Early photographers had to work with what in order to produce photographs?

Early photographers had to work with light-sensitive materials, such as silver salts, often applied to glass plates or film. They utilized long exposure times, sometimes lasting several minutes, to capture images, requiring careful setup and composition. The development process involved chemical baths to reveal the latent image, making Photography a complex and meticulous art form. As a result, early photography was both time-consuming and technically challenging.