Harold Edgerton and Strobe Photography

Harold Edgerton and Strobe Photography

- Harold Edgerton was born in Fremont, Nebraska on April 6, 1903

- He earned his engineering degrees at University of Nebraska and MIT

- When conducting studies on power generation at MIT he noticed that mercury rectifiers made flashes of light that made a generator's rotors appear to stand still

- This was the idea that sparked his plan to create a lamp that flashed light to fix motors and eventually create ground-breaking photographic works

Historical and World events

- Strobe photography enabled a still camera (in one shot) to capture more information about the subject

- This was the start to a revolutionary discovery that became Edgerton's claim to fame as a photographer

Stroboscopes in Factories

- Edgerton started research on strobe photography

- Stroboscopes were initially used in factories on motors to be able to properly diagnose problems with them

- French brothers by the last name Seguin created a flash-producing apparatus that was sold to factories

- Since their version was significantly more expensive and less portable than Edgerton's model he was the more successful provider to the factories in the industry

Late 1930's

-In the late 1930's and early 1940's

he was introduced into Hollywood, for his pieces that were inducted into the studios and galleries across the U.S. such as MGM Studios.

-He starred in a short film called Quicker'n A Wink that won him an academy award.

-In 1939 the Kodatron, a stroboscope developed by Kodak and Edgerton was created to make strobe photography more accessable to professional photographers.

WW 1

- During World War 1 stroboscopes were used to illuminate vast areas during nighttime

- Roads, etc. were illuminated to track movement of enemies

Photographic Characteristics

Equipment

- There are two ways to obtain the strobe effect

1. Using a flashing light source (stroboscope) to shine light on moving subject

- setup camera on tripod, open the shutter on bulb and let the light shine for a period of time until the movement is over

2. The cheaper option is to attach a rotating disk with an open slot that lets in the light with each rotation

Features

-His photography consisted of a flashing strobe light and camera with an open shutter

-The photo had to be taken in complete darkness so that the strobe light affected the image

-He focused on breaking down the mechanics of high speed motion such as bullets, a dancer, a golfer swinging a club, etcetera.

-His method began with setting up a camera set to bulb on a tripod and letting the light flash for the required amount of time he set it for.

Photographer and Their Works

Milk Drop Coronet

1957

-This was one of his first photographs using a stroboscope that did not relate to his earlier use of the machine. (car motors.)

Figure in Motion

2008

By Andrew Davidhazy (an inspired artist of Edgerton)

This shows a wider motion than Edgertons photographs ever did, therefore giving us a more panoramic view of the movement.

Current Practises developed through Edgertons method

-In the 1930's Edgerton was the "go-to" man for stroboscopic solutions e.g.Niels Bohr, densmore Shute, Colonel George Goddard and more who came to his lab in MIT.

-Edgerton made contributions to varieties of fields

-After Edgerton's death two science centers were dedicated in his name

-As his strobe lights became more and more popular he eventually sold his strobes to GM research in Detroit, which later helped advance cars around the globe.

Thank you for watching our presentation!

By: Christopher Meloff and Sara Flicht

Bullet through Jack

1964

Here he was able to capture the curling of the severed card as the bullet ripped through it. This was undetectable to the human eye.

Back Dive

1954

This picture captures the full range of motion of the human step by step and breaks down the human body's movements.