ABSTRACT
The Camera The camera is the key component that makes up photographic vision. The job of the camera has been to make an “acceptable” and recognizable depiction, based on established visual conventions, of what was seen. The early camera, called the camera obscura, was designed to imitate the visual ideas of perspective and scale that were formulated during the Renaissance. Even today, the combination of camera and lens, whether digital or film, determines many of the basic characteristics of the final photographic image, including field of view, depth of field, sharpness, and tonal range. A knowledgeable viewer can often identify the fingerprint of the camera used to make an individual image. Because the camera plays such a vital role in the formation of the final picture, photographers must be sure the type of camera being used supports their personal aesthetic goals. No single camera can produce acceptable results in every situation. This is because the standard of what is acceptable is dependent on a variety of factors, including the subject being photographed, the audience, the purpose for which the picture is being made, and the desires of the photographer. Photographers should learn about the differences in cameras, their strengths, and their drawbacks, so they are able to make intelligent choices to achieve the desired outcome, and when possible, experiment with different types of cameras. “A photograph can only look like how the camera saw what was photographed. Or, how the camera saw the piece of time and space is responsible for how the photograph looks. Therefore, a photograph can look any way. Or, there’s no way a photograph has to look (beyond being an illusion of a literal description).”1 Although a camera may shape the construction of an image, it is the private individual response to a situation that gives an image its power. Always keep in mind: The best camera is the one you have with you.
