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The invention of photography in the 19th century produced intense international excitement in scientific and artistic circles who believed it would have rich potential for society as a whole (Lovejoy, 1989, p.23). The invention however, was also met with swift negative reaction from conservative artists (Lovejoy, 1997, p.23). For example, when the daguerreotype was announced in 1839, the critic, Paul Delaroche declared, 'From today, painting is dead' (Lovejoy, 1997, p.23). Photography came to be identified with the Machine Age, as a time of alienating loss to human connectedness (Lovejoy, 1997, p.23). People proclaimed that artist and machine were incompatible and that fragmentation of the work process robs the worker of pride and purpose (Lovejoy, 1997, p.23). This crisis parallels that of our own era where some believe that electronic technologies have negatively affected art (Lovejoy, 1997, p.23).
Key artistic theorist, Walter Benjamin, believed that photography meant works of art could be liberated from their original seclusion, to reside in various forms, to be viewed by anyone, worldwide (Lovejoy, 1997, p.23). This belief, however, was coupled with notions of the death of the 'aura,' or loss of its original magic, spirit, or authenticity (Lovejoy, 1997, p.23). An example to consider here is the famous piece of art, the Mona Lisa. Photographic reproduction enabled it to be reproduced exponentially so that, although painted centuries ago, currently it is still immediately recognisable worldwide, though it is seen in different contexts from its original periods and settings (Lovejoy, 1997, p.24).
The first commercially available digital camera was released by Kodak in 1990, though initially it was intended for professional purposes (Wikipedia, 2005). However within a decade, digital cameras have become widespread consumer products (Wikipedia, 2005). Digital cameras are now more popular than film cameras, and many include features not found in film cameras such as the ability to make videos and record audio (Wikipedia, 2005).
The advent of digital photography however, has again challenged people's notions of the reality and authenticity of photos. Until recently, images created via photography were recognised as the epitome of truth (Lovejoy, 1997, p.154). However now a photograph can be changed by manipulating its different components via the computer to create images that are complete simulations (Rush, 1999, p.184). The artificial simulations of reality appear to be indistinguishable from photographs (Rush, 1999, p.184). Consequently, some believe that the capability to create invisible alterations to photographs undermines their accepted "truth," authority, and authenticity (Lovejoy, 1997, p.157).
Although a digital image looks like its photographic counterpart, it is very different from the light sensitised granules of film (Lovejoy, 1997, p.154). A digitised image is made up of discrete elements called pixels, each having assigned precise numerical values which determine horizontal and vertical location value, as well as a specific gray-scale or color intensity range (Lovejoy, 1997, p.145). Thus, a digital photographic image is a representation made through mathematical language structures achieved by encoding information about the lights, darks, and colours of reality captured and digitised through any kind of scanning procedure or lens (Lovejoy, 1997, p.145).
Books
Rush, M. (1999) New Media in Late 20th-Century Art, New York: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0500203296
Lovejoy, M. (1997) Postmodern Currents: Art and Artists in the Age of Electronic Media New York: Routledge. ISBN 0415307805
Web documents
Wikipedia (2005) retrieved October 28, 2005 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Benjamin, W. (1935) The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, retrieved October 28, 2005 from http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm
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