Niépce

Le Point de View de la Fenêtre du Gras by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce circa 1826. At first glance, it’s quite challenging to make out anything from the photograph above, but that’s actually a view from a window at Joseph Nicéphore Niépce’s estate called Le Gras which is considered by many as the birthplace of photography. This inspired Niépce to come up with a solution that eventually led him to the invention of photographic process he called Heliography which literally means sun writing. The actual Camera Obscura that Niépce used to capture the View from the Window at Le Gras. To eliminate blur caused by the camera movement, Niépce mounted his camera obscura on a wooden pedestal that looked similar to a tripod. [Image Source] But as priceless as Niépce’s contribution may seem, he didn’t get the credit that he deserved for his work. The concept behind the Daguerreotype began in 1829 when Niépce collaborated with Daguerre to further refine his photographic process using lavender oil called Physautotype. Unfortunately, Niépce died of stroke four years into the partnership leaving his son, Isidore Niépce, to continue what he started. Read more in our articles including "YugaTech #TBT: Point de vue du Gras" and "vivo X200 Pro: Shots in Great Wall of China and Summer Palace".