Photography as a hobby
Photography has long been a popular hobby, ever since the days of the Brownie Box Camera. Named for the popular cartoons created by Palmer Cox, Brownie is the name of a series of simple and inexpensive cameras made by Eastman Kodak of Rochester, NY. Introduced in February, 1900,the first Brownie was a basic box camera with a simple lens that took 2¼-inch square pictures, not unlike the much later Polaroids made by the same company.
“Camera” is an abbreviation of camera obscura (Latin for dark chamber), a device which has been known since at least as early as Leonardo da Vinci. It was not until around 1800 that the means of preserving images was discovered, and the first photograph was made.
Photography enthusiasts buy the very best equipment available. Names like Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Kodak, and Minolta. Pentax, Leica, and – in a class of its own – Hasselblad. The majority of cameras are SLR (single-lens reflex) machines in which the eye sees approximately what the film will record. This means that one can change lenses at will and still see what you will be recorded on the film. Purchasing a camera is just the first step. Next you need special lenses depending on the type of photographs you wish to take. Very detailed, close-up photography requires a close-up lens as opposed to a wide-angle lens for broader subjects such as landscapes, or a telephoto lens for detailed images of objects in the distance.
Dedicated amateurs and professional photographers are likely to have more than one camera, several interchangeable lenses, flash attachment, light meter and a tripod as their basic equipment.
The rest of us are likely to use a basic camera with a built a in lens, flash, adjustable settings, and automatic light readings. Like the Brownie of old, this is a point and click device requiring little maintenance and less skill to use. The film is on a removable roll, which is sent to a processor for development. At last that is how it was. In the 21st century, it is very difficult to get a roll of film developed because nearly all cameras are now digital. In fact, one does not even need a camera as such. Smart phones, tablet computers and scanners will all produce perfectly acceptable photographs, which need never be printed. The can be fed into a computer and emailed anywhere at the click of a button. While in the computer they can be enhanced and manipulated in many ways. The saying “The camera never lies” is no longer true. Digital images can be made to lie at the touch of a mouse.
Serious photographers do use digital cameras for the convenience. But die-hards swear that there is nothing like the quality of an old-time photographic image. Serious photographers, those whose living depends on the quality of their work, will still develop photographs themselves in specially equipped darkrooms.
Camera maintenance is extremely important for digital cameras, but even more so for film cameras. The internal chamber where you load the film must be kept clean and free of dirt and grit, which can scratch your film. When opening the camera be very careful and avoid touching the metal shutter.
Dust can be removed from the inside of the camera by a rubber bulb blower, but again be careful to avoid the shutter blades. These thin metal blades are very fragile, and even a gentle jab or tap can knock them out of position. Use the blower also to clean your camera's inner chamber and to blow loose dust or grit off the exposed face of the front lens. Then use a micro fiber cloth to finish the job. A final maintenance tip is to keep your camera in a bag.
Photography has a great many uses: business, science, manufacturing, art, and purely recreational purposes.