The first photograph was taken by Louis Daguerre in France and William Henry Fox-Talbot in Britain in 1831. Photography was an exciting development at the time. Since the looks of families and individuals were preserved only by expensive paintings, photography was a cheaper and more accurate option. Many families were photographed, specifically children. The only problem this posed was the slow shutter speed on cameras at the time meant people had to stay very still for a significant amount of time in order for the picture to turn out.