Fotografija je od zgodnjega 19. stoletja postajala vse bolj pomemben medij osebnega izražanja in spoštovanja neštetih ljudi po vsem svetu. Fotografija lahko zajame posamezen kraj; izkušnje; ideje; ujame trenutek v času. Zaradi tega pravimo, da je fotografija vredna več kot tisoč besed. Fotografije lahko prenesejo občutek hitreje, včasih pa tudi učinkoviteje kot besede. Fotografija omogoči gledalcu, da svet vidi tako, kot ga je videl fotograf. Fotografije celo presegajo čas - fotografija izpred sto let je še vedno lahko tako cenjena, kot je bila takrat. Fotografija, ki jo bomo naredili jutri, lahko cenijo ljudje tudi čez sto let.
In zakaj o fotografiji govorimo prav v Kranju? Ker fotograf na mestnih ulicah najde množico motivov? Seveda. Pa še zaradi nečesa mogoče bolj pomembnega. Tu je bil rojen, tu je tudi pokopan eden od za fotografijo zelo pomembnih mož. Janez Puhar je bil prvi slovenski fotograf in izumitelj ene od metod fotografije na steklo. Po poklicu duhovnik, rojen v Kranju v tedanjem Avstrijskem cesarstvu, je z izumom fotografije na steklo leta 1842 slovensko inovativnost zapisal na svetovni zemljevid razvoja fotografske umetnosti. Bil je vsestranski raziskovalec in izobraženec, ki se je poleg svojega poklica ukvarjal z eksperimentiranjem na različnih področjih, kot so fizika, kemija, astronomija, glasba, poezija in likovna umetnost, najbolj pa ga je prevzela fotografija. Ko boste prišli do referenčne točke, boste na mestu, kjer o tem znanem Slovencu lahko izveste veliko, zato se, če so vrata le odprta, ne bojte vstopiti.
Since the early 19th century, photography has become an ever-increasing medium of personal expression and appreciation for countless people around the world. A photograph has the ability to capture a place; an experience; an idea; a moment in time. For this reason, it's said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Photographs can convey a feeling faster than, and sometimes even more effectively than words can. A photograph can make the viewer see the world the way the photographer sees it. Photographs even transcend the passing of time - a photo from a hundred years ago can still be as appreciated now, as it was then. A photo taken tomorrow, can still be just as appreciated by others in a hundred years' time.
And why are we talking about photography in Kranj? Because a very important person for photography was born and died here. Janez Puhar was a Slovene priest, scientist, photographer, artist, and poet who invented a unique process for making photography on glass. It was the only 19th-century photography technique that was not based on expensive silver halide chemistry, but was still sensitive enough to use in a camera, with exposure times comparable to those of the daguerreotype and calotype. Modern testing of Puchar's photography has confirmed their chemically unusual nature. However, his process was never commercialized, and attempts to recreate it based on published information have been unsuccessful. You can find more information about Puhar on reference point.
