The term photography was coined in the early 19th century; however, the concept of a camera dates back to ancient Greeks and Chinese. Chinese philosopher Mozi was the first person who wrote the principle of camera obscura. It is a natural optical phenomenon, where an image on one side of the screen or wall projects through a hole onto a surface opposite the opening. In the late 17th century, a similar technology called pinhole camera was used to project drawings. The only difference between a camera obscura and a pinhole camera is that a camera obscura uses a lens, while a pinhole camera has an open hole.

German author Johann Zahn also wrote about the camera obscura, magic lantern and lenses in 1685. And he proposed the first handheld reflex camera. French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce is now widely accepted as the inventor of modern photography. He produced the first photograph in 1816 on a paper coated with silver chloride. Though this photograph no longer exists, a letter from his sister confirmed this claim. Niépce also captures the first surviving photograph in 1827, which is now in the collection of the University of Texas-Austin.

These days, thanks to the smart gadgets, almost everyone has a camera with them at any given moment. And there are endless possibilities to capture anything from any point. The drone cameras made it possible to capture stunning aerial shots in high quality, which back in days was only possible with a helicopter. The use of cameras has allowed us to captivate the moments of our life. To celebrate the astonishing history of this invention, we have compiled the earliest first photographs from history.