Nowadays, it can be difficult to imagine going out of the house without your smartphone. That’s because you don’t just use them for calls, it has a built-in camera, too. Whether it’s to capture a lovely sunset or to take a quick photo of a receipt, cameras have gotten portable enough so anyone can have them. But it wasn’t always this way.
Before the invention of digital cameras, there were pinhole cameras during the Middle Ages. And it wasn’t until the early 1800s that the concept of photography was truly realized. It was all thanks to Nicéphore Niépce, who experimented on the process of ‘developing a photograph’ by exposing all kinds of materials to light so it would make an image.
But it wouldn’t be Niépce who would revolutionize photography. It was his former partner, Louis Daguerre, who took the concept further. He created a method involving a silver-plated sheet coated with silver iodide that would produce an image when exposed to light. This breakthrough is what would give birth to the cameras that we are familiar with today.
The rest, as they say, is history. After that, cameras took on a life of their own. By 1885, cameras were small enough to be carried around. It was also during this time that paper film was developed, and the Kodak brand became synonymous with picture-taking. In 1913, the most popular camera was the Leica, small enough to be carried around by anyone. And by the 1960s, the Polaroid entered the scene to offer instant images.
Despite the popularity of digital photography, old methods are still going strong. Polaroid cameras for instance, are making a comeback, especially among millennials. Meanwhile, built-in smartphone cameras have made it possible for folks from all walks of life to take clear, beautiful photos.
Let photography inspire you with these free camera images.
Free Camera Images
Camera set up to photograph the sea.
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Black camera with a vintage 50 millimeters lens.
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Old school black Polaroid camera on a desk with a Polaroid picture next to it.
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Camera lenses displayed for sale in MBK Mall, Bangkok.
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Close-up shot of cameras displayed for sale in the MBK Mall in Bangkok.
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Close-up shot of vintage Nikon cameras inside the MBK Mall in Bangkok.
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Plastic masked doll placed next to a vintage wooden camera.
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Nikon D3100 DSLR Camera placed on a wooden table facing the front. Office flowering plant in the background with a router and a miniature sculptures placed on it. Sunlight is coming from the window in the background.
Close-up shot of 35mm camera lens in an electronics shop.
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Download / By Patryk Dziejma
Download / By Dariusz Sankowski
Download / By Skitterphoto
Download / By Markus Spiske
