Final answer:
The first photographic image was created by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826 using chemical development and laid the groundwork for the future of photography. Subsequent advancements were made with Daguerreotypes and calotypes enabling clearer images with shorter exposure times and the capability for multiple prints.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 1826, photography began to emerge as a new scientific and artistic medium with the creation of the first vague photographic image by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. His experiment marked the significant advancement in the understanding and application of chemical development processes necessary for capturing images. Niépce used a camera obscura and a pewter plate coated with a light-sensitive material, Bitumen of Judea, to produce an image known as View from the Window at Le Gras after an exposure of several hours, marking the beginning of the fascinating science of photography. The principle of the camera, known since antiquity, relied on the discovery that visible light can induce chemical changes in certain materials. However, it was not until the nineteenth century that chemists found ways to permanently fix these images, transitioning from the camera obscura's temporary projections to the first real photographs. This breakthrough paved the way for the art and science of photography, influencing many subsequent technological advancements, including motion pictures and the eventual splitting of the atom. Later, Louis Daguerre developed the Daguerreotype process and William Henry Fox Talbot invented the calotype, contributing to the evolution of photography. These innovations led to practical photography techniques allowing images to be captured with much shorter exposure times and the ability to produce multiple prints from a single negative, respectively.