Capturing the Light: The Birth of Photography, a True Story of Genius and Rivalry
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.92 (559 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1250061415 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-10-31 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
With the creation of their two radically different processesthe Daguerreotype and the Talbotypethese two giants of early photography changed the world and how we see it. These two lone geniusesHenry Fox Talbot in the seclusion of his English country estate at Lacock Abbey and Louis Daguerre in the heart of post-revolutionary Paristhrough diligence, disappointment and sheer hard work overcame extraordinary odds to achieve the one thing man had for centuries been trying to doto solve the ancient puzzle of how to capture the light and in so doing make nature 'paint its own portrait'. An intimate look at the journeys of two mena gentleman scientist and a visionary artistas they struggled to capture the world around them, and in the process invented modern photographyDuring the 1830s, in an atmosphere of intense scientific enquiry fostered by the industrial revolution, two quite different menone in France, one in Englanddeveloped their own dramatically different photographic processes in total ignorance of each other's work. Drawing on a wide range of original, contemporary sources and featuring plates in colour, sepia and black and white, many of them rare or previously unseen, Capturing the Light by Roger Watson and Helen Rappaport charts an extraordinary tale of genius, rivalry and human resourcefulness in the quest to produce the world's first photograph.
ROGER WATSON is a world authority on the early history of photography. HELEN RAPPAPORT is a historian with a specialization in the nineteenth century. She is the New York Times bestselling author of The Romanov Sisters, as well as eight other published books, including The Last Days of the Romanovs and AMagnificent Obsession: Victoria, Albert and the Death t
“A dual biography of Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre and William Henry Fox Talbot, two men who separately announced inventions of photographic processes in France and England in 1839. Chilling and poignant, this is how history books should be written.” Alison Weir, author of Henry VIII: The King and His Court on The Last Days of the Romanovs. Silver nitrate has been superseded by pixels for image making, but it was once the cutting edge, with all the excitement that goes with the miraculous.” Wall Street Journal“A well-timed and welcome history of the invention and spread of photography in the nineteenth century.” Booklist“An energetically written and deftly paced history of photography's origins, including the intricate rivalries surrounding Talbot and Daguerre's laborious
for the lover of the origins of photography I am fascinated with that time in history as well as the origins of photography. This is an entertaining and informative story of both. I really enjoyed the 1st half of the book, but thought the last 30 % was repetitive. That all said, happy with the time spent reading it.. "Good read!" according to Benita. As a photography (and photo history) teacher, this was a joy to read. Very light for the most part, but some interesting new info that I had not found before. Written well enough to be enjoyed by anyone interested in history in general, I think this was a fun read.. "I really enjoyed reading it." according to Michael Lamb. Do you like words on a page? You like adjectives and nouns? Then this book is for you. I really enjoyed reading it.