Nowadays, when almost everyone has a smartphone, the art of photography has become a part of everyday life. But how exactly does this process work from the moment you press the “take photo” button to the moment you look at the finished image? Let’s take a closer look at this in this article.

Light is the first step to an image

It all starts with light. When you point the camera at an object, light is reflected off the object and enters through the camera lens. The lens focuses light rays to form an image of the subject, which then passes through the aperture (diaphragm) – a kind of “eye” of the camera that can expand or contract to adjust the amount of light entering the camera.

Displaying an object on the sensor

After passing through the aperture, the light hits the camera sensor, which is the part of the camera that captures light and converts it into electrical signals. Analog cameras use a photographic film instead of a sensor, but the principle of operation remains similar: a light-sensitive material (sensor or film) captures the image. This process is called exposure.

Signal processing (for digital cameras)

In digital cameras, when light is converted into electrical signals, these signals are processed by the camera’s processor. The processor uses algorithms to correct the color, brightness and contrast of the image. After processing, the image is saved in a file format (for example, JPEG), which can then be viewed on the camera screen, computer screen, or printed.

Other important points

ISO (sensor sensitivity to light):
A higher ISO means the camera is more sensitive to light, which allows you to take pictures in low light conditions, but may result in “noise” in the image.

Shutter speed:
Controls how long the sensor “sees” the scene. Fast shutter speeds are used to freeze fast movements, and slow shutter speeds are used to create motion blur (for example, when photographing waterfalls).

History of photography

The history of photography dates back to ancient times, when people first captured images not with their own hands, but with the help of light. It all started with a camera obscura, a simple device that consisted of a dark box with a small hole on one side. The light passing through this hole projected an external image onto the opposite wall of the box, but the image was inverted and could not be preserved.

A significant breakthrough in photography occurred in France in the 1820s, when Joseph Nisefor Niepce created the first permanent image that did not disappear immediately after the light was removed. He used a plate covered with asphalt, which became insoluble in places illuminated by light. This process was very slow and required many hours of exposure.

In the 1830s, Louis Daguerre in France and William Henry Fox Talbot in the UK independently developed methods that significantly reduced exposure times, making images sharper and more detailed. Daguerre invented daguerreotyping, a process that used a silver plate, and Talbot created a paper negative that could be used to make many positive copies. Talbot’s technique formed the basis of modern photography.

In the second half of the 19th century, photography became much more accessible and popular thanks to the invention of flexible roll film, developed by George Eastman. This invention marked the beginning of the era of convenient and portable cameras that could be used by ordinary people without any special skills or knowledge. Eastman founded Kodak, which produced the first commercial camera with the slogan: “You push the button, we do the rest.”

Throughout the 20th century, photography continued to evolve: color images, automatic cameras, and then digital cameras were introduced. They converted analog images into digital files that could be easily processed, stored, and shared with others via the Internet.

Modern photography is extremely diverse: from cell phones with cameras that have a resolution of a few megapixels to professional cameras used to create high-quality images.

The process of creating an image, whether using a digital camera or an analog camera, is a wonderful combination of technology and art. Modern technologies allow everyone not only to capture moments, but also to creatively express their worldview through photography. And while the technology may change, the basic idea remains the same: to capture a moment, preserve a memory, tell a story, or simply share a view of the world through a lens.

Interesting facts about photography:

• The oldest image that still survives was created by Joseph Nisefor Nieps in France in 1826. This picture is known as “View from a Window in Le Grace”, taken on a bituminous plate.
• The most expensive photo ever sold is “Phantom” by Peter Lik, which was sold for $6.5 million in 2014.
• The first experiments with color photography began in the 1840s, but the first truly successful color images were not produced until 1907 thanks to the Lumiere brothers’ autochrome plate.
• The introduction of photography into journalism has dramatically changed the industry, which began with the use of photographs in newspapers in the 1880s. This provided readers with a deeper visual understanding of the events.
• The first real digital camera was created by Steve Sassoon of Kodak in 1975. This camera captured images with a resolution of 0.01 megapixels and used a cassette recorder for storage.
• The first instant camera to release a photo immediately after shooting was introduced by Polaroid in 1948.
• The launch of Adobe Photoshop in 1988 ushered in the era of digital image processing. Photographers and designers could easily modify and enhance their photos.
• In the modern world, photography has become an important part of social media. For example, the well-known Instagram platform is designed with a special focus on image sharing, which in turn has strengthened photography as the main way of communication and self-expression on the Internet.
• It is estimated that more than 1 billion photos are taken every day in the world. This number is constantly growing due to the proliferation of smartphones with high-quality cameras. Instagram users alone post more than 100 million photos and videos every day. And the total number of photos taken since the invention of photography to this day exceeds several trillion.

If you are interested in photography, you can visit the FotoBank website and offer your services in this area. Or just admire the photos that are already posted there.