When considering the history of photography, and all the great artists who have added to this form of art, the main contributors to photography, and what we consider an art form today were the French. Dating back to 1816, the art of photography was discovered by a French inventor, Nicphore Nipce, who was able to produce the first actual photograph in 1826, which was known as the ‘daguerreotype’. The technology that was employed produced a negative image on a film of paper, which is what is done today by professional photographers in an studio, only with far more technology.Additional information can be found at http://oxfordschoolofphotography.wordpress.com/2011/10/01/ttv-photography-how-to-create-vintage-style-photographs/. The image which was printed was of much lower quality than any form of photography you can find today, but it was discovered that when the light hit the film, which the photo was printed on, it developed the image onto the paper that it was printed on. Early on, when it was first introduced, it took about a period of 8 hours for a photo to be able to appear on the paper onto which it was printed. Today, the process takes a fraction of the time, and in the best studios, can be completed in under one hour’s time. And, with technology today, the use of digital cameras, and the ability to be able to print an image in virtually seconds when you print at home, an 8 hour period seems ubsurd.

So, although today we have the technology, and several developments have come about in the world of photography, thanks to digital cameras, color laser ink printers, and the most up to date studios, the French were the initial inventors of the art form we consider to be one of the most universal ways to communicate today. So, whether you love or hate the French, photography is credited to this European nation.