Term of the Moment
disinformation
Definition: Daguerreotype
The first widely used photographic process. Introduced by Louis Daguerre in 1839, a sheet of silver-plated copper was polished, and its mirror-like surface was treated with fumes to make it sensitive to light.
From Seconds to Minutes
The camera operator exposed the sheet to light from a few seconds to many minutes depending on the available sunlight. Because of the lengthy wait time, Daguerreotype photos often depicted static scenes because people were too impatient to sit for lengthy sessions.
A Patient Person
From Seconds to Minutes
The camera operator exposed the sheet to light from a few seconds to many minutes depending on the available sunlight. Because of the lengthy wait time, Daguerreotype photos often depicted static scenes because people were too impatient to sit for lengthy sessions.
Even with exposure times dramatically shortened, it required patient people to hold still for a minute or two. See film.