Thursday, October 28, 2010

History of Photography


Twice this morning in my Google Reader feeds I came across stories about the first photograph of a human. The photograph was taken by Louis Daguerre in Paris in 1838. Back then photography was in it's infancy so taking a photograph involved exposures of several minutes. No one could sit still that long so it was by accident that the human subject became visible in this photograph since it appears he had stopped to have his boots cleaned and so stood still while all around him moved.

This isn't really news or a recent discovery so why it's making the news today is a bit strange, but I suppose it is an interesting fact that most people don't know. I've seen this photo before and learned lots about the history of photography since it became my hobby/obsession but most of my knowledge comes from listening to Jeff Curtos excellent podcast on the history of photography. Jeff is a lecturer in the College of DuPage in the US and he records and podcasts his lectures. The podcasts include his lecture slides and have to be essential listening/viewing for anyone who wants to learn more about the history of photography.

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