Indlela Ukufota Okwaqala Ngayo

NGUMBHALI KAVUKANI! ESWEDEN

Ngokutsho kwebali lakudala abantu ababetyelele isazinzulu saseItali uGiambattista Della Porta (1535?-1615) babebambe ongezantsi bebukele isihelegu. Kaloku, kudonga olwalungaphambi kwabo, imifanekiso yabantu abaneentloko ezijonge ezantsi yayihamba hamba. Baphathwa luloyiko, baza bagqotsa ukuphuma kwelo gumbi. UDella Porta wasiwa enkundleni enukwa ngokuthakatha!

LE YINDLELA ezasabela ngayo iindwendwe zakhe xa wayezama ukuzibonisa icamera obscura—igama lesiLatini elithetha “igumbi elimnyama.” Indlela esebenza ngayo le bhokisi ilula, kodwa oko ikwenzayo kushiya abantu bethetha ngayo. Kodwa yayisebenza njani?

Xa ukukhanya kungena kwibhokisi okanye kwigumbi elimnyama ngomngxuma omncinane, oko sikubonayo kuyagqwetheka kudonga olungaphambili. Oko kwakubonwa ziindwendwe zikaDella Porta yayikoko kwakusenziwa ngabantu kwelo gumbi ababekulo. Le camera obscura yayinguvela-tanci weekhamera ezikhoyo namhlanje. Namhlanje kukho abantu abaninzi abanekhamera, kusenokwenzeka nawe ungomnye wabo okanye kusenokwenzeka ukuba uye wasebenzisa ikhamera eqhelekileyo elahlwayo nengekho mgangathweni kangako.

Kwaloo obscura yayingaqali ukuba khona ngexesha likaDella Porta. UAristotle (384-322 B.C.E.) wayiqonda indlela ikhamera eyayiza kusebenza ngayo. Umphengululi wenkulungwane yeshumi uAlhazen wayibeka yacaca indlela ikhamera esebenza ngayo yaye umzobi wenkulungwane ye-15 uLeonardo da Vinci wabhala ngayo kwincwadi yakhe yamanqaku. Ukuveliswa kwesilanga (lens) kwaphucula indlela eyayiza kufota ngayo ikhamera, abazobi abaninzi babeyisebenzisa ukuze babone ngokuchanileyo imizobo yabo. Noko ke, nasemva kwemizamo emininzi, ukugcina loo mifanekiso kwakungelula de kwaba yinkulungwane ye-19.

Umfoti Wokuqala Ehlabathini

Kusenokwenzeka ukuba uJoseph-Nicéphore Niepce, isazinzulu saseFransi, nguye owaqala iphulo lokwenza iifoto ngowe-1816. Kambe ke, ukuphumelela kwakhe kwaqala xa wasebenzisa ukushicilela ngelitye elikrolwe ngoonobumba (lithography) waza wadibana nento eyayiqina xa idibana nelanga ebizwa ngokuba yibitumen of Judea. Phakathi kweminyaka yee-1820, wabeka icangci elaliqatywe ibitumen nomxube wetin nelothe waza walijongisa efestileni kangangeeyure ezisibhozo. Akukho namnye umfoti osaqingqayo oya kuvuyiswa yifoto engacacanga yesakhiwo, umthi neshedi, kodwa oku kwenza uNiepce wanelunda. Ifoto yakhe yaba yenye yezokuqala ukuphuma iyifoto!

Ukuze akwazi ukuphucula le nkqubo nangakumbi, ngowe-1829, uNiepce waqala ishishini nosomashishini ophum’ izandla, uLouis Daguerre. Kwiminyaka emva kokufa kukaNiepce, ngowe-1833, uDaguerre wayesele enze inkqubela ebonakalayo. Wasebenzisa ichiza elibizwa ngokuba yisilver iodide ngaphezu kwenkcenkce yobhedu. Oku kwangqineka kusebenza ngakumbi kunebitumen. Ngempazamo wafumanisa ukuba xa le nkcenkce ifumana umphunga wemekyuri, imifanekiso ibonakala ngokucacileyo. Oku kwakusenzeka ngokukhawuleza kunangaphambili. Xa kamva uDaguerre wafumanisa ukuba ukuhlamba iinkcenkce ngamanzi anetyuwa kwakuyenza ifoto ibonakale kakuhle nangakumbi, waqonda ukuba ukufota kwakuza kuba ngundaba-mlonyeni.

Ukwazisa Ihlabathi

Xa oko kwafunyaniswa nguDaguerres, awayekubiza ngokuba yidaguerreotype, kwaziswa ebandla ngowe-1839, indlela abantu abasabela ngayo yayingaphaya kweyayilindelwe. Umphengululi uHelmut Gernsheim ubhala enjenje kwincwadi yakhe ethi The History of Photography: “Akukho nanye into eyakha yatsala ingqalelo yabantu yaza yamkelwa lihlabathi ngokubanzi nangokukhawuleza njengokuba benzayo abantu ngedaguerreotype.” Owazibonela ngawakhe amehlo oku wabhala wathi: “Kwisithuba seyure kamva, babesele beyinkungu nelanga abantu kwiivenkile ezithengisa iindondo zamehlo. Asinguye wonke umntu owafumanayo kwelo cham lokusebenzisa idaguerreotype; kwiintsuku kamva kuwo wonke ummandla waseParis, ngaphambi kwecawa okanye amabhotwe, kwakukho iibhokisi ezinemilenze emithathu. Iingcali zamachiza, osokhemesti kunye nabanye abantu abafundileyo eParis babecoca iinkcenkce ezenziwe ngesilivere, nabona bantu baqhelekileyo babengakwazi ukuzibamba, babefuna ukutshisa loo mali yabo kumphunga wemekyuri.” Oonondaba baseParis ngokukhawuleza bakubiza oku ngokuthi yimpambano yedaguerrétypomanie.

Eyona nto eyatsala amehlo abantu kwiidaguerreotype, yenza ukuba uJohn Herschel abhale athi ngayo: “Asizibaxi izinto ukuba siyibiza ngokuthi ngummangaliso.” Abanye, bewuphosa umhlola ke phofu, babecinga ukuba oku kwakunento yokwenza nemimoya.

Asinguye wonk’ ubani owayethe swii yile ntw’ intsha. Ngowe-1856, ukumkani waseNaples wayengafuni nokuzibona iifoto, kuba mhlawumbi wayecinga ukuba zinento yokwenza “nobugqi.” Xa wabona idaguerreotype, umzobi uPaul Delaroche wankqangaza wathi: “Iphelelwe ke imizobo ukususela namhlanje!” Oku kwashiya abazobi abaninzi benxubile ngenxa yokucinga ukuba oku kwakuza kuhlutha isonka sabo. Omnye umsasazi wachaza indlela abantu ababenedyudyu ngayo xa wathi: “Indlela ukufota okuyibonisa ngayo inyaniso kunokutshintsha indlela umntu ngamnye abujonga ngayo ubuhle.” Ukongezelela, iifoto zazihlatywa amadlala ngenxa yokuba zazikhumbuza abantu ngenyaniso ababefuna ukuyilibala yokuba, ubuhle nobutsha asinto ihlala ihleli.

UDaguerre Kunye NoTalbot

Isazinzulu esiliNgesi, uWilliam Henry Fox Talbot, wayekholelwa kwelokuba naye wayengumyili wokuqala wekhamera kodwa waziva emncinane akuva ukuba uDaguerre uvelise eyakhe. UTalbot wayesebenzisa inkcenkce eqatywe isilver-chloride kumaphepha ekhamera. Ethambisa iinegatives zefoto phezu kwelinye iphepha, nokuzivumela ukuba zibethwe lilanga, wavelisa ifoto ebonakalayo.

Nakuba le ndlela yayingathandwa kakhulu kwaye umgangatho wemifanekiso uphantsi, umsebenzi kaTalbot wawubonakala usiz’ entweni. Wawunokwenza ifoto enye ngokuphindaphindiweyo yaye iphepha lalixabisa kancinane xa kuthelekiswa nedaguerreotype ecekeceke. Indlela yokufota yanamhlanje isekelwe kuleyo kaTalbot, nakuba iidaguerreotype zaba ngundaba-mlonyeni ngelo xesha, zasuka zaphelel’ emoyeni.

Noko ke, uNiepce, uDaguerre kunye noTalbot asikuphela kwabantu abazingomb’ izifuba ngokuthi ngooNozala bokuFota. Emva kokuba uDaguerre eyithe paha into yokuba wenze ikhamera ngowe-1939, abantu abanokuba ngama-24—ukusuka kwisiqingatha somhlaba esingentla eNorway ukuya eBrazil kwisiqingatha esikumazantsi omhlaba—nabo bathi benze iikhamera ezintsha.

Utshintsho Oluphawulekayo Olwenziwa Kukufota

Elinye itsha-ntliziyo uJacob August Riis, elalifuna ukubhenca ukuhlupheka kwabantu nokubethwa kwabo linxele likaKhetsekile ngokusebenzisa ikhamera. Ngowe-1880 waqalisa ukufota amatyotyombe aseNew York xa kanye lisiya kunina, esebenzisa umgubo wemagnesium kwipani njengesibane sokukhanyisa—phofu naye ezibeka esichengeni. Wakhe wantumeka nendlu awayehlala kuyo kabini neempahla awayezinxibile zakha zarhawuka. Iimpukane eziluhlaza zithi, iifoto zakhe zabangela ukuba umongameli waseMerika, uTheodore Roosevelt enze iinguqu ezininzi kwimibandela yasekuhlaleni xa wangena esihlalweni. Iifoto ezintle zikaWilliam Henry Jackson zaphembelela iBhunga laseMerika ukuba lenze ipaki ibizwa ngokuba yiYellowstone ibe yipaki yokuqala karhulumente ehlabathini.

Wonk’ Umntu Uyafota

Ngasekupheleni kweminyaka yee-1880, abanye abafoti ababethembisa babengabonakali kangako ngenxa yamaxabiso ezinto zokufota nangenxa yokuntsonkotha kokufota. Kodwa ngowe-1888, xa uGeorge Eastman wavelisa iKodak, ibhokisi ephathwayo nekulula ukuyisebenzisa neyayisebenzisa ifilimu ezithambileyo, wavula indlela yokufota kwabo baqalayo.

Emva kokusebenzisa ezo filimu zithengiweyo, umfoti wayesisa ikhamera kumzi-mveliso wayo. Ifilimu yayihlanjwa, ikhamera ifakwe enye ifilimu kwakhona ize ithunyelwe kumniniyo kunye neefoto—konke oku ngexabiso elifikelelekayo. Babengazibaxi izinto xa babesithi “Wena ucinezela nje iqhosha, uyekele kuthi yonk’ eny’ into.”

Ukususela ngoko wonk’ umntu wayefota kuba kaloku namhlanje zimalunga namawaka ezigidi ezingama-90 iifoto ezenziwa nyaka ngamnye, into ethetha ukuba ukufota kuseyeyona nto iphambili. Ibe ngoku ukongezelela ekuthandweni kweefoto, kukho iikhamera ekuthiwa ziidigital cameras, ezifota ngeemegapixels. Amakhadi amancinane angena kwezi khamera, anokugcina iifoto ezingamakhulu khulu. Kunokwenziwa iifoto ezikumgangatho ophezulu ekhaya ngokusebenzisa ikhompyutha kunye neprinta. Liyinyaniso ke ngoko elokuba ukufota kusuka kude.

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IPanoramic daguerreotype yaseParis, malunga nowe-1845

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Ifoto ekusenokwenzeka ukuba yeyokuqala malunga nowe-1826

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Umzobo wekhamera esetyenziswa ngabantu abaninzi

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Niepce

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Idaguerreotype yowe-1844 eyaveliswa nguLouis Daguerre kunye nekhamera yakhe

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Iziko leefoto likaTalbot kunye nekhamera yakhe malunga nowe-1845

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Ifoto yowe-1890 kaGeorge Eastman kunye nekhamera yakhe eneefilimu

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Ifoto yendawo eyaba yiYellowstone neyafotwa nguW. H. Jackson ngowe-1871

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Ikhamera yala maxesha eyi-“digital” evelisa ifoto yodidi oluphezulu

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Iifoto zaseParis: Ifoto kaBernard Hoffman/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images; Niepce’s photograph: Ifoto kaJoseph Niepce/Getty Images; yecamera obscura: Culver Pictures

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Iphepha 23: Indawo kaTalbot yokwenza iifoto: Ifoto kaWilliam Henry Fox Talbot kunye noNicholaas Henneman/Getty Images; Ikhamera kaTalbot: Ifoto yeSpencer Arnold/Getty Images; Ifoto yeKodak, ikhamera yeKodak, nekaDaguerre: Courtesy George Eastman House; Yellowstone: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-52482