Britain in Focus

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Tringa

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I have had a look around here and can't see it elsewhere, but apologies if it has been posted already.

Just saw an ad last night for this programme. Looks as if it could be interesting - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08h95c3

Dave
 
Watched the first episode - very interesting on the beginnings of photography.
 
If anyone missed the show its on again tonight BBC4 midnight start :)
 
I know it's called "Britain in focus" but as a history program they made it sound like photography was invented in Britain.
No reference to the French pioneers (Niepce, Daguerre) who actually created the first photographs.
 
artyman said:
Er... Daguerre was mentioned, albeit briefly
Click to expand...
Yes, but not given any credit.
I know that Fox-Talbot created the first negative, but it wasn't really clear that his work was a refinement of an existing process.
 
In these Brexit days we can't be giving the cheese eating surrender monkeys credit for anything. :LOL:
 
Brian G said:
Yes, but not given any credit.
I know that Fox-Talbot created the first negative, but it wasn't really clear that his work was a refinement of an existing process.
Click to expand...

Thats a little harsh.
FoxTalbot was working on his own discoveries from 1835 a sheet of fine writing paper, coated with salt and brushed with a solution of silver nitrate. He found it darkened in the sun, and that a second coating of salt impeded further darkening or fading. Talbot used this discovery to make precise tracings of botanical specimens: he set a pressed leaf or plant on a piece of sensitized paper, covered it with a sheet of glass, and set it in the sun. Wherever the light struck, the paper darkened, but wherever the plant blocked the light, it remained white. He called his new discovery “the art of photogenic drawing.”.

So he experimented with this until in 1839 when the daguerreotype was revealed, at which point he presented his work to the royal society, before Daguerre presented his process.

Can you tell I'm a frequent visitor to Lacock? Usually to the exhibition space to be fair.
 
Byker28i said:
Thats a little harsh.
FoxTalbot was working on his own discoveries from 1835 a sheet of fine writing paper, coated with salt and brushed with a solution of silver nitrate. He found it darkened in the sun, and that a second coating of salt impeded further darkening or fading. Talbot used this discovery to make precise tracings of botanical specimens: he set a pressed leaf or plant on a piece of sensitized paper, covered it with a sheet of glass, and set it in the sun. Wherever the light struck, the paper darkened, but wherever the plant blocked the light, it remained white. He called his new discovery “the art of photogenic drawing.”.

So he experimented with this until in 1839 when the daguerreotype was revealed, at which point he presented his work to the royal society, before Daguerre presented his process.

Can you tell I'm a frequent visitor to Lacock? Usually to the exhibition space to be fair.
Click to expand...
Fair comment, but if you do a search for "who invented photography" the person acknowledged is Nicéphore Niépce.
Niépce met Daguerre, who had been experimenting with a sort of "camera obscura" and wanted to permanently record the images it produced.
Niépce and Daguerre collaborated and Daguerre eventually created the Daguerrotype which was very successful.
There's a load of historic information about Niépce and Daguerre here: http://www.photo-museum.org/daguerre-invention-photo/
Fox-Talbot is rightly given the credit for the negative process, allowing multiple prints to be made, since the earlier processes produced a one-off positive image.
When several people are pursuing the same research, it's often difficult to say exactly who did what and when, since they do not always disclose the results of their work at the time, for reasons of secrecy.
It's been a while since I visited Lacock, I must revisit and brush up on my history.
 
Agree with all the above. The only thing Fox-Talbot didn't do in hindsight was publish his results, he spent a happy four years playing making images of leaves etc and only published when Daguerre made know his work.

The Drawn by light exhibition (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pic...graphic-Society-Collection.html?frame=3122900)
had some beautiful Daguerreotypes, and some other image types produced. Fascinating to see the various types.
 
Britain in focus - a photographic history.
Ok so it's nearly finished now (as I write this), but it's been a good watch.
Maybe give it a view on iPlayer.
 
Just to add, tonight is the 2nd part of the series. Focusing on how photographers responded to historical events in the early 20th century. It's on BBC 4 at 11pm.
 
There's another decently long thread about the progamme from when it was initially aired a few months ago if you do a search.

(Mods, worth joining the two?)
 
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