Early on scientists recognized the advantages of having pinhole cameras available, such as using the camera to view solar eclipses that would normally be painful to watch. Later artists took advantage of the pristine image formed by pinhole cameras, making entire rooms into pinhole cameras so that they could project the outside world onto their canvas and recreate meticulous detail. It wasn't until the contemporary era (1750-1900 CE) that art and science came together to print the projected images directly onto metal sheets, and then paper. This was the beginning of modern photography, something akin to what we use today. As the years progressed, people from every background imaginable became invested in photography, improving it time and time again. The pinhole camera was shrunk down into a small affordable camera with a roll of film in it by 1888. It continued to be tinkered with and advanced into digital cameras. The digital age progressed even further, embracing photography to the point that by 2012 4.4 billion people (out of 5.5 billion users) had cameras available on their phones. 

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Here are some important concepts to remember when learning about photography:

1) When an image is first recorded on a surface (such as film), it is called a negative. A negative image means that the grayscale is reversed. So a white cloud appears black on the film, and a dark shadow appears white. This is due to the nature of light and chemical reactions taking place. Below is a short video explaining these processes. 

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2) The two parts of a manual camera every photographer should know how to use is the f-stop (aperture) and the shutter speed. A lower f-stop number means you have a larger aperture, or opening in your camera lens. A larger aperture is used when you want a subject in focus and the background blurry. A smaller aperture (high f-stop number) is used when the photographer wants a large depth of field, in which everything is focused.

A higher shutter speed number means that your camera lens is open for longer, allowing for more motion blur. If your shutter speed is 2, your lens is open for two whole seconds. This may not sound like a lot but anything longer than 1/60 of a second requires a tripod. If your lens is open for longer than 1/60 of a second without a tripod, the image will be blurry because the photographer's hand naturally moves. If a photographer wants to catch something in motion, they use a shorter shutter speed, such as 1/2000 of a second. On a camera this appears as 2000".