Arts Abound

Photography Terms

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z]

A

Ambient Light: The natural light in a scene.
Aperture: The maximum size of the hole through which light enters the camera.
Artifact: Unwanted distortions in an image caused by image compression.
Aspect Ratio: The ratio between the width and height of an image.

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B

Backlighting: Lighting that comes from behind the subject, causing the light meter to be underexposed.
Balance: Arrangement of shapes, colors or areas of light and dark that complement each other

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C

Candid: Photo that has not had its subject posed.
Chromatic Aberration: A fringing effect around the edges, which is caused by the lens not focusing correctly.
Color Depth: The number of bits assigned to each pixel in the image and the number of colors that can be created from those bits.
Contrast: Difference between the blackest black of a print (negative) and the whitest white of a print.
Cropping: Act of selecting just a portion of the image for publication or enlarging.

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D

Daylight / Natural light: Existing light provided by the sun.
Dedicated Flash: Fully automatic flash that illuminates the subject with the required light.
Depth of Field: The distance between the nearest and farthest points that appear in sharp focus in a photograph.
Digital Photography Workflow: A consistent set of steps to organize and adjust photos.
Digital Zoom: A digital magnification of the center 50% of an image. Digital zooms increase the apparent image size by interpolation. They do not increase the amount of image information.
DPI: Dots per Inch. A measurement of the resolution of a digital photo or digital camera. The higher the number, the greater the resolution.

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E

EXIF: Exchangeable Image File. This file format embeds camera and exposure information into the graphic file created by the camera.
Existing Light: Amount of light in a scene without the addition of light from artificial sources such as a flash; also known as available light.
Exposure: The length of time that the lens is open, allowing light to fall on the camera's image sensor.

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F

F-stop: A numerical designation indicating the size of the aperture.
Flash Mode: The camera mode that determines how the internal flash is used in the photo.
Fill Flash: Technique using both available lights and artificial light. The light from the flash is used to "fill in" the shadows made by existing light.
Filter: Piece of colored glass or plastic used to effect the color of the light reaching the light sensitive emulsion; used on cameras during the printing process.
Fisheye Lens: Type of lens that distorts the image but encompasses an extremely wide angle of view.
Fluorescent: Type of light with a blue-green cast; affects the reality of colors in a photo.
Focal Length: The distance from a point where an image is formed (the focal point) to a point in or near the camera lens.
Focus: Adjustment of the subject distance on a lens to render the subject sharp.

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G

Glare

Unwanted reflection off of a shiny or glossy surface.

Grayscale

A color made from black and white photos.

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H

Hightlights

Lightest portion of a photo often the highlights of a person's eyes.

Hot Shoe

Part of a camera which allows an electronic flash to be fired at the same time as the shutter is released based on electrical contact with the camera.

Hue

Particular variety of a shade or color.

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I

Incandescent

Light that results when a substance is heated with electricity, such as a tungsten blub: gives a yellowish cast to a photo.

ISO

Abbreviation for International Standards Organization; number assigned to indicate its relative sensitivity to light. The higher the number, the more sensitive the sensor is to light.

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J

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K

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L

Lens Device

Designed to focus light on a given area such as a piece of film or light sensitive sensors.

Lens Speed

The wider the maximum aperture, the faster the lens speed which transmits more light than a slow lens.

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M

Midtone

The middle tones of a print, generally the flesh tones between the black and white.

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N

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O

Overcast/Cloudy

Type of lighting when a majority of the light is blocked by clouds.

Overexposure

Exposure which allows more than required amount of light.

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P

Panning

Photographic technique where the camera is moved at the same speed and direction as the subject allowing the subject to remain sharp but blurring the rest of the picture.

Pixel

Smallest element in a photo.

Polarizing Filter

Type of filter used when taking pictures to block directions from nonmetallic surfaces; can also block reflections from the atmosphere.

Posed Shot

Photograph that is set up by the photographer.

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Q

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R

RGB

Color mode for red, green, and blue for photos destined for output on a television or computer monitor.

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S

Selective Focus

Technique that makes only certain elements in a photo to appear in focus using wide f-stops which give low depth of field.

Shadow

Darkest portion of an image, often in the background.

Shutter

Part of the camera that opens, allowing light to enter through the lenses to reach the sensors.

Shutter Speed

Measurement of how long the shutter will remain open allowing the light sensitive sensors to be exposed to light.

Sidelighting

Lighting that illuminates one side of a subject more than another.

Single Lens Reflex (SLR)

Type of camera that allows a photographer to see the subject through the same lenses as light will pass when the sensors are exposed.

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T

Telephoto Lens

Lens with a narrow angle of the view allowing distant objects to fill the frame.

Tone

Quality of composition produced by the combination of light, shade and color.

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U

Underexposure

Exposure that allows less than the required amount of light to reach the sensors.

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V

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W

Wide-angle Lens

Lens with wide angle of view allowing more nearby objects to fill the frame.

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X

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Y

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Z

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