Photographers gathered at Lacock yesterday to commemorate the birthday of the man who invented photography.

William Henry Fox Talbot, the father of photography who invented of the negative/positive photograph process, was born on February 11, 1800.

This pioneering discovery has enabled generations to capture the world around them, something of which had only previously been possible through talented painters.

Talbot, while on honeymoon, tried to draw landscape images of Lake Como in Italy and, after failing, experimented with light-sensitive paper.

In 1835 he reproduced an image of the Oriel window at Lacock Abbey.

Roger Watson, curator of the Fox Talbot museum,  has published a book Capturing the light which tells the fascinating story behind the invention of photography.

Wiltshire Times and Gazette photographer Trevor Porter, who organised the gathering at the museum, said: "Talbot should be recognised for this invention, along with his work as a mathematician and an astronomer.

"I, with many like-minded photographers, would like to see February 11 recognised as Talbot Day."