The History of the Photographic Flash - Working Edition Rachel Lee and Katie Shim October 26, 2012

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Photography is only possible with light. More importantly, the source of light matters. Light is captured by film, and reflects off different objects; making them visible and creating colour. Nowadays in photography, we take light for granted. When its too dark to take a picture, with just one touch, the auto-flash turns on. However, in the early 19th century, photographers could only rely on sunlight as their light source, restricting them to only take photos during the day. Because of this, photographers were interested in finding a way to photograph with accurate and predictable lighting results. interim thesis: The invention of the photographic flash has been one of the most pivotal advances in the field of photography, as the importance of light has been and always will be most dominant. Notably, in eighteen-sixty-two, Edward Sonstadt manufactured the first commercial magnesium burner for photography. Magnesium wire was fed through an alcohol lamp to produce an intense white light. However, at the time, magnesium was too expensive, and the method was too dangerous and impractical for use. Then in eighteen-eighty-seven, German inventors Adolf Miethe and Johannes Gaedicke invented the flash powder, called Blitzlicht. It consisted of magnesium, sodium chlorate and antimony sulphide. When ignited, it created a powerful flash of light. Their invention created an uproar with photographers because photos could now be taken at places where they were never taken before. Although this was a breakthrough in developing the flash later on, it was still quite dangerous as it was messy and created excess smoke. To combat these issues, Austrian inventor Paul Vierkotter invented the first modern flash bulb. He contained magnesium coated wire in a sealed glass bulb, thus reducing its danger. Vierkotters design was was later altered by Johannes Ostermeier between 1925-1930. However, the flash bulb can be credited to Johannes Ostermeier as he altered the same design as Vierkotter by replacing the magnesium with ultra-thin aluminum foil in a low-pressure oxygen atmosphere. Ostermeier's first commercially available photoflash bulbs were manufactured by Vacublitz in Germany in 1929. In 1930, General Electric took on production in America. From here, the flash bulb proved to become a hallmark in the thirties and forties as in 1935

ALONE, General Electric sold over 3.5 million flash bulbs! The bulbs were much safer, practical, and easier to use for amateur photographers. Although the bulbs were dangerously sensitive to static electricity, under most conditions, they could be used with relative safety. Therefore, the niche for photography widened after the release of the new photoflash bulbs. The development of such technology incorporated light effectively and made it much more versatile in photography. But from here, how did the photographic flash we know today come to evolve? In 1931, Doctor Harold Eugene Edgerton from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology tested the first electronic flash with his partner, Kenneth J. Germeshausen. In fact, the model they produced is very much similar to the modern day electronic flash we know today. Using a glass tube filled with xenon gas, Edgerton would release a high-voltage electrical current. This caused the gas to light up, creating a short, intense flash. Initially, this discovery wasnt solely intended for the purpose of photography. Rather it was intended to make things visible to what normally isnt for the human eye. Harold Edgerton speaks of this here: EDGERTON: WITH ORDINARY LIGHT, THE HUMAN EYE IS INCAPABLE OF SEEING THESE DROPS AND THEYSO IT APPEARS LIKE A CONTINUOUS STREAM. BUT NOW IF I FLASH A STROBE IN IT IN SYNCHRONISM, AT EXACTLY SIXTY TIMES PER SECOND, THEN THE DROPS WILL APPEAR LIKE THEYRE STANDING STILL. (0:17) (0:45-1:02 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyRU7GNxL3M) The photographic flash could now help us see things we could never see before. The benefit of the electronic flash was that the intensity and the duration of the flash was controllable by means of electrical input. Also, the colour was now similar to that of daylight, and unlike the flashbulb, it reached full power right away when fired. Of course, electronic flash has some drawbacks. All flash equipment offers a finite amount of light. Additionally, during the brief flash of light, you are really not likely to see the actual effect of the light. Flash units are not constant-light sources.

By 1940, marketed portable over its

the first electronic flash units available commercially were for studio use. Shortly after the end of WWII, the first units came on the market and impressed with its potential ease of operation.

In 1967, automatic-exposure flash was introduced, which meant photographers no longer needed to change the f-stops on their lenses. Only setting a single stop was necessary. The evolution of the photographic flash has come a long way within a few centuries. The flash unit is not capable to do everything in the most desirable way, but it is the closest mimic of sunshine. Light in photography will remain most important, and what will need to continuously improve as the world rapidly advances.

Works Cited (MLA) Editors of Time-Life Books. Light and Film. Amsterdam: Time-life Books Inc, 1981. Print. Harris, Tom. "How Camera Flashes Work." HowStuffWorks.com. Discovery, 30 July 2002. Web. 21 October 2012. <http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/camera-flash.htm> Herwig, Ellis. Amphoto Guide to Flash Photography. New York: American Photographic Book Publishing, 1981. Print. Tolmachev, Ivan. A Brief History of Photographic Flash. Phototuts+. N.p., 19 Jan. 2011. Web. 21 October 2012. <http://photo.tutsplus.com/articles/history/a-brief-history-of-photographicflash> Watkins, Derek. Flash. London: Focal, 1983. Print.