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SPECIAL CAMERAS AND EQUIPMENT

WHAT IS A CAMERA?

A traditional camera, from a room-size camera obscura to the latest hand-held automatic, is essentially a light-tight box. A hole (aperture) is made at one end to admit light and light-sensitive material (film, paper, or sensor) is placed inside the box opposite the hole. The camera’s purpose is to enable the light to form an image on the light-sensitive material. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, but most modern cameras have the same basic components (see Box 9.1).

The Camera as a Way of Seeing

The camera remains the primary tool that photographers use to initially define and shape ...

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