Capture a moment
And make it last forever
If only we could

Big development:
Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre
Was born on this date

Painter, printmaker
Showcased theatrical scenes
At Diorama

His Diorama:
Popular Parisian spot
A feast for the eyes

But he made his name
With something else, breakthrough in
Still photography

Physics, chemistry
Met art in Daguerre’s process
Years of hard toil

Camera obscura
Cast an image to observe
But not to preserve

Another Frenchman
Photographed barn but it took
8-hour exposure

Daguerre got that down
To 20 minutes, called pics
Daguerreotypes — Natch!

Iodine vapors,
Silver-plated copper sheet
In big box camera

Then the fix was in
Sodium thiosulphate
Voilà! Still photos

Portraits elusive
Till faster shutters were made
But still, impressive!

Scientific pics
Through microscopes, telescopes
Amazing detail

Landscape photos, too
Revolutionized the way
Many saw their world

Thanks, Louis Daguerre
Think I will take a picture
It’ll last longer

(A sad epilogue:
Diorama, his lab burned
They didn’t last long)

————————
Random from the past:

Digital photos
Have no darkroom moments to
See what develops