Capturing Time

Saumya Saini

57 stories

Capturing Time

There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs—Ansel Adams

Philippe Halsman's legendary photo Dalí Atomicus in 1948; Image Source: Digital Photo Mentor

It was a cold December morning. The weather’s gloom was taking over Aditi’s entire body, making her want to simply snuggle under the covers, waiting for the day to end. She was thoroughly exhausted from working day in and day out, what had her life come to? Her work started with the break of dawn and ended when crickets are the sole occupiers of the streets. Life had proved itself to be quite an annoyance.

Amidst her tossing and turning, and sighs of “I don’t want to get up today”, she knocked over a photo frame kept beside her bed stand. She carefully picked up the glass pieces, yet the photo remained intact. A 14-year-old girl was smiling back at her from a beach in Malaysia surrounded by her cousins. She looked happy, free and soon all the memories of her trip came rushing back. For how long had this cheerful girl been hiding in Aditi’s shadows? Why did a smile seem so unfamiliar now?

This is the power of a photograph, for it captures a moment perfectly, making it an instant escape whenever required. The troubles of the world can stop for a second whenever we go through our childhood albums, for it's a reminder of a time when everything was on our side. Yet more than a hoarder of memories, photographs are a complete art form in itself. The creativity oozing out of people is perfectly accumulated with just a click of a button.

As the famous phrase goes, “A picture is worth a 1000 words” couldn’t be any truer, for the expression of emotions is conveyed best via this visual delight. Humanity owes a lot to this magnificent invention, and therefore, we found a way to celebrate this art.

However, it was only in the 1880s when cameras were made for all, when Kodak was launched by George Eastman. Now even a common man could create a snapshot of a moment in their life rather than just the professionals and the rich stubbornly saving this invention for themselves.

Cameras underwent multiple modifications, from the lens’ becoming more convenient to films getting cheaper. Humans swelled with excitement over this piece of art which could easily capture a horse ride into the woods, a romantic date with a lover, an extraordinary butterfly, the joy of your son opening his Christmas present, cameras are probably the only object in existence capable of stopping time.

With staged images on one hand aimed at producing nostalgia, the horrors of violence, wars and grief also began which to date stand as a reminder of the cruelty of history. Joel Rosenthal's photograph, Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is sheer proof of the struggles of war.

The era of the Digital Age brought significant changes to the photography industry. Currently, advanced digital SLR (DSLR) cameras dominate markets but modern-day smartphones are a perfect substitute to capture memories with your loved ones!

So today, let’s bring out our dusty old cameras to snap photos of absolutely anything we like, or finally complete our new year’s resolution to create a collage of the pictures we have collected over the years. Go to a nearby park or a marketplace or any corner you can find, the world is your subject!

On this day back in 2010 the World Photography day was incepted, making it an annual celebration since then, celebrating the anniversary of the discovery of daguerreotype- a landmark technique. However, the fascination with photography isn’t recent, as humans toyed around with the concept of photography since the 5th Century BCE!

From projections to pinhole cameras, the cameras we now know have their origins in the late 1830s, when Joseph Nicéphore Niépce clicked the first photograph which did not fade away easily. His success led to multiple experiments in the techniques of Daguerreotypes, emulsion plates, and wet plates, paving the way for modern-day photography.