Curious About Cameras

PODCAST 226: CURIOUS ABOUT CAMERAS

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, JANUARY 29TH, 2023

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  SINCE WE STARTED THE PODCAST, WE’VE LEARNED ABOUT SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT INVENTIONS IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.  THOSE INVENTIONS INCLUDE COMPASSES, ELECTRICITY, PAPER, CARS, REFRIGERATORS, BATTERIES, AND TELEPHONES.  THE INVENTION WE’RE LEARNING ABOUT TODAY IS ALSO ONE THAT HAS GONE DOWN AS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT, GROUND BREAKING, INVENTIONS IN RECENT HISTORY.  IT HAS TRULY CHANGED THE WAY WE SEE THE WORLD.

O:  TRIPLE-MAILBAG!

D:  TRIPLE-MAILBAG!

“HELLO!  MY NAME IS MORGAN, I AM FROM KANSAS, AND I AM 8 YEARS OLD.  I LOVE LISTENING TO YOUR SHOW.  I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY, AND I’M VERY CURIOUS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF CAMERAS.  MY SISTER AND I PLAY BARBIES ALL THE TIME, SO I’M CURIOUS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF BARBIES.  THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

MORGAN”

“HI OLIVIA AND JACOB!  MY NAME IS KATE, AND I’M 8 YEARS OLD.  I LOVE LISTENING TO YOUR PODCASTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN I AM DRAWING!  I’M CURIOUS ABOUT A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS.  HERE ARE SOME IDEAS THAT I HAVE!  NOODLES, SAND, PENCILS, PERFUME, MOSQUITOES, SEASHELLS, NAIL POLISH, DONUTS, KAWAII CULTURE, LIBRARIES, PAINT, CAMERAS, GLUE, FRENCH FRIES, HIBISCUS AND TROPICAL FLOWERS, AIR CONDITIONING, CARDBOARD, AND MEDIEVAL HISTORY.  THANK YOU CURIOUS KID PODCAST!  I LOVE LEARNING NEW THINGS.  

KATE FROM SOUTHEAST NEW JERSEY”

“HI.  MY NAME IS LUA.  I LOVE THE PODCAST!  I’VE LISTENED TO ALL OF THE EPISODES!  MY FAVORITE EPISODES ARE CURIOUS ABOUT UNICORNS AND ROLLER COASTERS.  I AM CURIOUS ABOUT CAMERAS.  HOW DO THEY WORK?  WHERE AND WHEN WAS THE FIRST PHOTO TAKEN?

LUA FROM CANADA”

O:  WOW.  I CAN’T PICTURE A BETTER TRIO OF MESSAGES THAN THE ONES WE RECEIVED FROM OUR AWESOME LISTENERS THROUGH EMAIL AND AN INCREDIBLE FIVE STAR REVIEW.  KATE HAS SO MANY GREAT EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTIONS THAT WE WOULD LOVE TO COVER AT SOME POINT.  THE ONLY ONE WE’VE ALREADY COVERED WAS AIR CONDITIONING, ALL THE WAY BACK IN EPISODE 28.  LUA, IT IS AMAZING THAT YOU’VE LISTENED TO EVERY EPISODE OF THE PODCAST.  DID YOU KNOW THAT IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 3 DAYS TO LISTEN TO EVERY SINGLE EPISODE OF THE PODCAST, WITHOUT TAKING ANY BREAKS, NOT EVEN TO SLEEP?  IF YOU INCLUDE OUR BONUS EPISODES AND MINI-PRESIDENTIAL EPISODES, WE ARE GETTING SUPER CLOSE TO 300 TOTAL EPISODES OF THE PODCAST.

D:  AND, IF YOU INCLUDE OUR APPEARANCES ON OTHER PODCASTS, AND THE CURRENT EVENTS EPISODES THAT WE’VE PUT TOGETHER FOR OUR AMAZING PATREON SUPPORTERS, WE ARE ALREADY WELL OVER 300 EPISODES RECORDED.  WE ARE SO LUCKY TO HAVE LISTENERS THAT HAVE LISTENED TO ALL, OR ALMOST ALL OF OUR EPISODES.  THANK YOU!  ALRIGHT OLIVIA, LET’S START LEARNING.  WHAT’S THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, WHAT IS THE RECORD FOR THE LARGEST CAMERA COLLECTION IN THE WORLD?  

D:  THERE IS A MAN FROM MUMBAI, INDIA, THAT HAS THE LARGEST CAMERA COLLECTION IN THE WORLD.  HE COLLECTS ANTIQUE CAMERAS AND HE’S GOT QUITE THE COLLECTION.  CAN YOU GUESS HOW MANY CAMERAS HE OWNS?  WHILE YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT THE ANSWER, LET’S START LEARNING ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE CAMERA.

O:  IN ANCIENT TIMES, PEOPLE REALIZED THAT YOU CAN MAKE AN IMAGE ON THE WALL OF A DARK ROOM BY MAKING A SMALL HOLE IN THE DRAPES ON THE OPPOSITE WALL.  

D:  THIS WAS CALLED CAMERA OBSCURA, WHICH TRANSLATES FROM LATIN TO DARK CHAMBER.  EVEN THOUGH IT WASN’T TECHNICALLY A CAMERA, BECAUSE A PICTURE WASN’T CREATED, IT WAS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE CAMERA.  

O:  ANOTHER IMPORTANT DISCOVERY WAS MADE IN 1727, WHEN A GERMAN PHYSICIST DISCOVERED THAT SILVER-BASED CHEMICAL SALTS ARE SENSITIVE TO LIGHT.

D:  AND LATER IN THE 18TH CENTURY, SILVER-COATED PAPER WAS USED TO MAKE COPIES OF PAINTINGS.  

O:  THE FIRST PICTURE WAS TAKEN IN 1827 BY A FRENCH MAN BY THE NAME OF JOSEPH NICEPHORE NIEPCE.  HE TOOK THE PICTURE USING A METAL PLATE COATED WITH SILVER CHEMICALS, THAT HE EXPOSED TO LIGHT FOR EIGHT HOURS.

D:  ELEVEN YEARS LATER, LOUIS DAGUERRE, ANOTHER FRENCH MAN, TOOK THE FIRST KNOWN PHOTOGRAPH OF A PERSON, IN PARIS.  

O:  JUST ONE YEAR AFTER THAT, IN 1839, HENRY WILLIAM FOX TALBOT TAKES PHOTOGRAPHS USING LIGHT SENSITIVE PAPER THAT IS COATED WITH SILVER-BASED CHEMICALS.

D:  THOSE PICTURES, WHICH WERE ORIGINALLY CALLED TALBOTYPES AS A TRIBUTE TO THEIR INVENTOR, WOULD SOON BE CALLED PHOTOGRAPHS.  THAT’S BECAUSE A FRIEND OF HENRY WILLIAM FOX TALBOT URGES HIM TO CHANGE THE NAME TO PHOTOGRAPH.  

O:  THE WORD PHOTOGRAPH COMES FROM THE GREEK WORDS PHOS, WHICH MEANS LIGHT, AND GRAPHE, WHICH MEANS DRAWING.  

D:  IN 1859, BRITISH PHYSICIST JAMES CLERK MAXWELL TAKES THE FIRST COLOR PHOTO.  

O:  IN 1883, AMERICAN GEORGE EASTMAN INVENTS A PLASTIC PHOTOGRAPH FILM THAT IS NOT EXPENSIVE.

D:  AND SIX YEARS LATER, IN 1889, HE INTRODUCES THE KODAK CAMERA, WHICH IS AFFORDABLE, ALLOWING MILLIONS OF PEOPLE TO START TAKING PHOTOS FOR THE FIRST TIME.  THE KODAK CAMERA HAD THE TAG LINE “YOU PRESS THE BUTTON, WE DO THE REST”, WHICH HELPED HIGHLIGHT HOW EASY THEY WERE TO USE.  

O:  IN 1947, AMERICAN PHYSICIST EDWIN LAND INVENTED A CAMERA THAT WAS CAPABLE OF MAKING INSTANT PHOTOGRAPHS, AND NAMED THE CAMERA THE POLAROID LAND CAMERA.

D:  IF YOU’VE EVER WONDERED WHY PEOPLE DIDN’T USUALLY SMILE IN THOSE OLD TIMEY PICTURES, IT’S BECAUSE THEY HAD TO SIT OR STAND VERY STILL FOR MINUTES, OR EVEN SOMETIMES HOURS, TO POSE FOR A SINGLE PICTURE.  

O:  IN THE 1990’S, INEXPENSIVE DIGITAL CAMERAS BECAME MORE COMMON, AND LOTS OF PEOPLE STOPPED USING CAMERAS WITH FILM.  

D:  IN 2012, THE EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, THAT WAS FLOURISHING JUST A FEW DECADES EARLIER, NEARLY WENT BANKRUPT, MEANING THAT THEY COULDN’T AFFORD TO KEEP ON OPERATING, BECAUSE THEY COULDN’T COMPETE WITH DIGITAL CAMERAS.

O:  LET’S LEARN HOW FILM CAMERAS WORK, BECAUSE THE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND THEM IS SURPRISINGLY SIMPLE.  

D:  A CAMERA HAS THREE BASIC PARTS:  THE OPTICAL ELEMENT, WHICH IS ALSO CALLED THE LENS, THE CHEMICAL ELEMENT, WHICH IS ALSO CALLED THE FILM, AND THE MECHANICAL ELEMENT, WHICH IS THE CAMERA ITSELF.  THESE ARE THE THREE ESSENTIAL PARTS NEEDED TO TAKE A GREAT PHOTO.  

O:  LET’S LEARN ABOUT THE LENS FIRST.  THE LENS IS JUST A CURVED PIECE OF GLASS OR PLASTIC.  WHAT IT DOES IS TAKE THE LIGHT BEAMS THAT BOUNCE OFF OF THE OBJECT YOU ARE TAKING A PICTURE OF, AND DIRECT THOSE BEAMS OF LIGHT SO THAT THEY COME TOGETHER TO MAKE A REAL IMAGE, WHICH IS AN IMAGE IDENTICAL TO THE PERSON OR OBJECT YOU ARE TAKING A PICTURE OF.  

D:  WHEN YOU PRESS THE BUTTON ON A CAMERA TO TAKE A PICTURE, THE BEAMS OF LIGHT THAT ARE HITTING THE LENS ENTER THE CAMERA AND MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE BACK OF THE CAMERA, WHERE THEY HIT THE FILM, STARTING A CHEMICAL REACTION.  

O:  ONCE YOU’VE TAKEN THE PHOTO, THE PHOTO NEEDS TO BE DEVELOPED IN A DARKROOM.  WHAT IS DONE IS THAT THE FILM IS DIPPED INTO CHEMICALS, WHICH HELPS THE IMAGES THAT WERE TAKEN COME TO LIFE.  

D:  IF YOU HOLD THE DEVELOPED FILM TO THE LIGHT, YOU WOULD SEE THAT YOU END UP WITH SOMETHING CALLED A NEGATIVE.  THAT JUST MEANS THAT DARK OBJECTS WILL LOOK LIGHT AND THAT LIGHT OBJECTS WILL LOOK DARK.  

O:  THE FINAL STEP WOULD BE TO SHINE A LIGHT THROUGH THE NEGATIVE FILM, WHICH WOULD MAKE A SHADOW ON PHOTOSENSITIVE PAPER, TURNING THE NEGATIVE PRINT INTO A POSITIVE PRINT, WHICH SHOULD MATCH WHATEVER YOU WERE TAKING A PHOTO OF.  

D:  EVEN THOUGH THE PROCESS MIGHT SOUND COMPLICATED, IT’S ACTUALLY PRETTY SIMPLE, AND IT IS ALSO A NATURAL EXTENSION OF THE CAMERA OBSCURA, OR DARK CHAMBER, WHERE IT WAS FIRST NOTICED THAT YOU CAN CREATE AN IMAGE ON A WALL USING A SMALL HOLE OR OPENING IN THE WALL ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE.  THE SMALL HOLE WOULD ESSENTIALLY BE LIKE A LENS ON A CAMERA, BECAUSE THE LENS IS JUST A SMALL PART OF THE CAMERA THAT IS DESIGNED TO LET LIGHT IN.  THE FILM WOULD BE LIKE THE OPPOSITE WALL, WHERE THE IMAGE ITSELF WOULD APPEAR.  FINALLY, THE CAMERA WOULD BE LIKE THE DARK ROOM, WHERE IT WAS FIRST DISCOVERED THAT IMAGES OF THINGS ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE DARK ROOM CAN BE DISPLAYED ON THE WALL.  

O:  BEFORE WE GET TO THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK, HERE ARE SOME AMAZING FACT ABOUT CAMERAS AND PHOTOS.  IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY PHOTOS ARE TAKEN WORLDWIDE, BECAUSE OVER 85% OF PHOTOS ARE TAKEN ON SMARTPHONES THESE DAYS.  ESTIMATES SUGGEST THAT 54,400 PHOTOS ARE TAKEN EVERY SECOND.  THAT WOULD MEAN THAT 4.7 BILLION PHOTOS ARE TAKEN EVERY DAY, LEADING TO 1.72 TRILLION PHOTOS A YEAR. 

D:  I WONDER HOW MANY OF THOSE PHOTOS ARE TAKEN BY MOMMY, WHO SOMETIMES TAKES A BUNCH OF PHOTOS TO GET ONE OF YOU AND NOAH BOTH SMILING WITH YOUR EYES OPEN.  DID YOU KNOW THAT THE CAMERA THAT TOOK THE FIRST PICTURE ON THE MOON IS STILL THERE, ON THE MOON!

O:  TWELVE CAMERAS IN TOTAL WERE TAKEN ON THE APOLLO 11 MISSION TO THE MOON.  ALL OF THEM ARE STILL ON THE MOON TODAY.  WHY?  BECAUSE THEY NEEDED EXTRA ROOM ON THE SPACECRAFT FOR ROCK SAMPLES, SO THERE WAS NO SPARE ROOM FOR THE CAMERAS.  

D:  ACCORDING TO A STUDY DONE AT WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY, THE LEFT SIDE OF OUR FACES IS MORE PHOTOGENIC, SO IT PRESENTS BETTER IN PICTURES.  THE FINDING HAS SINCE BEEN CONFIRMED BY OTHER RESEARCHERS.

O:  THEY BELIEVE THAT IT’S BECAUSE THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FACE TENDS TO SHOW MORE EMOTION THAN THE RIGHT SIDE.  

D:  ALRIGHT OLIVIA, LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  A MAN IN MUMBAI HAS THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF CAMERAS IN THE WORLD.  HOW MANY CAMERAS DOES HE HAVE?

O:  DILISH PAREKH HAS A COLLECTION OF 4,425 ANTIQUE CAMERAS.  HE IS A PHOTOJOURNALIST, SO HE IS JUST THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT WOULD BE FASCINATED BY CAMERAS.  PHOTOJOURNALISTS ARE PEOPLE THAT USE PICTURES TO TELL A STORY VISUALLY.  

D:  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  226 - CAMERAS

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB MORGAN, KATE, AND LUA FOR THE PICTURE PERFECT EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION.  JOIN US NEXT WEEK, WHEN WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT LIGHTHOUSES FOR LISTENERS IN WASHINGTON STATE AND AUSTRALIA.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.