FILM STARS The joy of snaps

Why snapshots of the past are still important today. John Wade delves into a few family albums

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Imagine you are looking at a picture from a top photographer of the past - Ansel Adams, maybe. Let's say it's his picture of Half Dome, taken in the winter of 1938 at Yosemite National Park. The composition, light and exposure are all superb. There's no mistaking that it's a wonderful picture. But what does it tell you about 1938? Answer: nothing.

Now look at a snapshot from the same year. It might be slightly blurred, under-exposed and badly composed, but it could help you learn what people of that time looked like, how they dressed, where they took their holidays, how they lived, the cars they drove... and much more.

It isn’t always easy to pinpoint exactly when a trend, photographic or otherwise, began. But with snapshot photography there is a definite starting point. The year was 1888, the camera was called The Kodak – the first time that name had been used – and it was the world’s first roll-film camera, aimed at people with no real experience of photography.

The Kodak came ready-loaded with enough film for 100 exposures. At the end of the roll, camera and film were returned to the Eastman works for developing and printing. The camera was reloaded with a new film and returned to the photographer with the negatives and mounted prints. Until then, the word ‘snapshot’ referred to a gunshot fired quickly without seriously aiming at a fast-moving target. Now, for the first time, it was applied to camera usage. Snapshot photography for the masses had arrived.

SNAPSHOT CAMERAS