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Capturing the Light: The Birth of Photography, a True Story of Genius and Rivalry
An intimate look at the journeys of two men—a gentleman scientist and a visionary artist—as they struggled to capture the world around them, and in the process invented modern photography
During the 1830s, in an atmosphere of intense scientific enquiry fostered by the industrial revolution, two quite different men—one in France, one in England—developed their own dramatically different photographic processes in total ignorance of each other's work. These two lone geniuses—Henry Fox Talbot in the seclusion of his English country estate at Lacock Abbey and Louis Daguerre in the heart of post-revolutionary Paris—through diligence, disappointment and sheer hard work overcame extraordinary odds to achieve the one thing man had for centuries been trying to do—to solve the ancient puzzle of how to capture the light and in so doing make nature 'paint its own portrait'. With the creation of their two radically different processes—the Daguerreotype and the Talbotype—these two giants of early photography changed the world and how we see it.
Drawing on a wide range of original, contemporary sources and featuring plates in colour, sepia and black and white, many of them rare or previously unseen, Capturing the Light by Roger Watson and Helen Rappaport charts an extraordinary tale of genius, rivalry and human resourcefulness in the quest to produce the world's first photograph.
During the 1830s, in an atmosphere of intense scientific enquiry fostered by the industrial revolution, two quite different men—one in France, one in England—developed their own dramatically different photographic processes in total ignorance of each other's work. These two lone geniuses—Henry Fox Talbot in the seclusion of his English country estate at Lacock Abbey and Louis Daguerre in the heart of post-revolutionary Paris—through diligence, disappointment and sheer hard work overcame extraordinary odds to achieve the one thing man had for centuries been trying to do—to solve the ancient puzzle of how to capture the light and in so doing make nature 'paint its own portrait'. With the creation of their two radically different processes—the Daguerreotype and the Talbotype—these two giants of early photography changed the world and how we see it.
Drawing on a wide range of original, contemporary sources and featuring plates in colour, sepia and black and white, many of them rare or previously unseen, Capturing the Light by Roger Watson and Helen Rappaport charts an extraordinary tale of genius, rivalry and human resourcefulness in the quest to produce the world's first photograph.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
April 13, 2014
Don't be fooled by the precis; this very informative book is really a history of early photography on a mission to rehabilitate the memory of Henry Talbot and not a "story of rivalry" at all. This normally wouldn't be a problem, and certainly would not merit a lower rating, if the actual book were gripping despite the cover lies. But it is not.
Given that the primary author (Roger Watson) is a curator of the Fox Talbot Museum it really isn't a surprise that the book is almost entirely consumed with elevating Henry Talbot's profile as the "real" inventor of photography over Louis Daguerre. Most of this argument is sophistry justified on the basis that Talbot could have published first, but didn't, and that his process involved the negative/positive steps that became the standard for more than a century and allowed endless reproduction of images.
Using that same logic, Talbot is certainly not the inventor of photography since he didn't produce a digital image.
There are attempts to balance the narrative with alternating chapters with vaguely dismissive descriptions of Daguerre's life. But then we are also reminded often that Daguerre was an unreliable mythologist of his own life. Nearly as often, we are reminded that he was a showman who came upon his process by accident and had no papers or notes to reveal his process of discovery.
Contrast this with the paragon who is Henry Fox Talbot, and the bias is pretty clear.
Most frustrating is that this bi-part narrative structure falls apart midway into the book because first Daguerre, and then Talbot, drop out of further work on photography and the technology escapes them altogether. Our two rivals just walk off the field of battle. We are told that there is a rivalry, the authors insist there is a rivalry, and then there is no rivalry.
I am not sure why the authors decided to go this path with the book, I would have been much happier with a high quality and more balanced biography of Talbot alone that also happened to be about the invention of negative image photography. My guess is the premise that these two men (who never met) were locked in a lengthy and terrible struggle made the book an easier sell to the publishers.
Anyway, I learned a lot about early photographic processes and why the US became the first widespread adopter of the technology when it originated in England and France. That was the best part of the book by far.
Given that the primary author (Roger Watson) is a curator of the Fox Talbot Museum it really isn't a surprise that the book is almost entirely consumed with elevating Henry Talbot's profile as the "real" inventor of photography over Louis Daguerre. Most of this argument is sophistry justified on the basis that Talbot could have published first, but didn't, and that his process involved the negative/positive steps that became the standard for more than a century and allowed endless reproduction of images.
Using that same logic, Talbot is certainly not the inventor of photography since he didn't produce a digital image.
There are attempts to balance the narrative with alternating chapters with vaguely dismissive descriptions of Daguerre's life. But then we are also reminded often that Daguerre was an unreliable mythologist of his own life. Nearly as often, we are reminded that he was a showman who came upon his process by accident and had no papers or notes to reveal his process of discovery.
Contrast this with the paragon who is Henry Fox Talbot, and the bias is pretty clear.
Most frustrating is that this bi-part narrative structure falls apart midway into the book because first Daguerre, and then Talbot, drop out of further work on photography and the technology escapes them altogether. Our two rivals just walk off the field of battle. We are told that there is a rivalry, the authors insist there is a rivalry, and then there is no rivalry.
I am not sure why the authors decided to go this path with the book, I would have been much happier with a high quality and more balanced biography of Talbot alone that also happened to be about the invention of negative image photography. My guess is the premise that these two men (who never met) were locked in a lengthy and terrible struggle made the book an easier sell to the publishers.
Anyway, I learned a lot about early photographic processes and why the US became the first widespread adopter of the technology when it originated in England and France. That was the best part of the book by far.
July 14, 2013
I really really wanted to read this one. I kept finding it in local bookshops, but alas my budget does not stretch to books at the moment, so it was off to the library. This little book is about the birth of photography. The efforts of two men, one French, the other English who both worked on the processes and science of capturing an image.
It is hard to imagine a world without images, in a modern age the impact and magic of it cannot be imagined, and I found the book a bit lacking in this area, instead it was more focused on the scientific which made me restless.
It is hard to imagine a world without images, in a modern age the impact and magic of it cannot be imagined, and I found the book a bit lacking in this area, instead it was more focused on the scientific which made me restless.
June 23, 2014
An enjoyable read for those interested in photography or the history of invention--this work shows why the question of just who invented the photographic process is difficult, if not impossible, to answer. The book focuses on the Frenchman and Englishman whose breakthroughs occurred within a short span of time of each other. The authors do a good job of showing how culture interacted with and was impacted by the rapid acceptance of photography as a new form of recreation and art. The book moves quickly, with short, engaging chapters.
July 24, 2017
A very interesting book to learn more about the beginnings of photography.
The authors did not delve too much in depth about the photographic process in those early days, which is nice. The language is simple enough for everyone to understand.
The book contains examples of daguerreotypes and tintypes. But there were not enough to my taste.
The full title "Capturing the Light: The Birth of Photography, a True Story of Genius and Rivalry" is a little misleading. I did not feel the rivalry at all.
Overall, I recommend this book to anyone interested in history.
The authors did not delve too much in depth about the photographic process in those early days, which is nice. The language is simple enough for everyone to understand.
The book contains examples of daguerreotypes and tintypes. But there were not enough to my taste.
The full title "Capturing the Light: The Birth of Photography, a True Story of Genius and Rivalry" is a little misleading. I did not feel the rivalry at all.
Overall, I recommend this book to anyone interested in history.
August 20, 2025
A worthy snapshot of an intriguing period in history.
I might have started with an instamatic in the 60s and then a Nikon F2 in 1975, but this is where it ALL began. If you have a general sense of the history of this period, this volume will be greatly meaningful. If the early 1800s to 1860s is new to you, a few of the events mentioned in this record should drive you to explore further. Not as gripping as a novel can be, but far more rewarding.
I might have started with an instamatic in the 60s and then a Nikon F2 in 1975, but this is where it ALL began. If you have a general sense of the history of this period, this volume will be greatly meaningful. If the early 1800s to 1860s is new to you, a few of the events mentioned in this record should drive you to explore further. Not as gripping as a novel can be, but far more rewarding.
July 22, 2017
Daguerre and Talbot ... a French and an Englishman, using independent research and different methods, were both the fathers of this art. 1st photos taken sometimes between 1835 and 1839 (still debatable what minimum standard of quality is required to consider the first efforts acceptable/passable as successful photos).
It makes for a good reading, especially for photo enthusiasts.
It makes for a good reading, especially for photo enthusiasts.
January 1, 2019
A well-written account of the struggle to invent photography. The two people involved, Daguerre and Talbot, are complete opposites with Daguerre the flashy Frenchman given to freewheeling experimentation and Talbot a button-down Brit conducting thorough research with meticulous note taking. It's a great story about a technology and art that changed the world.
February 10, 2020
Since it is categorized as non-fiction, one would expect it to be informative. However, i rather found it biased. It would have been fine if the debunking of Daguerre's participation in his own invention was backed up by solid evidence, instead, it was just assumptions. They should have just made a book that's all about Talbot since they did have a lot to say about him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2018
It was a struggle to get through. The authors assume the reader knows and understands the nomenclature of early photographic devices and how they worked. Thankfully, there are some photos included to help, yet more descriptive narrative would have helped.
December 10, 2018
Plodding but still great information.
July 10, 2019
We'll written and researched, good balance of detail and drama, interesting characters and fascinating subject.
Read
December 24, 2025interesting enough
June 5, 2014
"Capturing the Light" is the compelling story of two men racing to find, independently, a way to permanently fix optical images - what we know now as "photography".
The protagonists could not be for different; a scientific English aristocrat (William Fox Talbot) and an artistic French showman (Louis Daguerre). Each has their own reasons for pursuing their obsession, and in some way, it is their search for the solution that drives this book, rather than the actual discovery and its subsequent development.
I found the first half of the book quite compelling, but once the main characters largely bow out of the story, the narrate lags and seems perfunctory.
Worthwhile if you have an interest in early photography.
The protagonists could not be for different; a scientific English aristocrat (William Fox Talbot) and an artistic French showman (Louis Daguerre). Each has their own reasons for pursuing their obsession, and in some way, it is their search for the solution that drives this book, rather than the actual discovery and its subsequent development.
I found the first half of the book quite compelling, but once the main characters largely bow out of the story, the narrate lags and seems perfunctory.
Worthwhile if you have an interest in early photography.
July 24, 2014
I initially judged the book by the title and cover and brought it home with me. I'm glad I did. The story recounts the historical beginnings of photography in an interesting manner because it includes some biographical information of those experimenting with capturing light. Because of the understanding gained from the biographies, I felt torn between who I wanted to have 'win' the race - although they didn't know they were racing at the time. You'll know one of the characters from the term daguerrotype - but does that mean he invented the process? Hmmm...that's what makes it interesting. I like educational material presented in a readable format, this book does the trick. A good read for those with interest in photography and its beginnings.
February 6, 2016
Photography described historically in this book, going into the discovery that images previously fleeting and vivid could be fixed in time and space to be reviewed. This changed peoples consciousness and led quickly to uses we are all familiar with now in the age of digital photography. The book leads a reader through the discoveries which occurred over a few years in separate places, and by differing aproaches. Fascinated me, having a grandfather who made a living taking studio photos in the Isle of Man and who later won photography competitions in Sheffield.
April 3, 2014
The writing style is bland, but the underlying story about Daguerre (the French photography pioneer who created the "daguerrotype") and Henry Fox Talbot, who developed an alternative photography method earlier (but never announced it), still makes for interesting reading. It turns out the problem for photography wasn't just imprinting the image but figuring out how to keep it from soaking up more light until it turned black, both Talbot and Daguerre cracking the answer in different ways.
May 10, 2015
This is the book I always wanted to see written about the history of photography. I am actually changing to using this as a textbook for my history of photography classes. Capturing the Light is not just a great history book, it is a great read about a facinating subject. I am mostly through it for the second time. I will most likely read it several times more in the course of creating class materials.
September 6, 2015
This book was an engaging look at the two men who announced their discoveries about fixing photographs a the same time in the mid 1800s. The author does a good job exploring the biographies and characters of these two men, as well as the political climate that made their discoveries become a French/English rivalry. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read, not just photography-nerds like myself.
May 21, 2014
"Capturing the Light" was an interesting book, but a very slow read in parts. I learned things about Louis Daguerre I had never known before, such as the fact that he was a painter of panoramas. I think on the whole this is the kind of book that someone with a focused interest in photography or history would appreciate, though the casual reader might find it too detailed and at times tedious.
December 20, 2014
I enjoyed reading Capturing the Light, I have always been interested in photography from an early age and enjoyed reading other books on early photography. I liked the way the two authors changed from Daguerre and Talbot in alternate chapters.
December 19, 2014
Disappointing. The sections regarding Daguerre added little to what we know already from the Gernsheims more passionate account. Better on Talbot, but little was said in detail regarding his experiments or his attempts to commercialize photography on paper.
May 20, 2015
I actually learned quite a bit from this book. A must read for anyone interested in the history of photography. The author is British, so there's a certain slant to things, but I just followed this up with a biography of Brady, and that's not nearly as educational.
January 18, 2016
A thorough and insightful history of the development of photography. The story of the key players is engaging without overdramatization and the science is accurate and complete without veering too far into technicalities. I highly recommend to anyone with an interest in the field.
July 15, 2013
A bit dry and slow. But definitely worth reading if you are interested in the early history of photography. I'm glad I read it.
September 10, 2016
A light version of early 19th C photo-history. Well-researched and an easy read.
August 7, 2013
Good narrative of the early history of photography.
January 6, 2016
Interesting topic; poor execution. Felt like I was reading someone's research paper, even to the point of feeling like it was fluffed up to meet a minimum word count.
July 27, 2014
Two innovators. One an ego-maniac the other an introvert. The birth and eventual death of Chemical Photography.
July 4, 2014
This was a solid if not spectacular book about the invention of the photograph. The history was well paced and nicely written.
January 29, 2016
Reading this book made me miss being in a darkroom. This is a great book for anyone who fondly remembers film cameras and the wonders of seeing a photograph develop before their eyes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews