Brownie Camera

Brownie is the name of a long running series of simple and cheap cameras made by George Eastman, or better known as Eastman Kodak. In February 1900 The Brownie Box camera was launched to target new hobbyist photographers and children, and with it’s $1 price tag it was essentially available to anyone who wanted. Although it was only a very basic cardboard box camera, The Brownie invented low cost photography by introducing the concept of snapshot to the world. It had a simple meniscus lens that took 2 1/4-inch square pictures on 117 roll film. The Brownie surpassed it’s marketing goal because of it’s simple controls and beginning price of $1 and has now become one of the most important cameras in history.

 

 

Kodak and George Eastman

 

Kodak was once the pioneer of home photography, in 1888 it created the Kodak No.1, giving normal everyday people the chance to practice photography, which in those times would rarely ever be done by anyone who wasn’t a professional photographer. With the Kodak No.1, the user would send the entire camera back to the company, who would develop the circular 2.5 inch-wide images and then send them back their camera, fully loaded with paper for 100 more photographs, along with their images. Because of this way of working the companies slogan was “You press the button, we do the rest.” The round image were a design decision as it ensured that the photographer did not have to hold the camera too straight and to compensate for the poor image quality at the corners of the image.

George Eastman is known as the man who helped bring photography to the mainstream and the inventor of snapshot. He planned a trip to Santo Domingo and decided to document his trip, however the equipment he needed to take was too heavy and costly, so he never took the trip and instead spent the time researching how to make photography less cumbersome and so that everyday people could also enjoy it without hassle. After he saw a formula for a dry plate emulsion in a publication and getting tutelage from two local amateur photographers, he formulated a gelatine-based paper film and a device for coating dry plates.

He then quit his bank job after launching his photography company. He designed the cameras in collaboration with a cabinetmaker, Frank A. Brownell, who set up the production line. By 1885 he was heading to the patent office with a roll-holder device that he and camera inventor William Hall Walker had developed. This is what allowed cameras to be smaller and cheaper.

By 1889, George Eastman had hired chemist Henry Reichenbach to develop a type of flexible film that could be more easily inserted into cameras. Thomas Edison adapted the film for use in the motion-picture camera he was developing, which increased the success of Eastman’s company.

 

 

Candid and Secret Photography

A candid photograph is a photograph captured without creating a posed appearance. This is achieved in many ways, for example; when the subject is in motion, by avoiding prior preparation of the subject, by surprising the subject, by not distracting the subject during the process of taking photos.

The candid character of a photo is unrelated to the subject’s knowledge about or consent to the fact that photos are being taken, and unrelated to the subject’s permission for further usage and distribution. The crucial factor is the actual absence of posing. However, if the subject is absolutely unaware of being photographed and does not even expect it, then such photography is secret photography, which is a special case of candid photography.

Although candid photography can be hard, as many people would not enjoy being photographed without their consent or knowledge, the results it produces is so raw and natural that it ends up being worth it. I think candid photography is highly connected to snapshot photography, as a lot of snapshot can end up being candid too.

Snapshot Photography

A snapshot is popularly defined as a photograph that is “shot” spontaneously and quickly, most often without artistic or journalistic intent. Snapshots are commonly considered to be technically “imperfect” or amateurish / out of focus or poorly framed or composed. Common snapshot subjects include the events of everyday life.

The snapshot concept was introduced to the public on a large scale by Eastman Kodak, which introduced the Brownie box camera in 1900. Kodak encouraged families to use the Brownie to capture moments in time and to shoot photos without being concerned with producing perfect images. Kodak advertising urged consumers to “celebrate the moments of your life” and find a “Kodak moment”.

The reason I like snapshot photography is because for me it compares to the digital version of film photography. Personally when I’m taking snapshot type photography I don’t have time to think about the technical aspect of it, I just point the camera and capture the moment before it passes. This method is affective for me especially because often when doing photography such as portraiture or fashion, I’ll overthink the technical side and forget about the actual subject of the photograph and therefore the photograph loses it’s natural atmosphere. I also think snapshot photography is important because it creates a narrative for the audience and gives them the opportunity to interpret it anyway they want to. This is where photography becomes such a subjective subject.