chronophotography

Chronophotography is the art of recording or measuring time intervals through photography. It involves capturing a sequence of images of motion too rapid for the human eye to perceive.1

Pioneers like Eadweard Muybridge used multiple cameras to photograph horses in motion, demonstrating that their leg positions differed from traditional illustrations. He later projected these sequential photographs, creating the world's first motion-picture presentation.2

Simultaneously, Étienne-Jules Marey developed his own method using a single instrument, the chronophotographic gun, to record successive phases of movement on a single plate. This technique allowed for the study of motion at higher speeds and shorter intervals, greatly contributing to motion study and the development of early cinema.32