Capturing Motion, Research Paper Example

Eadweard Muybridge was a photographer who made some of the most monumental strides in photographic technology that pushed innovation towards using multiple frames to create a moving picture. Muybridge’s experimentation with motion helped shed some light on the nature of motion undistinguishable to the human eye. His unique and groundbreaking discoveries through photography were no accident, however; they were the result of meticulously designed experiments. Muybridge was inspired to explore motion when he was hired by Leland Stanford, a horserace owner who wanted to know when if ever all four of a horse’s legs are off the ground at the same time (“Horse in Motion, Eadweard Muybridge, Ca. 1886”). With this task in mind, Muybridge set up multiple cameras in order to capture the animals’ locomotion (Neil, 2012). In his experiments, Muybridge mapped out the path of the horse and set up cameras along the path. The lenses were rigged to capture a segment of the motion as the horse ran past. With this method, Muybridge discovered the use of multiple frames to create an accurate representation of one movement (Gregorio, 2012). This use of more than one camera to capture motion was groundbreaking; Muybridge was one of the first to do so. By conducting these experiments, Muybridge “prov[ed] a horse does in fact fly when galloping” (Neil, 2012). As technology improved, Muybridge was able to increase shutter speed on his cameras, and was able to capture the motion of a horse during a trot (Neal, 2012). By compiling multiple frames of a single subject in action, Muybridge opened the door that would later lead to the first moving pictures (Muybridge, 1957). Although Muybridge lacked scientific credibility, his discoveries used technology to answer questions about the nature of motion, and also marked the debut of the movie picture. In his study, Muybridge shed light on how horse’s gallop, and unintentionally become a scientific pioneer.

References

Gregorio, Teresa. “Muybridge: Science as Art and Art as Scientific Study.” McMaster Museum of Art. N.p., 05 Apr. 2012. Web. <https://museum.mcmaster.ca/about/news/muybridge-science-as-art-and-art-as-scientific-study/>.

“Horse in Motion, Eadweard Muybridge, Ca. 1886.” Harry Ransom Center. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/windows/southeast/eadweard_muybridge.html>.

Muybridge, Eadweard. Animals in Motion. New York: Dover Publications, 1957. Print.

Neil. “The Science of Movement: Eadweard Muybridge.” Europeana Blog. N.p., 9 Apr. 2012. Web. <http://blog.europeana.eu/2012/04/the-science-of-movement-eadweard-muybridge/>.