Nightshift in NYC

Nightshift in NYC is a book by Corey Hayes, a photographer who went around New York City one night taking photos. I find this book to be very boring and a waste of time. The only good photo he took was of grand central station. Otherwise, the book includes photos that not interesting and seem to be posed. For instance, some of the photos are full on profile shots of people. A more interesting way to capture the nightlife of NYC would be to take only candids.

Cameras Used In 1860

The first time that cameras were used was around 1830. The first type of camera that was used was the Daguerreotype camera. The Daguerreotype camera required a long exposure time with one large plate in the back of the camera. These types of cameras were extremely heavy and bulky, taking up a lot of space. Since they required a long exposure, the cameras were almost always placed on a tripod. A tripod is a three-legged instrument that holds a camera steady. Since it is a triangle, it is a very steady stand. For the most part, night photography was non-existence and inside photography could be done but the lighting had to be absolutely perfect. Daguerreotype photography required copper plates in order to take photographs. These copper plates were coated with iodine which produced light sensitive silver iodide. However, once made these plates had to be used within an hour or so, or else they were no good. Exposure to light for several minutes was needed to obtain a proper exposure. The object or person being photographed had to stay very still for a long period of time in order to obtain a photograph from a Daguerreotype camera. If someone moved around, a blurred image would occur.
Although Daguerreotype cameras were the only successful type of cameras, the photographs fade over a few years and tend to have a very shiny mirror appearance to them. Some fade so badly that the image in the photo almost disappears completely, or becomes so faint that it is nearly impossible to view with the naked eye.
In about 1865, a small box camera that was 1 inch by 1 2/3rd inches was developed. This was probably the first subminiature spy camera that was developed by the French. This type of camera worked just like the Daguerreotype cameras; with a light box, lens, and a sliding frame in the back for the light sensitive plate to be placed.
Contrary to what most people believe, there were photographers who were experimenting with color in the Daguerreotype photography age. However, the colors would fade out extremely fast. Using additive and subtractive methods, the first permanent color photo was taken by James Clerk Maxwell, a physicist, in 1961. Useable methods to sensitize plates to color with green light were discovered in 1973 and orange lights in 1884. However, it was not until the 1900s that sensitivity to red light occurred.
Since Daguerreotype photography had its limits, other cameras were developed. The Super Camera was one camera that had been developed to replace the bulky Daguerreotype camera. It was a subminiature box camera that worked by the dry plate process. It would take one exposure at a time by placing the plate in the back of the camera. The camera eye lever to expose the plate had to be timed; that means that a photographer would pull down on the shutter leaver and then release it once they felt they had enough exposure time to place the impression on the one plate. The size of this camera was 2 inches wide by 2 ¾ inches long by 3 inches deep. It was the smallest known camera for its time. In 1884, George Eastman discovered film which replaced the Daguerreotype camera and wet plate developing. Around 1888, the Eastman Kodak camera with film hit the market. Suddenly, a photographer no longer needed to carry around boxes of plates and toxic chemicals! The age of the Daguerreotype, wet plate and tintype photography had ended. It was not long before miniature film was made and really small miniature and subminiature spy cameras hit the market place.

Zimbabwe Photograph

This picture is very unique and interesting to the eye. One thing that really catches my attention is all of the graves that cover such a large area. The photographer was really able to capture the large number of deaths because he took the photo looking out over the land and held the camera slightly up, looking down. The man that is starting to dig another grave is in the foreground of the picture. His body position tells the viewer a lot about his emotions. For example, because his body is hunched over, it can be assumed that he is upset and extremely exhausted. Also, this man looks as if he is not a very wealthy man and has this job because it is the only way he can make some sort of money so that he can live. In addition, his full body suit and high boots that are very dirty suggest that he only has one outfit. The worker is all the way to the right in the photograph. This suggests that although he is in the photo, he is not the most important part. I think that since the graves are in the middle of the photograph, the photographer was trying to get the point across that in Zimbabwe there is a problem with with the number of people dying from diseases such as Cholera. If the man was in the center of the photograph, then i would be more likely to think that the photographer is trying to make a point about how the job availability in third world countries is very scarse. Another object in the photo that could be altered is the axe/tool that the worker is holding. The man is holding the axe above his head, as if he is about to begin digging another grave. However, if the axe was closer to the ground or just hanging in the man's hands, I might think that the man is either done digging graves, temporarily. Also, I may think that the worker is thinking about all of the people that have died and possibly the people that he knows who have either died or have the disease. Another part of this photograph that makes it so unique is the way the sky and the land contrast. The sky is a light blue and if looked at alone would portray a happy and peaceful setting. However, the land, which is dry and covered with graves, gives off a depressing and cold feeling.