Photography's Dependence on Equipment

Taking pictures, whether at a basic or professional level, requires the use of equipment. In this era of technological transformation, taking pictures also requires the upgrading of equipment at frequent intervals. From the moment that there is a need for photography to be undertaken and concluding with the final image delivery, various pieces of equipment are required in each step of the photographic process. The word “equipment” is often used to describe a single entity, rather than taking into account the many individual types of equipment required at various stages in the picture-making process. A number of essays in this encyclopedia explore various photographic tools in all the eras such as cameras, lenses, light, and imaging software. However, in each essay the tool is considered separately rather than as part of a continuum of linked and related pieces. Cameras, for example, can make exposures, which do not result in usable photographic images. In each step in this process, influences occur that affect how the final image will be formed and how it may appear.