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What is chronophotography?
Chronophotography – is a shooting method used to visualize movement. It involves creating a series of photographs that are then combined into one frame, showing the object in different phases of movement. This technique arose in the 19th century and became the basis for the further development of cinematography and sports photography.
Through chronophotography, a bird can be seen spreading its wings in flight, a person jumping over an obstacle, or the ball moving through the air after a shot.
History of chronophotography
The first experiments with motion capture began in the 1870s, when the development of photographic technologies made it possible to take high-speed pictures. Two scientists played a key role in the formation of this method:
- Edward Muybridge (Edweard Muybridge) – is a British-American photographer who in 1878 used a series of cameras to film a galloping horse. His experiment proved that at a certain moment all four legs of the horse did not touch the ground, which was impossible to see with the naked eye.
- Etienne-Jules Marais (Étienne-Jules Marey) – is a French physiologist who in 1882 developed a "photofusil" – device that allowed shooting 12 frames per second per plate. It is his method that most resembles modern chronophotography, since all stages of movement fell on one frame.
These studies became the foundation for cinematography, opening up new opportunities for the study of movement.
How does chronophotography work?
To get the effect of chronophotography, several methods are used:
- Sequential serial shooting <TAG1> makes a series of frames of a moving object with the same time interval.
- Overlaying pictures <TAG1> the resulting frames are combined into one image to show the dynamics of movement.
- Long exposure with flash <TAG1> combines the motion blur effect with distinct phases where the flash captures key moments.
In the digital age, this effect can be achieved with graphic editors such as Photoshop, but classical methods continue to be used in sports photography and experimental art.
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