Long before Louis Daguerre edged out Fox Talbot as the inventor of the earliest successful form of photography,the daguerrotype, the origins of photographs can be traced back hundreds of years. This is because the invention of the daguerrotype and, eventually, film, is the culmination of a series of discoveries that date back to the ancient Chinese and Greeks between the third and fifth centuries B.C.
These early “discoveries,” however, were purely theoretical, and it would take until the 1800s until the technology to take real photographs existed. Although Thomas Wedgewood’s attempt at camera obscura failed in 1800. However, a French inventor named Joseph Nicephore Niepce took the first successful photographic image between 1826 and 1827. It was actually Niepce’s collaboration with Daguerre that resulted in the first successful daguerrotype in 1837. As its name Niepce’s death in 1833 resulted in Daguerre receiving the bulk of the credit for inventing the degeurrotype.
Although the origins of photography are fascinating, the advent of digital cameras has been the most revolutionary advancement in photography since the invention of film. Once digital cameras came out during the late 1990s, all of a sudden you could be your own photographer. After a few more years years, anyone with a cell phone possessed the capability of shooting as many photographs as they wanted. As if that weren’t enough, they can share those photos with hundreds, even thousands, other people via social media within minutes of taking them.
While digital photography has been a boon to the average person who simply wants to take casual photos of family, friends, and events, it the affordability of professional-level digital SLR cameras has complicated things for professional photographers. Unlike the days when film photography was the only alternative, anybody who can afford to spend $500 on a used digital SLR camera and basic editing software can market himself or herself as a professional photographer.
Not to sound elitist, but genuineprofessional photography takes more than the best photography products, passion, or raw talent, but several years of training and experience to master the countless lighting and positioning techniques — not to mention how to properlyuse the many features of a professional SLR camera.
Since there are so many amateurs with cameras running around claiming to be the “best photographers,” it can be challenging to wade through the morass of pretenders to find a professional who is capable of taking truly artistic photography.
The easiest way to find the best photographers is to take a look at their websites. After all, anyone who claims to be the “best” will have a good websites with plenty of work samples. Additionally, the best photographers will also have a strong resume or vita outlining their formal training and assignments. See this reference for more.