What was the earliest realistic photography?

The earliest realistic photography was taking pictures of buildings. Stationary buildings provide the best theme for photography that requires long exposure.

1839, Daguerre photographed the streets of Paris with silver plate method. Interestingly, Daguerre not only photographed the buildings in the block, but also took in a pair of people who were shining shoes. The bustling crowd in the street did not leave any images because of the long exposure, but these two people, because they kept a fixed posture for a long time, could actually see their own images after five minutes of exposure.

In Talbot's famous "Brush of Nature", the second photo illustration was taken at 1843, entitled "Vaginal Scenery in Paris". In the explanatory text, Talbot wrote:

This photo was taken from the upstairs window of Dover Hotel, which is located at the corner of Baker Street.

The audience is looking at the northeast. The time is afternoon. The sun is setting behind the building decorated with columns: the lower part of the building is already in shadow, but an open shutter still reflects the faint sunlight in the distance.

From this note, it is not difficult to see that Talbot has quite skillful skills in composition and lighting. In the same year, Talbot also photographed the Revolving Square in Paris, two of which were kept in the Science Museum in London. From the photo, we can see a paved square leading to a complex building complex, and an advertisement inlaid with patterns ends at the gables at both ends of the building roof. The other photo is the same as when shooting the square, but the time and angle have changed, suggesting signs of life and movement.

In fact, strictly speaking, the earliest architects were Gustav Le, Gustav Legre, Edward Dennis Baldus and Henry Laisek. Starting from 185 1, they were commissioned by the French Historical Monuments Committee to photograph the appearance and parts of some important buildings and record the traditional buildings in France that are on the verge of disappearing.

The 1950s of 19 was a very active period of architectural photography. 1857, the British architectural photography association was established, which pushed architectural photography to a climax. During this period, architectural photography became a fashion for amateurs and professional photographers. Romantic architecture is their main theme. They like to photograph cathedrals, castles and destroyed monasteries, which also reflects the popularity of historical revivalism.

Not only traditional historical buildings attract photographers' attention, but also some new projects and buildings under construction are taken as "recorded photos" and preserved. In the past, this kind of information was written by hand and explained with a lot of words. After the invention of photography, more and more photography took on the role of recording.

185 1 ~ 1854, the British "Crystal Palace" was rebuilt in West Danham, London. PhiliDelamotte took some construction photos for this project and recorded the progress of the project.

This kind of architectural photography usually uses long exposure and small aperture to record details, while avoiding excessive contrast between light and dark. Many photos have beautiful compositions and exquisite lighting, which have become people's favorite works.