In the beginnings of photography, one of the biggest problems photographers were confronted with was the sheer insensitivity of the photographic copy medium. To take the first ever photo of a person (in 1838), Louis Daguerre had to expose for about seven minutes in broad daylight. Even though the photograph was taken on the busy streets of Paris, the city appears deserted. Only a man having his shoes cleaned can be seen in the photo. Everybody else was moving too fast to be captured. Only flash powder, which was invented almost thirty years later, allowed photographers to freeze movements – from up close and with a relatively long exposure time of approx. 1/30 of a second, but it worked. Since these first baby steps took place almost 150 years ago, it’s obvious that flash powder has a number of disadvantages compared to modern flash units. Even so, you should watch the video below – if for no other reason then to truly appreciate modern photo equipment 😉
