The first photograph to feature a person Shoe shining their way into history (Picture: Granger/REX/Shutterstock) Photo fact Each day 60 million pictures are uploaded to Instagram. But this is nothing compared to the 350 million that get put on Facebook every day! This image, taken by Louis Daguerre in 1838, features the first human beings ever captured on camera. Due to the ten-minute exposure time nobody walking along the Boulevard du Temple in Paris could be captured, apart from two men in the bottom left corner. It is believed one is shining the shoes of the other – with both of them seemingly unaware they were becoming part of history.
I have been going through early photos, the black and white era, I call it. Here's a sample from my family heritage. The earlier the photo, the more severe people look, having to sit still for so long without moving. As the length of time to pose shortens, the smiles appear.