Cameras are a big part of our everyday lives. I mean, they’re everywhere! From our phones to our laptops, to our tablets. Almost everywhere we turn.

They’re used to capture memories, to create movies and entertainment, and photography can be used as a form of self-expression. So it should be no surprise that cameras are a popular subject for many peoples tattoos!

It’s odd to think of a world without cameras, but that reality honestly wasn’t that long ago. Let’s take a brief look at the history of the camera!

Minimalist Camera Tattoo Ideas

History of the Camera

The first-ever camera was the camera obscura which dates back to Middle Ages. This was a pinhole camera, which pales in comparison to the smart cameras we have today, but for the time it was created, it was pretty dang cool! The only drawback was they didn’t have a way to preserve the images.

In the year 1816, an inventor by the name of Niepce began to experiment with what he called heliography(now known as photography. He used light to create a photographic image and then used an engraving and different chemicals to transfer it onto a material, though the photo would sometimes fade, this is technically the first-ever photograph!

Niepce’s work was built upon in 1839 when his former partner Daguerre invented the Daguerrotype(some imagination this guy had for names). His invention was much more practical for taking photographs and would stand to be the starting point for cameras as we know them today!

Next, a downright amazing discovery by an inventor named Maddox lead to the camera’s ability to take instantaneous photographs, which made tripods useless and lead to the handheld camera.

In 1885, the film camera was born by a man named Eastman who would go on to create the Kodak Camera. Then by 1913, Oskar Barnack wanted to create an even smaller camera that basically anyone could use. From then on our cameras have only gotten better and more advanced as they went through their own evolution. Crazy!

Now onto the tattoo inspiration!

Cameras make great tattoos for many reasons. They’re aesthetically pleasing(which is always a plus), and they can hold lots of meaning that can vary from person to person! There are so many cameras to choose from, whether that be style like the point and shoot, or what brand, like canon or Kodak.

So what you get will largely depend on you and what camera you desire! Once you’ve decided on the camera, now you get to choose style…the fun part. Well, fun and daunting. There are just so many tattoo styles to choose from it can be hard to know where to start. I totally understand that, so I went ahead created a list to help you out.

Below is a compilation of the best tattoos living on the internet for you to take a look through to gain a better understanding of the styles you like and what kind of overall tattoo you’re going for. Take a look!

Tattoos of Cameras

Camera Tattoo

1. Realistic Canon 

2. Traditional Camera

3. Camera with Plants

4. Camera with Sound Waves

5. Flowers Surrounding Camera

6. Broken Camera with Butterfly

7. Watercolor Camera

8. Hand Camera Tattoo

9. Pink Camera in Watercolor

10. New School Kitten with Camera

11. Black & White Realism

12. Globe with Watercolor Camera

13. Dog Holding Camera

14. Abstract Colored Camera

15. Teeny Tiny Camera

16. Light Linework Camera

17. Cool Camera Design

18. Dark Camera with Strap

19. Triple trouble

20. Abstract Eye Camera

21. Simple Bicep Camera

 

Film Camera Tattoo

Film Camera Tattoo Inspirations

22. Film Camera Arm Piece

23. Realistic Film Camera

24. Old School Camera

25. Camera Wrapped in Film

26. Polaroid

27. Camera on Tripod

28. Large Camera Cover Up

29. Massive Film Camera

30. Vintage Camera

31. Smooth Shooting Camera

32. Flash camera

33. Realistic Camera

34. Detailed Film

35. Kodak with Film Canasters

36. Different Camera Pieces

37. Women Holding Film

38. Hyper-realistic Camera

39. Large Polaroid

40. Little Realistic Camera

Camera Tattoo Ideas

41. Black & White Camera

42. Camera with a Bouquet

43. Autumn Leaves

44. Camera in Pieces

45. Point & Shoot in Black and White

46. Bird Sitting on Camera

47. Whimsicle Tattoo

48. Abstract Camera

49.Polaroid with Flowers

50. Camera with Landscape in eye

51. Cute Camera with Dotwork

52. Traditional Camera with Red

53. Camera with Neck Strap

54. Colorful Polaroid with Flowers

55. Camera with Single Flower

Small Camera Tattoo

Small camera tattoo tiny ink designs

56. Little Dainty Outline

57. Wrist Camera

58. Heart Camera with Line

59. Classic Camera Drawing

60. Little Dainty Hand Camera

61. Smile Camera Finger Tattoos

62. Camera Head

63. Camera Splash

64. Classic Camera

65. Thin Lined Hands Holding camera

66. Camera with Thick Lines

67. Camera with Star

Simple Camera Tattoo

68. Tiny Little Camera

69. Camera Outlines

70. Camera with Heart

71. Simple 3 Lined Camera

72. Camera Drawn with One Line

73. Realistic Little Camera

74. Matching Camera Tattoo

75. Simple Camera with Smile

76. Knuckle Camera

77. Film Camera with Nature

Minimalist Camera Tattoo

Simple Camera tattoos

78. Clean Little Camera

79. Simple Camera Line work

80. Little Camera on Thumb

81. Smile

82. Little Finger Tattoo

83. Clean Lined Camera

84. Scribble Line Camera

85. Black & White Camera

86. Dual Lined Film Camera

87. Swirled Line Camera

More Tattoo Ideas You’ll Love

  • Artistic Dragonfly Tattoo Ideas: Symbolizing transformations, change, and new life, the dragonfly is a tattoo design that will never go out of style. Adding lots of details with many lines and colors or opting for a more simple design, a dragonfly tattoo is beautiful. Whether you are in the midst of significant changes in your life or have experienced an awakening of some sort, a dragonfly tattoo is perfect for you. Don’t miss out on these stunning design ideas!
  • 31+ Disco Ball Tattoo Ideas for the Life of the Party – Are you the life of the party? These disco ball tattoo designs are fun, playful, and eye catching ideas that you need in your life. Disco ball tattoos are anything but boring, so wild when adding bling to your new tattoo. They symbolize enjoying every moment in life and not taking everything so seriously! Add them to your arms, wrists, feet, or anywhere else you want to display your new disco ball!
  • Our Favorite Freckle Tattoo Ideas – Consider cosmetic tattooing to add permanent eyeliner, faux freckles and give your lips the perfect color. Head out the door without having to spend time adding makeup or worrying about it melting away as the day goes on. While the prices vary, it’s not much more expensive than a typical tattoo. Considering how much money you spend on makeup in a year, you’ll see that it’s worth the upfront costs. Plus, can you imagine heading out the door with flawless makeup every day without all the effort?