Photography is the art of creating a photograph, which is an image that is recorded and reproduced. Photographs are an effective tool to convey information about the human experience. They record light and are a representation of the visible world.

Photography has helped to create a collective archive of human experience. It has also influenced the evolution of visual representation. There are many forms of photography, and they all have their own unique creative and technical aspects.

In the 19th century, the development of photography was a reaction against the traditional values of art. The Dada movement in Germany used photography for social critique. Using photography, they explored issues such as power, gender, and the subconscious.

One of the early practitioners of photography was Gustave Le Gray. He was the first official photographer to a French head of state. During the 1850s, he created new photographic techniques and invented glass negative processes. His method of wet collodion made prints more detailed than the calotype tvbucetas.com.

In the late nineteenth century, artists like Thomas Wedgwood, Paul Strand, and Alfred Stieglitz steered the field of photography into the modern era. These artists fused bold pictorial geometry with modern life subjects.

Many important photographs began as documents. Others were intended as demonstrations of the new medium. Today, thousands of these important art photographs are in public collections worldwide.

The early pioneers of color photography explored the limits of the new technology. Early experiments required extremely long exposures.