Louis Dageurre, which was made available commercially in 1839. Since then, developments in photography have reduced the required exposure time from minutes to a small fraction of a second. Developments have also incorporated more economical and convenient media such as roll films and memory cards. These developments have made it possible for even the most amateur of photographers to incorporate photographic art into their everyday lives.

At the end of the 19th century, photography began to replace painting as the preferred form of portraiture. Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen were two artists who were instrumental in helping the world recognize photography as a fine art, as opposed to just another form of record keeping. Stieglitz in particular is noted as introducing photography into museum collections, along with his wife, artist Georgia O’Keefe.

The introduction of computer-based electronic digital cameras in the '90s revolutionized photography into what we know it to be today: an accessible art form for many.