Photography Explained - Episode 2 - How Does A Camera Work

Hi everybody. Welcome to Episode 2 of the Photography Explained podcast. This week – How does a camera actually work?

I’m your host Rick and each week I will try to explain one photographic thing to you in plain English in less than 10 minutes without the irrelevant details. My aim is to explain things in just enough detail to help us with our photography and no more.

OK so how does a camera actually work?

A camera is a lightproof box with an opening in it allows light to pass through to something that records the image. That is how a camera works in one line.

What is a camera?

The word camera comes from camera obscura. Obscura is a Latin that means dark in English, and camera is Latin for “a vault, or vaulted room”. In the 18th century the term camera obscura came into being, which means dark chamber.

So there you have it – a camera is a dark chamber.

Well that makes sense!

A camera is a dark chamber, which in modern terms we call a lightproof box. The lightproof box has an opening in it which is protected by a shutter. When the shutter opens light is allowed to pass into the lightproof box, onto the film or sensor.

OK – lets look at the fundamental components of a camera

Camera bodySensor/ filmShutterLensAperturePhoneOther cameras – same principle

Which is this - a camera is a lightproof box that lets light in to take a photo. Simple!

This is the level of explanation that works for me, and I hope that it does for you too.

Next on the Photography Explained Podcast – How to take a photo

You can also check out my website rickmcevoyphotography.com, where you can find out all about me and my architectural and construction photography work, as well as my blog where you can learn lots more about photography.

Cheers from me Rick.