Capturing Souls-The Birth of Consumer Photography

Today, it seems, everyone is a photographer. Nearly every cell phone and tablet contains a digital camera whose image quality rivals that of high-end professional cameras, while said professional cameras continue to get cheaper and more accessible with every passing year. The act of casually documenting our daily lives has become so common that it is strange for someone not to have taken a photograph within the last 24 hours. But a century and a half ago, the photographic landscape was rather different. Photography was the exclusive preserve of professionals and wealthy, dedicated amateurs, requiring bulky, expensive equipment and extensive knowledge of light, mechanics, and chemistry. Then, at the turn of the 20th Century, a visionary inventor and the company he founded took this esoteric art form and placed it in the hands of the average person, creating a brand-new industry and forever changing our relationship with the photographic image. This is the story of George Eastman, the Kodak Corporation, and the democratization of photography. Author: Gilles Messier Editor: Daven Hiskey Host: Simon Whistler, Producer: Caden Nielsen