How a Camera Captures the Moment?

Surely, all of you have many lovely pictures in your photo albums. Pictures of you as a bay, or o the first day of school, or on your annual day…There must be many good memories captured in them. Ever wondered how the camera that shot all these pictures works? Cameras are convenient. They help us capture the moment and keep them forever, don’t they? Wonder how cameras do that? Let’s find out about the mechanism of the camera and how it captures our precious moments!

The structure of the camera and the structure of the human eye is quite similar. The reflection of things, or in other words, the light from the things passes through the crystalline lens and focuses the images on the retina. The crystalline lens is the lens of the camera and the retina is the film. The image is inversely projected like this. The camera’s finder (the part through which we look while taking a picture) turns it around mechanically, while our eye turns it around with stimulation from the brain. That means the image is projected inversely in the camera!!! Usually, we say that we are ‘taking a picture with the camera, but, only the box inside, which is painted black is sufficient to take pictures. The most complicated part is the lens. In that barrel-like inner part, several lenses are piled on like this.

There are different kinds of cameras but the basic structure is the same in most of them. Depending upon the type of camera, some parts are different. For instance, the compact camera and the single-lens camera look like this: -

As the lens and finder are different, the subject cannot be duplicated as precisely as seen. It is a simple make and easy to handle. It projects almost exactly what is seen. Further, it is possible to make other changes to the picture than you changing the lens of the camera or altering the shutter speed. It has been known for a long that when a small hole is made in a wall, the outside scenery will be projected inversely on the opposite wall. This is called ‘camera obscure (dark room) in Latin and is the root word for ‘camera’.

In earlier times, a big dark box called camera obscura used to be constructed. The picture of the scenery or people was placed inside this box and projected, this was used as one of the tools for drawing. This was used as one of the tools for drawing. This was how it was in the 15th century. Around the 16th century, it was found that if a lens is placed in the hole, the picture becomes brighter and cleaner. 1826, French brothers Niepce were the first to place the asphalt on a sensitised plate and thereby succeed in taking a proper photograph. It is said that the photographic session lasted for 8 hours. Later Niepce, along with Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre, devoted himself to research on reducing the time of photography.

after Niepce passed away, research was continued by Daguerre, who succeeded in projecting the picture on a silver plate. The photography session had now been reduced to 40 minutes. This type of camera, which used a silver plate, was called the Daguerreotype camera and it began to be manufactured in the year 1839. In 1851, the technique of smearing a photosensitive material on glass was discovered. This is called ‘wet plate photography and this is allowed to be taken in just 10 seconds. But now you see a large variety of cameras, isn’t it? Normal cameras are categorised by their size. In 1871, a drier version of the photosensitive material was discovered in England and from 1877, it began to be manufactured for sale. Making the wet plate and using it was very easy and so photography became increasingly popular.

To develop the film, the camera has to be given in a place where it could be developed. The camera was returned after a new film had been fitted into it.  A normal film, whose size does not change even if it is attached to the lens. The film size is the same but as vertical pictures can be taken; the number of pictures is more. A transparent layer of magnetic substance is applied to the film so that it can record the data during photography and can also be viewed on television. This uses 16 mm or 8 mm film like a movie camera and so the size is much smaller and usually used in the investigation, etc. the film in a mid-sized camera is wider than the 35 mm film and so a very clear picture can be taken. There are so many types of cameras and film! Wondering what kind of mechanism is used to take a photograph?

First of all, let us look at the basic black-and-white film. On the surface of the film, a substance called halogenated silver is applied. Halogenated silver has the property to darken and solidify at the places where light penetrates. This makes the white parts or the parts where the light falls, dark in shade and the dark parts of the picture seem lighter. Colour films also apply the same principle as black and white films. To print the photograph, the same substance is applied to the paper. When the light, which passes through the film, is directed onto the paper, the picture appears on it. By mixing these three colours, a colour photograph can be developed. So, it simply means that if the light passing through the film is directed towards the printing paper, the developed picture will have the original colours.

The picture cannot be the same until the film is developed. The picture that was taken is now exposed to light and so cannot be developed. After a photo has been taken, the film will have the picture in it, but it cannot be seen till the film is developed. if it is exposed as it is, the picture will get darker and turn black. When the film comes in contact with the developing liquid, the picture becomes visible. To stop over-development, a chemical is applied. This is called stalling. Finally, a chemical which keeps the picture from crumbling is applied. This is called fixing. After that, the film is washed well in water. Then it has to be dried. Even for enlarged photographs, the process of development is almost the same. In a developing centre, all these things are done by machines.

 If the picture can be seen on a computer, it is called a digital camera. Digital cameras do not need film. The process of projecting the picture in a digital camera is the same as in a film camera. Here the similarity ends as the process after that is different. If you don’t have a computer, it is possible to view the photographs on TV. Of course, if you need to put them on paper, they can also be printed. Well then, these film cameras will soon go out of use, isn’t it? When using a digital camera, you don’t have to wait to develop the film and you can also see how the picture will be even as you take it. When using a digital camera, you can see the picture immediately without having to wait to develop the picture. So, many people prefer digital cameras. But the film camera might not go out of use, just yet.

How the picture is projected is different in film cameras. You will find the difference when you enlarge the photograph. When you enlarge a normal photograph, it doesn’t become too grainy. If you enlarge a picture, taken with a digital camera, it becomes jagged. Now that makes them different and each has its specialities and areas in which they can be used. So, if you need an enlarged picture, a film camera is better, right? Yes, this picture is ready for the evening paper. You can easily send a photo taken with a digital camera directly through the internet, so when it comes to speed, a digital camera is preferred. Though digital cameras have become quite common these days, film cameras are still quite popular. By understanding their special features, it is possible to take beautiful pictures of both.