Pioneers of Nature Photography

Introduction

Today, photography is entirely taken for granted. However, it was only two centuries ago that the first photograph was made. Before the exhibition zooms in on the Dutch pioneers of nature photography, a bit of history is certainly not to be missed.

1826: Oldest surviving photo – Joseph Nicéphore Niépce

1839: Oldest photo of the Netherlands – Willem Hallegraeff

1858: First aerial photo – Félix Nadar

1861: First color photo – James Clerk Maxwell

1887: First flash photo – Adolf Miethe

1889: First black-and-white film negative – George Eastman (Kodak)

1935: First color negative – Kodachrome

1946: First photo of Earth from space

1950: First digital camera – Steven Sasson

1955: First macro lens – Kilfi tt Makro-Kilar 4CM

1959: First zoom lens – Voigtländer

 

The Very First?

Johannes Eliza Rombouts

Johannes Eliza Rombouts is somewhat of an oddity in this exhibition. Rombouts is not a nature photographer but a photographer who did much of his work outdoors. People often feature in his landscapes. At Artis (a zoo in Amsterdam), Rombouts photographed many animals. This was not only practical but almost necessary because the equipment was bulky and slow. Most photos from Artis date from around 1880, making them the oldest animal photos in the archive of the Nederlands Fotomuseum.

Photos:

  • Flamingos at Artis
  • De Steeg
  • Forest Landscape

 

It Didn’t Come Naturally

Jan Pieter Strijbos, Johannes Vijverberg, Nol Binsbergen

Today, you hardly have to think while photographing: the camera measures the light, focuses, and recognizes and follows the subject with unprecedented precision. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was quite different. The pioneers of Dutch nature photography had very simple cameras. Film rolls were not yet available, meaning you could only take one photo (on a glass plate) at a time—a time-consuming and extremely costly affair. Focusing and exposure were done entirely manually. The biggest challenge was perhaps the lack of convenient lenses. Much more than what we would now describe as a ‘low-light standard lens’ simply did not exist. This meant that the nature photographer had to get very close to his subject. Nesting birds were therefore very welcome.

Today, nest photography is not done due to the disturbance to the birds. Back then, it was the only way to ensure a bird photo. People were not always careful: if a nest was too high in a tree, it was simply sawed out. Some things have changed little over time: to take the bird photo, hiding tents were indispensable.

Photos:

  • Blue Heron (Strijbos)
  • Hobby (Strijbos)
  • Little Ringed Plovers (Vijverberg)
  • Great Crested Grebe (Binsbergen)
  • Storm Gull (Strijbos)
  • Avocet (Vijverberg)
  • Blue Heron (Binsbergen)

 

For a Wide Audience

Adolphe Burdet

We experience depth because we have two eyes. They are slightly apart, allowing us to see the world from two slightly different perspectives. A photo is a flat, one-dimensional representation of reality, making it difficult to experience depth. Shortly after the invention of photography, in the second half of the 19th century, the idea of stereophotography emerged. The principle of our eyes was translated to the camera, which also got two ‘eyes’. Thus, with one press of the button, two photos were taken on each glass negative that were slightly different (corresponding to the eye distance). Placing the print in a stereoscope suddenly showed depth in the image. The experience is most akin to viewing a diorama. Anyone who thinks virtual reality is a modern concept is mistaken! Burdet made many stereo photos, bringing nature literally closer to the public.

Photos:

  • Great Reed Warbler
  • Black Tern

 

Now Extinct…

F.P.J. Kooijmans

It is not only admirable to look at the nature photos of the pioneers; they also allow us to travel back in time. Unfortunately, this journey is quite confronting. Since the industrial revolution, our country has changed drastically: agriculture became larger-scale and more intensive, factories, roads, and railways appeared, the population exploded, and with it, villages and cities grew. Our last wildernesses disappeared. Kooijmans’ photos show many birds that no longer or hardly breed in the Netherlands, such as the Short-eared Owl (occasionally in the Wadden area), Great Grey Shrike (since 1999), Gull-billed Tern (1958, recently a few breeding pairs), Hoopoe (1970s), Black Grouse (last specimens on the Sallandse Heuvelrug), Ruff (recent), Montagu’s Harrier (only a few dozen pairs), and Corncrake (fewer than 100 pairs). Unfortunately, the birds are not the only ones under pressure. The entire Dutch nature is still under immense stress.

Photos:

  • Black Grouse
  • Dotterel
  • Sandwich Tern
  • Short-eared Owl

 

Small, Smaller, Smallest

Kees Hana

At the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, nature conservation emerged. One of the drivers was Jac. P. Thijsse, co-founder of Natuurmonumenten. To interest the general public in nature, Thijsse wrote many books and published the magazine ‘De levende natuur’. Images were indispensable, so Thijsse frequently called on the pioneers in nature photography. It is logical that they mainly started with birds and plants. These were recognizable to the largest group of people. At the same time, technology did not yet allow for many other types of photos. Macro lenses did not exist. Taking a real macro photo was therefore quite a challenge, as the model shows. In the Netherlands, Kees Hana was one of the first photographers to introduce the public to the wonderful tiny world.

David and Marian Fairchild wrote the first true macro book: ‘Book of Monsters’. Fairchild: “The camera, consisting of several long boxes that fit into each other, is stretched out on a table made of planks and some poles in the ground. At one end is the lens, and at the other end is the ground glass plate to focus the image. The monster is mounted on a small wooden block and placed at the right distance in front of the lens. It is moved back and forth based on the instructions of the operator at the other end of the camera, who views the image on the glass screen. Above the lens lies a black paper tube which, when everything is ready, is placed over the lens between the front of the lens and the monster to prevent the flash powder smoke from drifting between the lens and the insect during exposure. Wills, the assistant, holds the Prosch-magnesium flash lamp, and the insect is protected from direct sunlight by a large window covered with a thin sheet of tissue paper. Direct sunlight is reflected by the hairs and polished surfaces of the insects and causes spots on the negative.”

 

Colophon

Design and composition: Bob Luijks

With thanks to: Nederlands Fotomuseum (for providing the photos) and CEWE (for printing all the photos).