Aug. 19, 1839: Photography Goes Open Source
(Wired)
On 19 August 1839, Frenchman Louis Daguerre, after receiving a lifetime pension from his government revealed the secrets of his daguerreotypes. After that, 'no one wanted to have a portrait painted; everyone wanted a daguerreotype. Studios opened all over Paris. "Daguerreotypomania" spread from Paris to the rest of France, then across the continent, across the channel to England and across the Atlantic to America'. US-based magazine Wired has an interesting series of short articles on the major leaps in the history of photography.

At Beijing Olympics, Photographers Shine
(NPR)
For one Olympic competition, such as the 400 meters, Getty Images' photographer Michael Steele starts preparing more than four hours before the start of the race. He tells NPR how he has to anticipate how athletes might celebrate a victory. 'Sometimes they don't even celebrate, and then you're thinking '"There's no picture there! Why haven't you celebrated?" But generally in an Olympic final, they do something.' Also: Read BJP's interview of Jude Edginton, who shot Britain's young hopefuls on their home turf.