[dd-parallax img=”https://jesuitroundup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/niepce_old_large.jpg” height=”1000″ speed=”2″ z-index=”2″ position=”center” offset=”true” text-pos=”bottom”]First photo by Nicéphore Niépce [/dd-parallax]
Introduction
According to an article by Photutorial, around 12.4 trillion photos have been taken in human history. Photography is an expression of art, and it is a way to capture human history or a way to adverse a production. Photography is one of the most important creations ever in human history that we do not fully realize. But out of 12.4 trillion photos, one is the most important photo ever taken. And it is the first photo ever to be taken, and I like it.
Background
The photo is titled The Niépce Heliograph and was made by a prominent french inventor named Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. It is estimated that the photo was taken in 1827, making it 197 years old. It is the earliest photograph produced with the aid of the camera obscura, which is the forerunner of the modern camera. To take the photo, Niépce had to leave the polished pewter plate in the camera obscura exposed to the sunlight for several days to get the photo. After the time-consuming process, he got an imprint of an impression of the courtyard, outbuildings, and trees outside. According to a journal entry in December, Niépce acknowledged improvement could be made but also saw it as a good step in a new direction. The photo is currently preserved as part of the Gernsheim Collection at the University of Texas.
What I Like
This photo seems so otherworldly. It is more like a painting than an actual photo. There is little detail, and it is very grainy and extremely blurry. And for me, it just makes this photo so unique. It’s a reflection of the past and is really our only insight into the time that Niépce was living in. No embellishments or any exaggerating; it is none of that. It is a realistic look into that distant world. And the subject it covers does exemplify this naturalistic philosophy. All the photo is of some building in his local town. It is just something they would have seen every day and would have thought nothing about. But it is the reality of his and other people’s life at the time.
Conclusion
The photo in itself foreshadows its existence in a weird way. Following the leading lines, you see yourself in a bright white light. One that leads into the unknown but into a very happy and hopeful place. It is very telling of the photo, a new art form brought into existence and about changing the world in many significant ways. I do not think Niépce could not quite envision what this creation would turn into or its impact on our society. But I think, on some level, Niépce knew his creation was essential and would do great things. To end the article, I leave you with a quote from Niépce himself, from his diary when he finishes his photo:
“the first uncertain step in a completely new direction.”
