'camera-friendly' originates from modern English as a compound of 'camera' and 'friendly'. 'camera' ultimately comes from Latin 'camera' (via Old French/Italian), where 'camera' meant 'chamber' or 'room', and 'friendly' comes from Old English 'freondlic' (related to 'freond' meaning 'friend').

'camera' changed from Latin 'camera' through Old French 'chambre/ camera' and Middle English 'camera' and retained a sense of an enclosed space before being used for the photographic device; 'friendly' changed from Old English 'freondlic' (derived from 'freond') to Middle English forms like 'frendli' and eventually modern 'friendly'. The compound form 'X-friendly' became productive in modern English (20th century) and 'camera-friendly' arose by that pattern.

Initially 'camera' referred to a 'chamber' and later the photographic device; 'friendly' originally meant 'like a friend' and came to form compounds indicating suitability. 'camera-friendly' therefore came to mean 'suitable for cameras/looks good on camera', a meaning that follows directly from the components.