photography
Americannoun
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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.
noun
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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
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the art, practice, or occupation of taking and printing photographs, making cine films, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of photography
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.
Vocabulary lists containing photography
Journalism
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: photo
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At one point, Weist describes uncovering that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani maintained a fine-art photography practice while simultaneously waging a highly public censorship battle against the Brooklyn Museum.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
On Feb. 27, 1860, Lincoln, then a longshot presidential hopeful, walked into the New York photography studio of Mathew Brady.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
In October 2022, Tobin, who lives near Pasadena, visited the Eastern Sierra town of Lee Vining to learn landscape photography and ended up hearing about — and photographing — the herd.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Lacock is known as Britain's birthplace of photography, having been home to Victorian photography pioneer Henry Fox Talbot.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
His jacket hung on his chair back; his napkin uncrumpled slowly beside his plate, blooming like something out of a time-lapse photography sequence.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
