Flashback to 7 Amazing Historic Photographs – National Camera Day

In celebration of National Camera Day, we are taking a look at the development of the humble camera lens, flash photography and how it has influenced one of the fastest growing online gambling verticals – live dealer casinos.

Sit back and relax as we take a trip down memory lane to delve into the history of the first camera and revisit some of the most iconic photographs of all time.

Where It All Began

Unlike the invention of the telephone where it is easy to pinpoint a single creator, the development of photographic theory and the creation of the first portable camera is definitely more a case of “it takes a village”.

Some of the important milestones in the development of photography include:

• Chinese and Greek theories from around the 5th century BC regarding light refraction and how optics work would come to set the standard for early photographic principles.
• In 1685, based on the concept of ‘camera obscura’ inventor Johann Zahn created a blueprint for a “hand-held device with a mirror-reflex mechanism” which would become the forefather of the modern camera.
• In 1672 Sir Isaac Newton published his experiments using these early concepts of light refraction. This led to the discovery of the colour spectrum which makes up white light.
• In 1729 Johann Heinrich Schulze printed the experiments he undertook to prove that when exposed to sunlight, rather than heat, silver nitrate darkens, leading to the ability to “burn” an image onto a surface.

Individually each of these discoveries, while astounding, would appear to be somewhat useless for everyday life. However, from our end of the historical lens, we know that cumulatively they have changed the face of the world.

 How Important Is the Camera?

The use of video and photography are so common in modern life that we rarely give it a second thought.

Here are a few ways in which the invention of the camera has impacted the world and made it the one we live in today:

• Media and Entertainment: Without the development of colour theory and photography the film industry, social media tools like Instagram and the burgeoning live video streaming industries such as Twitch would not exist.
• Social Awareness and Justice: Thanks to the ability for everyone to take high resolution photos and videos on low-cost cameras and even mobile phones the world is far more aware of global injustices and crimes against humanity – claims that now can be proven with photographic evidence.
• Business and Communication: Easy access to video streaming services and cheap VOIP call costs have been a lifesaver for businesses across the board in the face of the growing need to allow staff to work from home and the fact that often even small businesses need to deal with international suppliers.
• Preservation of History: Some of our greatest and most heartbreaking moments throughout recent history are perfectly preserved for future generations to admire and learn from.
• Online Gambling: Without the development of high resolution photography and its evolution into high-resolution streaming we would not have access to the amazing selection of live dealer games on offer from Evolution Gaming and NetEnt.

On a more day-to-day basis even something as simple as taking a photograph of the family and sending it to your loved ones during the lockdowns would have been impossible a few hundred years ago.

Our Top 7 Historical Photographs

There are many photo essays online depicting the Times and other publications “Top 20” to “Top 100” photographs of all time.However, as a hat tip to the superstitions around the lucky number 7 we have handpicked our Top 7 most iconic photographs:

✓1932 - Lunch Atop a Skyscraper by Unknown

✓1945 - V-J Day in Times Square by Alfred Eisenstaedt

✓1948 - Dalí Atomicus by Philippe Halsman

✓1965 - Muhammad Ali versus Sonny Liston by Neil Leifer

✓1969 - A Man on the Moon by NASA and Neil Armstrong

✓1984 - Afghan Girl by Steve McCurry

✓1995 - Pillars of Creation by NASA & the Hubble Telescope