Photography

The camera is a very complex instrument. And yet it is quite basic in its operation which is founded upon the compendium of three Latin words: camera, lucida, and obscura. Respectively they mean “chamber”, “light”, and “dark”.  Essentially, the camera can be defined as an apparatus, or box, holding at one end a plate or film which is sensitised so as to retain the image projected through the lens at the other end.

Photography is the art of utilising the above in order to take a picture, or likeness, by means of the chemical reaction that takes place when light is superimposed on, primarily, a celluloid surface.

And even though photographic technology has developed with rapid strides over the years, what with modern equipment that can cause the average man to squint and gasp for breath, the ancient adage still remains true: “It is not the camera, but the one holding it”. By definition, the most sophisticated and costly camera is quite worthless in the hands of an amateur – a good photograph is not the result of a good camera. Much like a good story of a renowned author cannot be credited to a good typewriter.