Understanding Photography Basics

Definition of Photography

• Photography is the science, art, and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation.

Image Creation

• Light-sensitive material (photographic film) or electronic image sensor records light reflected or emitted from objects.
• Lens is used to focus light into a real image on the light-sensitive surface inside a camera during a timed exposure.

Photographic Emulsion

• Invisible latent image is created, which is later chemically "developed" into a visible image (negative or positive).
• Negative image on film is used to create a positive image on paper (print) through enlarger or contact printing.

Digital Imaging

• Electronic image sensor records image as a set of electronic data rather than chemical changes on film.
• Digital imaging allows for easy image post-processing and different communicative potentials and applications.

Evolution of the Camera

• 19th century studio camera used plates.
• Box camera (c. 1900) was one of the first mass-produced pocket cameras using film.
• Leica-II (1932) was one of the first 135 film cameras.
• Contax S (1949) was the first pentaprism SLR.
• Polaroid Colorpack 80 (c. 1975) was an instant camera.
• Digital camera, Canon Ixus class (c. 2000) and Nikon D1 (c. 2000) was the first digital SLR used in journalism and sports photography.
• Smartphone with built-in camera (c. 2010) spreads private images globally.

Uses of Photography

• Used in science, manufacturing (e.g. photolithography), and business.
• Used for art, recreational purposes, and mass communication.
• Scientists use photography to record and study movements.
• Artists use photography to explore avenues other than the photo-mechanical representation of reality.
• Military, police, and security forces use photography for surveillance, recognition, and data storage.
• Amateurs use photography to preserve memories, capture special moments, tell stories, send messages, and as a source of entertainment.
• High-speed photography allows for visualizing events that are too fast for the human eye.

Technical Aspects

• Photographers control camera and lens to expose light recording material to the required amount of light.
• Digital cameras use electronic image sensor based on light-sensitive electronics such as CCD or CMOS technology.
• The camera is a dark room or chamber from which all light is excluded except the light that forms the image.

Learn about the science and art of photography, including the process of creating durable images by recording light or electromagnetic radiation. Discover how cameras work and the role of lenses, light-sensitive materials, and image sensors.