First Times / First Photos

A study of photographic "firsts," from "first" moments captured by the camera to notable photographers' first-ever photos

What is a first image? A proof? A test? An achievement? A failure? An event? A memento, or perhaps a spark? A playful and erudite journey through two hundred years of major and minor photographic innovations, First Times / First Photos is a collection of "firsts." The book includes snapshots, scoops, never-before-seen images, unpublished photos, "front-page" pictures, the oldest image ever taken on film and more. These "firsts" are technical, aesthetic, scientific and societal in nature, ranging from the first experiments conducted by photography's pioneers to recent images of stars being born in the primordial universe, from the first remotely transmitted pictures to the first louse ever captured on camera. Photographers reveal and discuss their first photo ever taken, while shots of "firsts," both great and small, recall the connection between photography and the cult of the new.
Photographers include: Richard Billingham, Marcel Bovis, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Julia Margaret Cameron, Raymond Depardon, Robert Doisneau, Martine Franck, Mario Giacomelli, Cristina De Middel, Arno Rafael Minkkinen, Andreas Müller-Pohle, Martin Parr, Vinca Petersen, Bernard Plossu, Willy Ronis.