Final answer:
Louis Daguerre's daguerreotype process allowed him to include detailed static objects and occasionally a human figure in his photographs due to reduced exposure times compared to earlier methods.
Step-by-step explanation:
Louis Daguerre was able to include detailed static objects and the rare occurrence of a human figure in his photographs, as seen in his work titled Le Boulevard du Temple, perfecting the photographic process known as the daguerreotype. This advancement was significant in the history of photography because earlier techniques, such as Joseph Nicephore Niepce's heliography, required much longer exposure times, yielding less distinct images.
Daguerre's process, which involved a polished copper plate coated with silver iodide, reduced exposure times and increased sharpness, although it could only produce a single image. The photograph Paris Boulevard from 1839 captures the streets of Paris so clearly that it is possible to make out the panes in the windows and the sharp corners of the buildings.
However, due to the long exposure time of 10 to 15 minutes, only a man getting his shoes shined remained still enough to be visibly recorded, arguably becoming the first human subject captured in a photograph.