Photography Lingo

Photography Lingo
Graphic Terminology

Photography terms got you scratching your head?

Here are some easy to understand definitions of confusing

sounding photography lingo that will have you sounding like a pro!

This glossary is in no way exhaustive, but will get you familiar with the most oft used terms.

Adjustable Camera A camera with manually adjustable settings for distance, lens openings, and shutter speeds

Ambient Light The available light completely surrounding a subject. Light already existing in an indoor or outdoor setting that is not caused by any illumination supplied by the photographer

Angle Of View The area of a scene that a lens covers or sees. Angle of view is determined by the focal length of the lens. A wide-angle lens (short-focal-length) includes more of the scene-a wider angle of view-than a normal (normal-focal-length) or telephoto (long-focal-length) lens.

Aperture Lens opening. The opening in a camera lens through which light passes to expose the film. The size of aperture is either fixed or adjustable. Aperture size is usually calibrated in f-numbers-the larger the number, the smaller the lens opening.

Autofocus (AF) System by which the camera lens automatically focuses the image of a selected part of the picture subject

Automatic Camera A camera with a built-in exposure meter that automatically adjusts the lens opening, shutter speed, or both for proper exposure.

Background The part of the scene the appears behind the principal subject of the picture.

Balance Placement of colors, light and dark masses, or large and small objects in a picture to create harmony and equilibrium.

Backlighting Light coming from behind the subject, toward the camera lens, so that the subject stands out vividly against the background. Sometimes produces a silhouette effect.

Blowup An enlargement; a print that is made larger than the negative or slide

Bracketing Taking additional pictures of the subject through a range of exposures-both lighter and darker-when unsure of the correct exposure

Camera Angle Various positions of the camera (high, medium, or low; and left, right, or straight on) with respect to the subject, each giving a different viewpoint or effect.

Candid Photos Unposed pictures of people, often taken without the subject's knowledge. These usually appear more natural and relaxed than posed pictures.

Close-up A picture taken with the subject close to the camera-usually less than two or three feet away, but it can be as close as a few inches.

Color Balance How a color film reproduces the colors of a scene. Color films are made to be exposed by light of a certain color quality such as daylight or tungsten. Color balance also refers to the reproduction of colors in color prints, which can be altered during the printing process.

Composition The pleasing arrangement of the elements within a scene-the main subject, the foreground and background, and supporting subjects.

Contrast The range of difference in the light to dark areas of a negative, print, or slide (also called density); the brightness range of a subject or the scene lighting.

Density The blackness of an area in a negative or print that determines the amount of light that will pass through it or reflect from it. Sometimes referred to as contrast

Depth of Field The amount of distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear in acceptably sharp focus in a photograph. Depth of field depends on the lens opening, the focal length of the lens, and the distance from the lens to the subject.

Depth of Focus The distance range over which the film could be shifted at the film plane inside the camera and still have the subject appear in sharp focus; often misused to mean depth of field.

Emulsion Micro-thin layers of gelatin on film in which light-sensitive ingredients are suspended; triggered by light to create a chemical reaction resulting in a photographic image

Existing Light Available light. Strictly speaking, existing light covers all natural lighting from moonlight to sunshine. For photographic purposes, existing light is the light that is already on the scene or project and includes room lamps, fluorescent lamps, spotlights, neon signs, candles, daylight through windows, outdoor scenes at twilight or in moonlight, and scenes artificially illuminated after dark.

Exposure The quantity of light allowed to act on a photographic material; a product of the intensity (controlled by the lens opening) and the duration (controlled by the shutter speed or enlarging time) of light striking the film or paper.

Film A photographic emulsion coated on a flexible, transparent base that records images or scenes.

Film Speed The sensitivity of a given film to light, indicated by a number such as ISO 200. The higher the number, the more sensitive or faster the film. Note: ISO stands for International Standards Organization.

Finder A viewing device on a camera to show the subject area that will be recorded on the film. Also known as viewfinder and projected frame.

Flash A brief, intense burst of light from a flashbulb or an electronic flash unit, usually used where the lighting on the scene is inadequate for picture-taking.

Flat Too low in contrast. The range in density in a negative or print is too short.

f-Number or f-stop A number that indicates the size of the lens opening on an adjustable camera. The common f-numbers are f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, and f/22. The larger the f-number, the smaller the lens opening. In this series, f/1.4 is the largest lens opening and f/22 is the smallest. Also called f-stops, they work in conjunction with shutter speeds to indicate exposure settings.

Focal Length The distance between the film and the optical center of the lens when the lens is focused on infinity. The focal length of the lens on most adjustable cameras is marked in millimetres on the lens mount.

Focus Adjustment of the distance setting on a lens to define the subject sharply.

Foreground The area between the camera and the principal subject.

Frame One individual picture on a roll of film. Also, tree branch, arch, etc., that frames a subject.

Graininess The sand-like or granular appearance of a negative, print, or slide. Graininess becomes more pronounced with faster film and the degree of enlargement.

Highlights The brightest areas of a subject and the corresponding areas in a negative, a print, or a slide.

Hot Shoe The fitting on a camera that holds a small portable flash. It has an electrical contact that aligns with the contact on the flash unit's "foot" and fires the flash when you press the shutter release.

ISO Speed The emulsion speed (sensitivity) of the film as determined by the standards of the International Standards Organization. In these standards, both arithmetic (ASA) and logarithmic (DIN) speed values are expressed in a single ISO term. For example, a film with a speed of ISO 100/21° would have a speed of ASA 100 or 21 DIN.

LCD panel Liquid Crystal Display on cameras that shows such information as remaining exposures, flash status and aspect ratio selected

Lens One or more pieces of optical glass or similar material designed to collect and focus rays of light to form a sharp image on the film, paper, or projection screen.

Lens Shade A collar or hood at the front of a lens that keeps unwanted light from striking the lens and causing image flare. May be attached or detachable, and should be sized to the particular lens to avoid vignetting.

Lens Speed The largest lens opening (smallest f-number) at which a lens can be set. A fast lens transmits more light and has a larger opening than a slow lens.

Macro Lens A lens that provides continuous focusing from infinity to extreme close-ups, often to a reproduction ratio of 1:2 (half life-size) or 1:1 (life-size).

Motor Drive A mechanism for advancing the film to the next frame and recocking the shutter, activated by an electric motor usually powered by batteries. Popular for action-sequence photography and for recording images by remote control.

Negative The developed film that contains a reversed tone image of the original scene.

Normal Lens A lens that makes the image in a photograph appear in perspective similar to that of the original scene. A normal lens has a shorter focal length and a wider field of view than a telephoto lens, and a longer focal length and narrower field of view than a wide-angle lens.

Overexposure A condition in which too much light reaches the film, producing a dense negative or a very light print or slide.

Panning Moving the camera so that the image of a moving object remains in the same relative position in the viewfinder as you take a picture.

Panorama A broad view, usually scenic.

Polarizing Screen (Filter) A filter that transmits light traveling in one plane while absorbing light traveling in other planes. When placed on a camera lens or on light sources, it can eliminate undesirable reflections from a subject such as water, glass, or other objects with shiny surfaces. This filter also darkens blue sky

Print A positive picture, usually on paper, and usually produced from a negative.

Processing Developing, fixing, and washing exposed photographic film or paper to produce either a negative image or a positive image

Rangefinder A device included on many cameras as an aid in focusing.

Reflector Any device used to reflect light onto a subject.

Saturation An attribute of perceived color, or the percentage of hue in a color. Saturated colors are called vivid, strong, or deep. Desaturated colors are called dull, weak, or washed out.

Selective Focus Choosing a lens opening that produces a shallow depth of field. Usually this is used to isolate a subject by causing most other elements in the scene to be blurred.

Shutter Blades, a curtain, plate, or some other movable cover in a camera that controls the time during which light reaches the film.

Single-Lens-Reflex (SLR) Camera A camera in which you view the scene through the same lens that takes the picture.

Stopping Down Changing the lens aperture to a smaller opening; for example, from f/8 to f/11.

Telephoto Lens A lens that makes a subject appear larger on film than does a normal lens at the same camera-to-subject distance. A telephoto lens has a longer focal length and narrower field of view than a normal lens.

Time Exposure A comparatively long exposure made in seconds or minutes.

Tone The degree of lightness or darkness in any given area of a print; also referred to as value. Cold tones (bluish) and warm tones (reddish) refer to the color of the image in both black-and-white and color photographs.

Tripod A three-legged supporting stand used to hold the camera steady. Especially useful when using slow shutter speeds and/or telephoto lenses.

Tungsten Light Light from regular room lamps and ceiling fixtures, not fluorescent.

Underexposure A condition in which too little light reaches the film, producing a thin negative, a dark slide, or a muddy-looking print.

Unipod A one-legged support used to hold the camera steady.

WXYZ

Wide-Angle Lens A lens that has a shorter focal length and a wider field of view (includes more subject area) than a normal lens.

Zoom Lens A lens in which you adjust the focal length over a wide range. In effect, this gives you lenses of many focal lengths.

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