Fun Facts About Photography You Might Not Know

One of the most unique aspects of photo booths is that, unlike many other technologies that were invented at a similar time, they have managed to adapt and become incredibly popular.

Whilst the social analogue photo booth is not as common now outside of Japan as it was before the invention of the smartphone, the unique networking opportunities found in photobooths has made corporate photo booth hire a must-have for many exhibitions.

However, in the nearly two-century long history of photography, there have been a lot of unique facts, some of which you may not be aware of. Here are some of our favourites.

The First Picture Of A Person Was A Photobomb

When taking a picture, chances are you have experienced a photobomb, where someone either accidentally or deliberately moves into frame.

However, this is not a recent invention, and in fact, the first picture of a person was taken by accident by pioneering inventor Louis Daguerre.

In 1838, the inventor of the daguerreotype took a picture of Boulevard du Temple in Paris using his new invention that cuts down the required exposure time from eight hours to just five minutes.

However, because of how long the exposure time is, most of the hustle and bustle of early morning Paris was missing except for two people on the lower left of the picture: a shoe-shiner and his customer.

Because they had stayed effectively still for the entire exposure, they were immortalised forever onto a photographic plate.

The Most Expensive Photograph Ever Sold For Over Four Million Dollars

Photography is a fascinating art form because it has possibly the lowest barrier to entry but the highest barrier to mastery of any art form.

Most people have the capacity to take a picture in their pocket or the palm of their hand, but to take the perfect shot can take years of preparation, exceptionally high-quality equipment and the patience to wait for the perfect moment.

The most expensive photograph ever to be sold was Rhein II by Andreas Gursky, a German visual artist who in 1999 took a huge picture of the banks of the River Rhine which featured nearly parallel lines and details more reminiscent of a modern art painting.

At £2.7m ($4.3m) it stands to this day as the most expensive photograph to ever be sold.

Kodak Is A Meaningless Word

Most photography technologies and companies use a word that has a particular meaning or evokes a particular idea.

Canon, for example, is a term common in scripture, doctrine or law, as well as featuring the imperative ‘can’ in the middle of it.

Fujifilm evokes the beautiful mountain of the same name, Olympus the mountain of the Greek Gods and Polaroid refers to the polarising process used to make their products.

Kodak, on the other hand, does not mean anything at all. Its founder, George Eastman, simply wanted to use a name that sounded powerful.