Guerman Titov the first space photographer 1961

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We all know Yuri Gagarin who became known in history as the first man to fly into space on April 12th 1961. So as is usual, nobody remembers the second guy. What we do not know is that Gagarin’s deputy, the Cosmonaut Guerman Titov flew into space on August 6th 1961 aboard the spaceship Vostok-2 and was the first man to take photos of the Earth from space. This made him the first space photographer.

Guerman Titov quickly overcame the disappointment that Gagarin was the first man to fly into space aboard the Vostok-1, when it was announced that he was to be on the crew aboard the Vostok-2. The objective of his mission apart from himself orbiting the Earth was to take pictures and short film stills from space.

Guerman Titov

Guerman Titov with a Konvas-Avtomat

For this reason he was given 60 hours of training to learn the operation of the Russian film camera Konvas-Avtomat which he would take with him aboard the spacecraft and basic photography lessons.

first photo from space

Guerman Titov not only surpassed Gagarin’s record stay in space of 108 minutes by staying in orbit around the Earth for 25 hours, he did just fine as a professional photographer-filmmaker, giving us the first pictures of the Earth from space. Titov still holds another record for being the youngest person to fly into space, as on the day of lift-off of the Vostok-2 he had not yet turned 26 years old. first photo from space color

Poros island Greece

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poros island photos

Poros is a small Greek island in the Saronic Gulf, just 31 km². The traditional village of Poros is the capital and port of the island. The special feature of Poros is its close distance from the opposite shore of the Peloponnese mainland.

poros island photos

Poros is a lush island worth exploring. Apart from the town of Poros which is built on a small hill, important sights to visit are the ruins of the ancient temple of Poseidon, the Old Russian naval station and the historic Monastery of Zoodochos Pigi (The Monastery of the Life Giving Spring).

poros island photos poros island photos

Syros island Greece

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Syros island greece

Syros is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Ermoypoli is the name of both the capital and the port of the island of Syros which is also the capital of the Cyclades.

Syros island greece

Syros was one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean during the 19th century and it shows in the character of the island. Syros is embellished with beautiful neoclassical public and private buildings with the most prominent being the City Hall and the Apollon Theater.

Syros island greece

For a traveler-explorer, Syros can be used as the base of exploration to all the Cyclades as it is almost in the centre of the Cyclades group of islands and is connected by routes to almost all the islands of the Aegean Sea and there is also an airport.

Syros island greece

Aegina island Greece

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aegina island photos

Aegina is a Greek island with an area of ​​87 km² located in the Saronic Gulf. The capital of the island including the picturesque port is also called Aegina.

 

aegina island photos

Aegina is located a very short distance from Athens the capital of Greece and therefore it is suitable for short trips as well as long vacations or even for a day trip or cruise.

aegina island photos

The main sights on Aegina are the Temple of Aphaia, the archaeological site of Kolona and Paleochora also the Monastery of Saint Nektarios which is an important place of pilgrimage for Orthodox Christians on Aegina.

aegina island photos

The first selfie 1839

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The term ‘selfie’ was first used in 2002 in an Australian forum and in 2003 is named Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year. The dictionary describes the word ‘selfie’ as «a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a Smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website».

However, the term has been known for decades in the photo family  as ‘self portrait’ and many photographers have dealt with this difficult type of photography. And don’t forget the self-timer button that many old cameras had. On the other hand there are a only few photographers who resisted the temptation to take a photo of themselves, or to include themselves in a picture by just capturing their shadows.

first selfie

Which is the first ‘selfie’ that was ever shot? According to all indications, it is a self-portrait that was taken by one of the pioneers of photography, Robert Cornelius in October 1839, the same year that photography was invented.

Read more about Robert Cornelius

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cornelius

The first photo 1826

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The first photo ever taken was by a French inventor and pioneer of photography Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. It is a photo taken from the window of his studio that took 8 hours of exposure (yes 8 hours!). The English title is “View from the Window at Le Gras”. The procedure used was a complex process of photo-sensitization of a metal plate and exposure to light through a camera opscura. The method was named Heliography and was presented to the Royal Society of London, but the truth is that it made ​​no impression and unfortunately at that time received no special recognition.

first photo ever

We are used to seeing modern reproductions and copies of this photo. What we usually can’t see is the original, which is a small metal plate, which is far from being reminiscent of a photo. So I want to present it to you as a tribute to the pioneer Joseph Nicéphore Niépce who put us on the path to the discovery of photography. To remember how much hard work and effort it required for photography to become what we rejoice in today.

first photo

Joseph Nicéphore Niépce’s View from the Window at Le Gras. c. 1826. Gernsheim Collection Harry Ransom Center / University of Texas at Austin.

Read more about Joseph Nicéphore Niépce

http://www.niepce.com/home-us.html

A trip to Budapest

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A short journey through Budapest. Budapest is the capital and the largest city of Hungary. I remember the excellent view from the window of my hotel room and thinking how beautiful and clean the city of Budapest was.

This was the view from my hotel room.

Dimitrios Asithianakis is a photographer and photography teacher. You can find him on Facebook Dimitrios Asithianakis.