Photography was first documented in 1826 by Thomas Wedgewood, he was the first person know to have throughout of creating permeant pictures using material coated with a light-sensitive chemical. This only created shadow images 'photograms' - therefore he was not recorded at the first photographer. A gentleman called Nicéphore Niépce took the first photograph in 1826 or 1827 he used a camera to produce the oldest surviving photograph of a real world scene.
http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Nic%C3%A9phore_Ni%C3%A9pce
"Photography is a word derived from the Greek words photos ("light") and graphein ("to draw") The word was first used by the scientist Sir John F.W. Herschel in 1839. It is a method of recording images by the action of light, or related radiation, on a sensitive material."
http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/stilphotography.htm
Juila Mararet Cameron was one of the most important photographers of the nineteenth century. In her time she was criticised for an unconventional technical approach to photography, however she is one of the most celebrated portraitist.
When I did my photography foundation at Brighton City college, I was so influenced by her work, I adore portraiture and her work was so soft and romantic and could tell you a story through just her positioning of her models and lighting. Here are some of my favourite pieces of her work and some of my own from when I was at college:
Author: Julia Margaret Cameron
Year of publication: 1864
Title: Ellen Terry
Viewed: Tuesday 18th January 2015
Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Margaret_Cameron
Author: Julia Margaret Cameron
Year of publication: 1866
Title: Beatrice Cenci
Viewed: Tuesday 18th January 2015
Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Margaret_Cameron
"Robinson even went so far as to claim that photography was an art form equal to the classical mediums of oil painting and sculpture."
(http://www.inthein-between.com/henry-peach-robinson-and-the-combination-print-before-digital-2/ - 3rd paragraph - 2nd sentence)
When looking at the image named ' Fading away - 1858 & The Lady of Shalott 1860 you are flooded with the thought of immortality and the Victorians fascination with morbid themes.
For Victorian painters Shakespeare was always a strong influence; Millais painting of the tragic death of Ophelia, as she falls into the stream and drowns is one of the best know art works conveying Shakespeare's play, Hamlet.
The use of lush colours contradict the scene of death; also using scattered poppies which is a commonly used as a symbol of peace, death and sleep; sleep due to the opium extract, death due to the red colouring.
This painting not only influenced many of its time but still influences artists and photographers to date, new forms are produced more often as this is a particular look that people like to recreate.
Ophelia 1851
This photographer not only takes a beautiful image, but creates them and sets a scene with a back story the viewer can create from scanning the image itself. I think that he likes that photography limits him to choose only one moment to convey a narrative.
Just like our make-up for Miss Havisham and Estella, we have one design that is to transform the model to something they are not and grasp the viewer to be drawn into another world and believe a story which they can create themselves.
Ophelia 2001
Hunter recreated the painting by John Everett Millais, in a modern context; somewhere in London like she has been abandoned there. To me it looks like a forensics image.
Useful Links:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/victorian-era-britain-pictures-amazing-2676780
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1204508/Images-history-Rarely-seen-photographs-bring-1800s-London-life.html
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