In the mid- 1820s, Nicephore Niepce first managed to fix an image that was captured with a camera, but at least eight hours or even several days of exposure in the camera were required and the earliest results were very crude. Niépce's associate Louis Daguerre went on to develop the daguerreotype process, the first publicly announced and commercially viable photographic process. The daguerreotype required only minutes of exposure in the camera, and produced clear, finely detailed results. The details were introduced as a gift to the world in 1839, a date generally accepted as the birth year of practical photography.
Camera Obscura
The camera obscura became portable boxes which incorporated lenses and mirrors, so that the image was reflected onto a viewing surface which was visible outside the box.
An Arabian scientist , Alhuzen was the creator of the camera obscura.
Steps to creating the camera obscura:
1. cut a 2cm square at the end of a cardboard box
2. leave other end of the box open so that you can stick tracing paper on it
3.cut a piece of tracing paper 13cm by 13cm, with a 1cm boarder on the inside
4.stick the tracing paper on the open side (not loose or else your image wont be as clear)
5.put a magnifying glass on the two cm square that you cut off
6.then place your camera obscura to an image as it will then project it to the tracing paper upside down
SLR Camera
A single-lens reflex camera (SLR) is a camera that typically uses a mirror and prism system. Hence "reflex" from the mirror's reflection, that permits the photographer to view through the lens and see exactly what will be captured.