Origin: Greek suffix -ography
Photography has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
the act of taking and printing photographs
"After years of studying photography, she finally opened her own darkroom to develop all the rolls from her recent trip."
the process of producing images of objects on photosensitive surfaces
"The museum curator explained that early photography relied on exposing silver plates to light to create permanent images."
the occupation of taking and printing photographs or making movies
"After years of working as a photographer, she decided to quit her job in photography to pursue painting full-time."
The art and technology of producing images on photosensitive surfaces, and its digital counterpart.
"She spent her summer mastering the nuances of photography, from developing film in a darkroom to editing high-resolution digital files."
In plain English: Photography is the art of making pictures by using light and a camera.
"He is passionate about photography and spends his weekends capturing images in the city park."
Usage: Use photography to refer to both the artistic practice of creating images with a camera and the resulting collection of those pictures. It functions as an uncountable noun when discussing the field or skill in general, rather than counting individual shots.
The word photography comes from the French term photographie, which combines elements meaning "light" and "to write or draw." Its original sense was "drawing with light."