Photography comes from the Greek words meaning “light
writing” and first became known back in 1839 by Sir John Herschel. For
many years prior to this, people had discovered ways of causing certain
chemicals to change color when exposed to light but they did not
discover ways of getting the images to remain permanent until later on.

Now photography is a big part of our culture, something that
everyone recognizes. Most everyone has family photos lying around their
house, many people take these photos on a regular basis, preserving
precious memories for years to come. Even if you don’t have your own
camera, you have seen photos in magazines, used on billboards and
advertisements and more.

What is Photography?

Photography is defined as “The art or process of producing
images by the action of light on surfaces sensitized by chemical
processes.” (www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/ArtsEd/vglossar.htm)

The average person never has to deal with this technical
definition because they take their photographs to a lab to be
processed. They simply take pictures with their camera and then drop
them off somewhere to be developed. They get their prints back on nice
glossy paper that they can then keep to see the images at any time they
wish.

There are also instant develop photographs, commonly known as
the Polaroid, in which the paper itself contains the chemicals needed
and when the paper sits for a few seconds exposed to light the photo
will develop. Many people enjoy these because you could view your photo
almost instantly but over the years, the quality has improved with
other films and many people migrated to other types of cameras.

The common types of film are 35mm and 110. These film rolls
come in different speeds that are meant for different lighting and
situations and are loaded into your camera, used until the end of the
roll and then sent for developing.

What Are the Different Types of Photography?

Photography is more than just a fabric of the average family’s
memories, it has become an art form taking on many different types.
Some types of photography are artistic photography, photojournalism,
documentary photography, portrait photography, event photography,
family photography, nature photography, advertising photography,
underwater photography, satellite photography and more. Each of these
types has many different directions in which they can go.

Photography is a common hobby or pastime for many people. It is
a career for many other people. There are so many different venues of
it. One of the most recent revelations in photography is the digital
camera and digital photo. In an age of computers and computer
technology, digital photos have become increasingly popular. People no
longer have to deal with film and developing because digital photos can
be downloaded onto a computer and viewed instantly.

Digital photos can be shared on the web and through email. They
can also be saved on CDs. Many digital cameras come with LCD screens so
the photos can be viewed from the camera itself. You see what the
picture looks like instantly instead of waiting for developing. Digital
cameras are advancing every day and new technology is released on each
one. Lower quality ones can be picked up at a local retail store for
about $15 now. These often do not contain flash and the quality is not
as great. Other digital cameras can range anywhere from $20 to $1,000.
The most high-tech camera for normal individual use is about $200. This
may seem like a lot but when compared to the price of film and
developing, you can save a lot by going this route. You can also send
as many copies of your photos as you wish through email and the web so
copies are unlimited. You can even print copies of your digital
photographs from your computer.

Photography has come a long way since its early days but its
popularity has not waned. It will likely be with us for thousands of
years to come.