photography

American  

[fuh-tog-ruh-fee] / fəˈtɒg rə fi /

noun

• photographies
  plural

1. the process or art of producing images of objects on sensitized surfaces by the chemical action of light or of other forms of radiant energy, as x-rays, gamma rays, or cosmic rays.

2. cinematography.

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photography British  

/ fəˈtɒɡrəfɪ /

noun

1. the process of recording images on sensitized material by the action of light, X-rays, etc, and the chemical processing of this material to produce a print, slide, or cine film

2. the art, practice, or occupation of taking and printing photographs, making cine films, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• multiphotography
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• photographies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of photography

First recorded in 1839; photo- + -graphy

Explanation

Photography is the art or process of taking pictures using a camera. If you're very interested in photography, you might want to learn how to develop your own film in a darkroom. You should also practice yelling "Say cheese!" The word photography combines Greek roots phōtos, "light," and graphé, "represent by drawing lines" — so photography is essentially "drawing with light." Since it was invented in the 19th century, the art of capturing images using light has expanded far beyond what the original photographers could have imagined. Today many of us practice photography using our phones. Other advances through the years have included color film, instant photographs, and digital photography, among many others.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

photography

He retired in December 2024 at 59 and now runs a business taking aerial photography from helicopters in remote locations around the world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

The Bavarian forest beautifully stands in for 1930s Oregon and cinematographer Matteo Cocco balances ’70s-inspired slow zooms with composed, high-contrast images that hark to early 20th century styles of photography.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

The Barbalaces used the $1.6 million proceeds from selling their home and a photography studio in Tysons to buy a half-acre on the Intracoastal Waterway for about $1.1 million.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

Using their invisible arms, they ushered the girl to shelves lined with art, history and photography books, teaching Rosales how to appreciate the eerie, the tragic, the mysterious, the romantic, the ephemeral and the hard-to-find.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

After leaving school, I continued for a long time with photography and I became quite good at it.

From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl