In 1841 taking a picture required a lot of effort. In 1888, George Eastman invented the first roll film camera. In 1948, the Polaroid camera is marketed to allow people to take a photo and have it developed immediately, right from the camera. In 1963, Polaroid came out with the first colored film. Then, in 1993, the camera phone technology was used in Japan and quickly spread around the world. In 2012, the wireless cameras were invented. View the entire history of the photography below.
History Of Photography Presentation from Stephen Torode

Today, we think nothing about using our smart-device to capture the world around us.  The camera is a treasured possession. Capturing nature was not very easy before the 1800’s. During the Seventeenth Century, there were no smart-devices or cameras available. Before cameras and photography, scientists had to rely on drawings of natural specimens to study insects, and artists were often called upon to make these drawings. Entomological still-life painting became an important genre in Europe. Below is the work of several artists that specialized in drawings of the natural world.

Image:Butterfly, Caterpillar, Moth, Insects, and Currants  Jan van Kessel II	Image: Dragonfly, Pear, Carnation, and Insect Joris Hoefnagel	Image: Four Beetles and a Flying Stink Bug Nicolaas Struyck

Which one of the painting above is the most scientific? State your opinion, reason, evidence and restate your opinion. O.R.E.O.

Additional Activities:

• Collect insects in clear containers and cover them with lids that have been poked with pinholes. Like Jan van Kessel, draw the insects. Be sure to identify the three universal characteristics of an adult insect: a three-part body (head, thorax, and abdomen), six legs, and antennae.

Use the J. Paul Getty Museum art activity “Drawing Insects with Organic Shapes and Lines” to help you get started.

• Find a beautiful landscape and try and capture it with your camera. No taking photos from behind windows or in your house. The best part of shooting landscapes is that you get to be outside.

• Photographers capture windows into time and space. Photographers use focus, perspective, depth-of-field, focal length, exposure, and shutter speed to create images that are just the way they want them to be. Go to DIY and take one or more of the 13 Photographer Challenges!