Portrait Photography: Past VS Present

There are many differences of today's photography and portraits compared to the early days. One example is the accessibility of photography. Only those who were privileged or those with class had the chance to have themselves photographed. According to A History of Photography by Lemagny and Rouille, portrait studios had clienteles ranging from industrialists, doctors, lawyers, merchants to politicians, all of whom paid around $2.50 to $4.50 to have their pictures taken. Another example would be the process of having your photograph taken. The high price of having portraits taken was all due to the process of daguerrotype. This process used sheffield plates and was the raw material for having portrait photographs taken with a click of a button. Photos can also be printed at an instant just by giving you memory card to a print studio or by printing it yourself via your coloured printer.

The Daguerrotype Process

There were many different photographers in the past because they all specialized in their own technique. The calotype method was used both by amateur photographers like Victor Regnault and Paul Jeuffrain, and by photographers who were painters like Charles Negre and William John Newton. Those who specialized in the tinted portrait were Louis and Ernest Mayer. On top of those who were privileged, portrait photography captured the attention of other social classes "composed of celebrities in the worlds of politics, the arts, the press, the clergy and the army and those of the world of the theatre and the heads of state, like Queen Victoria and President Lincoln." Anyone who can get a hold of a camera today can pretty much take a picture of anyone or anything. There is a much wider variety of subjects today due to the mobility of small cameras and DSLRs.

Daguerrotype portrait of Abraham Lincoln and Colonel James Duncan

According to Precursors of the Photographic Portrait by Gisele Freund, the evolution of the social development in Western Europe, where the middle class gained political and economic status. Because of the huge population of middle class, demand for goods like portraits, increased, which made art become more mechanized. The technical evolution made it possible for photographs to be more accessible to the middle class. Contrasting to today, photography has been made easier that no matter who picks up a camera, are able to take pictures in a flash. And because technology is increase at an exponential rate, taking photographs in the future will most likely be easier than how it is today.

Evolution of Photography