Photography History Illustrated In 100 Landmark Cameras [Chart]

Regardless of what the smartphone revolution has done to the image of professional photography, I think all photo enthusiasts can appreciate how important photography history is as it relates to our ability to take quality photos today. After Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer made a misstatement about professional photographers last week (she later apologized on Twitter), I think it’s safe to say professional photographers are alive and well.

One blogger responded to her remarks with an insightful post listing 13 traits that make a photographer “professional.” You can read that at A Note To Marissa Mayer. The easiest way to understand photography history is to see where it all began on the journey to what it has become today.

The image below is by Pop Chart Lab. According to the website, this is “a meticulously illustrated catalog of 100 landmark cameras, pulled from over a century of photographic history, depicting both professional and consumer models and tracing photography’s history from the first models to today’s digital wonders.”

When I think about photography history in my own lifetime, it started back when I was four or five years old, which is when I remember my aunt taking my picture with a Polaroid camera. She would hand me the picture immediately, and I blew on it while it came to life. When I was a teenager, I had a small camera that I took pictures with, but I couldn’t see the photos until I saved the money to have the film developed.

Of course, today all that is different. Now our instant gratification photography needs are satisfied with the smartphones we carry around in our pockets. If you are like me, you are constantly snapping pics. It’s become part of our everyday lifestyle, and a timeline of our lives. I hope you like this chart as much as I did. If you want one of these prints to hang on your wall, they are available on their website for $27. Enjoy!