Early photography processes were all relatively insensitive to light. Although with each improved process exposure times had been reduced, until the dry plate arrived they were still in seconds or minutes. Exposures of this duration were made normally by removing and replacing the lens cap, the camera is firmly fixed on a tripod or stand. It was impossible to record moving objects; their movement produced a blur on the plate. Early attempts were made to devise an ‘instantaneous’ process which would enable the photographer to hold the camera and to record action subjects....
The Calotype Negative
When Louis Daguerre presented the results of his pioneering photographic work to the world in 1839, the daguerreotype appeared to stand alone as a unique technological achievement. The invention and subsequent improvements perfectly addressed the primary concerns of the photographic community; to capture real-world images using a relatively short exposure time; to yield an image of acceptable resolution and aesthetic value; and to create an image demonstrating a fade-free permanence. That the daguerreotype did all this so well, with no legal or patent restrictions on the practitioner, it was no wonder that the process quickly found a near fanatical following throughout the world....
Camera Obscura
Since prehistoric times man has been making images of himself and the world around him. Until comparatively recently the processes involved have required skills possessed by only a few privileged individuals. The growth of portraiture in Europe from the time of the Renaissance was restricted to those wealthy enough to commission a painting. During the 18th century, a growing middle class created a demand for less expensive methods of preserving an image of themselves....
