George Eastman’s Contribution to Photography

 

Diversity in a Technological Society

 

[Professor]

 

[Student Name]

 

24 June 2007

 

 

Introduction

Capturing people, places, as well as special events in our lives through the use of a camera is something we all take for granted. In today’s world, where “digital” photography is more norm than trend, it comes as no surprise that people rarely take the time to dwell on the many technological advances that took place in the field of photography which have enabled us to shoot and record parts of our lives we consider important with ease and simplicity. Moreover, we do not attribute these technological advances to men and women who have dared to think, believe, and act differently from the others during their times – a unique breed of individuals who courageously went outside of the box that was prevalent then, significantly changing the way the world carried on. George Eastman, founder of the Eastman Kodak Company, was one such man.

The Difference that was George Eastman

Born to Maria Kilbourn and George Washington Eastman on July 12, 1854, young George experienced a number of hardships early on in his life which shaped and sharpened his ability to adapt and innovate – traits that would later on define his success in the field of photography. The death of his father when he was just seven, which left the family financially challenged, and his decision to “drop out of school at age 14 to support his widowed mother and two sisters, one of whom was severely handicapped” (Eastman Kodak Company), are only some of the circumstances in his life which could have made George Eastman socially, mentally, and emotionally diverse or different from other children his age. In addition to these circumstances, George Eastman’s inborn personality, such as “his ability to overcome financial adversity, his gift for organization and management, and his lively and inventive mind,” served only to strengthen his difference from others and set him apart (Eastman Kodak Company).

George Eastman’s Contributions to Photography

George Eastman lived at a time when recording or taking photographs was cumbersome and exclusively for those who had the knowledge and skill at exposing wet plates and developing them using the appropriate chemicals.  But unlike the others during his time, George Eastman did not shy away from trying to change something that the people then were not only used to, but resigned to. His difference had him searching for another way to make the process of taking pictures less complicated. 

For three years, George Eastman meticulously experimented with gelatin emulsions in his mother’s kitchen after his work as junior clerk at the Rochester Savings Bank during the day was over. His perseverance paid off and by 1880, George Eastman had not only perfected the dry plate formula, he had also come up with a machine that prepared these dry plates (Eastman Kodak Company). Soon, according to Utterback (1), George Eastman was producing dry plates on a large scale which “certainly simplified the job of professional photographers and serious amateurs, but did little to broaden the market. Eastman recognized this need very early on and resolved to develop an entire system to change the way people took pictures.”

Once again, George Eastman experimented with materials to replace glass (the primary object used in dry plate photography) and “in the spring of 1889, he had developed a photosensitive celluloid film and the production processes to manufacture it commercially. At about the same time, he and his associates developed a simple and inexpensive camera, the Kodak, especially for using the new roll film” (Utterback 1).

           George Eastman then turned to advertising to market his film and camera and targeted the amateurs – those who according to Utterback (1), “had not yet responded to any of the innovations in photographic products.” It would be this “unbounded faith in advertising” that would catapult the word “Kodak” into becoming one of the most familiar trademark names in the world.           

Conclusion

George Eastman can be safely considered a radical during his time because he sought to be different. Different in his mindset and different in the way he approached and went about what he wanted to change. He is credited for not just simplifying the process of taking pictures and making photography accessible to all, but also for introducing the concept of “profit sharing” – an innovation which the Eastman Kodak Company describes as “a way of thinking that was far ahead of management people of his era.”

           Indeed, “technological innovation can reshape the competitive landscape of an entire industry with astonishing speed. Those who fail to bridge the discontinuity wither away while those with novel concepts or methods rise to dominance” (Utterback 1). George Eastman was certainly different. He was an ingenious visionary through and through; someone who shaped the photographic industry by breaking away from the traditions of his time and by bravely carving his own path to success and fame.    

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

“George Eastman – About  His Life”.  March 2007. Eastman Kodak Company.

<http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/kodakHistory/eastmanTheMan.shtml>.

Utterback, James. Developing Technologies: The Eastman Kodak Story. The McKinsey Quarterly, No. 1, 1995: 1.