Chronophotography: The Photos That Revealed The Secrets Of Motion

Chronophotography is an old technique which captures some frames of a movement, combined into a single image. It was invented by Étienne-Jules Marey and has been used by some of the most iconic photographers including Harold Edgerton, who invented the electronic flash and created breathtaking photos of rare moments.

Some of the images below contain non-sexual nudity.

Running, by Étienne-Jules Marey, 1883

via Wikimedia Commons

Male Nude, Standing Jump to Right, by Thomas Eakins, 1885

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Flapping herons, by Étienne-Jules Marey, 1886

via Wikimedia Commons

Chronophotographic Study of Man Pole Vaulting, by Étienne Jules Marey, 1890

via New Yorker

Falling cat, by Étienne-Jules Marey, 1894

via Wikimedia Commons

Dismounting a bicycle, by Étienne-Jules Marey, late 1890s

via Wikimedia Commons

Bobby Jones, the golfer, by Harold E. Edgerton, 1938

via Smithsonian American Art Museum

Gussie Moran performing a power serve, by Harold E. Edgerton, 1949

via MIT

Moving Skip Rope, by Harold E. Edgerton, 1952

via Smithsonian American Art Museum

Squash Stroke, by Harold Eugene Edgerton, 1954

via Lumiere Gallery

Back Dive, By Harold Eugene Edgerton, 1954

via Lumiere Gallery

The works of Manuel Cafini, 2012-2015

via Manuel Cafini/Facebook

Tennis players, by Jean Yves Lemoigne, 2014

via Jean Yves Lemoigne