Camera Work was a quarterly photographic journal published by Alfred Stieglitz from 1903 to 1917. The journal presented photogravures and had the goal to establish photography as a fine art. Camera Work was called "consummately intellectual", and, "a portrait of an age [in which] the artistic sensibility of the nineteenth century, was transformed into the artistic awareness of the present day."

Alfred Stieglitz was an American photographer, editor and publisher active in the 20th century. He believed photography was a new field of expression and creation, equivalent to fine art. He promoted this philosophy, a component of Pictorialism, by writing articles and organizing photography exhibitions. During his five-year tenure as editor of the journal Camera Notes, published by the Camera Club of New York, he attempted to change the perspective among the club's more traditional members that photography was merely technical. In 1902, he resigned as editor of Camera Notes due to his failure to change the club's view of photography as an art form.

At the encouragement of close friend and fellow photographer Joseph Keiley, among others, Stieglitz developed the idea of a independent photography magazine lacking conservative influences. In August 1902, he printed a two-page prospectus "in response to the importunities of many serious workers in photographic fields that I should undertake the publication of an independent magazine devoted to the furtherance of modern photography." He stated the magazine would be self-published, and "owing allegiance only to the interests of photography." The name Camera Work was a reference to the phrasing in his prospectus, meant to distinguish artistic photographers from the old-school technicians which frustrated him. To emphasize the journal's independent nature, every cover was imprinted with "Camera Work: A Photographic Quarterly, Edited and Published by Alfred Stieglitz, New York".

Stieglitz appointed Edward Steichen to design the cover, a plain gray-green background with the magazine's title, acknowledgement of Stieglitz's editorial control, issue number, and date, in an Art Nouveau-style typeface that Steichen created specifically for the journal. The advertisements at the back of each issue were also creatively designed and presented, often by Stieglitz himself. Eastman Kodak took the back cover ad for almost every issue, using the same typeface Steichen had designed for the cover at Stieglitz's insistence.

Gravures were produced from the photographers' original negatives whenever possible, or occasionally from the original prints. If the gravure came from a negative, this fact was noted in the accompanying text, and these gravures were noted to be original prints.

Stieglitz personally tipped-in the photogravures in every issue, touching up dust spots or scratches when necessary. This assured only the highest standards in all copies of the magazine, but sometimes delayed mailing. Stieglitz would not allow anyone else to tip in. When a set of prints failed to arrive for a Photo-Secession exhibition in Brussels, gravures from the magazine were hung instead. Because of their high visual quality, most viewers assumed they were looking at the original photographs.

Before the first issue was printed, Stieglitz received 68 subscriptions for the new publication. Stieglitz insisted that 1000 copies of each issue be printed, regardless of the number of subscriptions. Under financial duress, he reduced the number to 500 for the final two issues. As of the first issue, the subscription rate was US $4 yearly or US $2 for single issues.

Camera Work was published as a series of 50 issues between 1903 and 1917.