Advancement in the Technology of Digital Photography Digital Photography

The subject of the paper is the advancement of the technology of digital photography. The paper will provide a concise review of the history of this aspect of photography. Film photography came first in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Moving pictures followed after the invention of film photography. Several decades later, the first attempts at digital photography were made by the mid-20th century. Photography in general is the progeny of painting and so digital photography is a part of that same artistic lineage. The advent of digital photography reflects a shift in attitude and goals during the time of invention; not only does the technology from that time, but also the forward thinking of the period continues to infuse and inspire digital photography today, surely continuing into the future.

The beginning of digital photography is the era of the 1950s. The 1950s was a point in American culture and when there was a lot of attention and imagination on the future. During this period, there were many experiments and research studies into turning some things thought to be science fiction into scientific reality. Digital photography is a product from the forward thinking of that period.

Like many modern technologies digital photography can trace its beginnings back to "Space Race" when the United States and the Soviet Union were in competition for supremacy in outer space and were racing to be the first county to put a man on the moon. This time period from 1957-1975 saw an unparalleled advancement in technology, including the beginning development of digital cameras and digital photography. (PPT, 2012, no page)

The history of digital photography is a relatively short one, approximately six decades. The history of digital photography is a history in of itself and its history also overlaps with the history of motion pictures, of visual art, art history, media, and digital technology, among others.

The history of digital photography and the digital camera has a similar history to other forms of modern technology, so to speak. Digital photography and the relevant technology was first...

Government use of digital technology helped advance the science of digital imaging, however, the private sector also made significant contributions. Texas Instruments patented a film-less electronic camera in 1972, the first to do so. (Info Border, 2011, no page)
In the early history of digital photography, the consumer was not a priority. Within two decades of research and development in this field, Kodak was one of the first companies to make innovations that continued into the 1980s. Though some aspects of the process have changed over time, much of the same pieces of technology that first made digital photography presents are still present in digital photographic technologies/products today. For example, …George Smith and Willard Boyle of Bell Laboratories developed the CCD (charge-coupled-device) and demonstrated it on October 17, 1969. This CCD image sensor is the heart the digital camera development because it is the solid-state device that converts light into electric signals. This major breakthrough in 1969 provided the key piece of technology to begin the digital photography revolution. CCD image sensors are still widely used today. (PPT, 2012, no page)

CCD's are additionally present in video cameras including consumer cameras and some professional video cameras. While the 1960s redefined many aspects of culture and social reality, the area of digital photography was additionally influenced by the inspiration and imagination of the turbulent decade.

The 1970s continue to prove important in the history of digital photography. The technology at this point is nearly twenty years old. Kodak engineered key pieces of technology that at the time were ground-breaking and now, some three decades later, this technology is expected and common-place. In 1975, two Kodak employees broke new ground in the field of digital photography. One man was named Steven Sasson.

Eastman Kodak engineer Steven Sasson patented a prototype digital camera using the…