The photography industry has travelled through many eras since the introduction of the earliest cameras. Now there is such a wide range of equipment. There are cameras designed for underwater photography, panoramic views, cameras for portraits and cameras for architecture.

Most of us are simple photographers. But even so, adding to your equipment to allow for special circumstances makes you and your equipment even more versatile.

The SLR transformed photography and made a variety of photographic situations available and accessible to the ordinary photographer. Starting with 35mm models, and progressing to digital, SLRs have provided the user the versatility to add specialised wide-angle and telephoto lenses to his standard set up.

Since the introduction of the SLR, ordinary photographers have been able to take a wide variety of images without the encumbrance of hefty and often expensive equipment. Now, even basic amateur photographers have the ability to take landscapes, action, portrait and nature shots which can rival those of the professionals.

For the enthusiastic, there is the ability to widen the range even further. Now you can, if you wish, add accessories that will allow you to take ultra-wide shots, close-ups, microscopic and telescopic images. As you are able to see through the viewfinder exactly what the accessory attached to the lens mount sees, such photography is both easily available and accurate in operation.

Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com