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jul 13, 1838 - THE FIRST PHOTO OF A HUMAN BEING

Description:

Louis Daguerre took the first image of a human being. This was taken in Paris in 1828, and was of a man having his shoes shined.
Joseph Nicephore, a French engineer, is considered to be the inventor of photography. He intended to make the images produced by the camera obscurae permanent. At first, he experimented by coating pewter with different light-sensitive substances; he hoped that this would superimpose engravings in sunlight.
He then used to metal to create a printing plate.

Years after this, another french engineer - Louis Daguerre - recognised Nicephore's efforts and wanted to collaborate with him to improve the camera. One of his main objectives was to find a way to reduce the exposure time, which would create images that were less blurry.
Nicephore's exposure time consisted of a few hours, whereas Daguerre's was around 15 minutes.

Added to timeline:

16 Oct 2018
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Date:

jul 13, 1838
Now
~ 187 years ago

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