Photography Vocab

P Camera Mode

"P" is a semi-automatic camera mode and stands for "programmed automatic". This mode allows photographers to control a few settings such as the use of flash, ISO, EV, and WB. The rest of the settings are automatically selected by the camera.

F-stop (see aperture)

A short name for aperture, this is a measure of the aperture opening in the lens defined by dividing the focal length of the lens by the aperture diameter. Sequence of f-stops are multiples of the square root of 2 (1.414...): 1, 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, etc. Remember that each stop is double the amount of light. This list of numbers are the classic f-stops.

Chimping

A slang term meaning looking at the back of the camera after every image. Spending too much time reviewing images on camera, not enough time shooting.

Contrast

defines tonal difference between the shadows and lights of an image. Pictures with lower contrast may be perceived as dull, as a smaller difference between lights and shadows results in a muted appearance. Higher contrast produces a more dynamic image.

Camera Shake

This is a blurry image which has resulted from an insufficiently fast enough shutter speed, while hand holding the camera. So how slow is too slow? Many teachers will say that 1/60th of a second is the rule of thumb, anything slower will require a tripod.

Aspect Ratio

defines the relationship between an image's length and height, represented as width:height. It is predetermined by the dimensions of the camera's sensor, but can be altered in post processing. The most common aspect ratios are 3:2 (full-frame, mirrorless, 35mm film) and 4:3 (most DSLRs). Recently, 4:5 has gained popularity due to Instagram's vertical cropping.

Underexposure

means that the exposure value was lower than necessary, resulting in a photo that is too dark to produce normal contrast.

Blown Out

Having highlights that are off the chart on the right side of the histogram, having no detail in the white areas. The red areas in this photo are where the highlights are lost.

Focusing

How do you focus properly? Cameras typically offer a huge number of autofocus options. You can choose just a single autofocus point, 3D-tracking autofocus across all points, automatic (camera-selected) autofocus points, and often many other options. Those little red dots are the autofocus working. You may also focus manually.

Sensor Size

As the name implies, it is simply the dimensions of your camera sensor. More than perhaps any other factor of a camera, sensor size has a major effect on your image quality. Full size sensor cameras are very expensive and considered "Pro" cameras.

ISO

International Organization for Standardization, represents the sensor's sensitivity to the light. The higher the number, the most information will be captured. Higher ISO numbers are used in low-light. Digital cameras allow photographers to easily change the ISO. ISO should NEVER be ignored.

EV Compensation

Known also as exposure value compensation, allows photographers to modify the exposure on automatic and semi-automatic modes. The values can be changed through 1/3, 2/3, or full stop increments.

Spray and Pray

Shoot as many images as possible and that hope and pray you got something good. Not a philosophy I personally recommend.

Lens Flare

Glass is not fully transmissive; it also reflects some light back to you like a mirror. Flare occurs when you point your camera into the sun. Lens flare is sometimes an interesting effect, but it generally is something that photographers try to avoid.

Light

Photography is the capture of light. The biggest things that separates a good photo from a bad one is the quality of its light. Light carries emotion. "Good light" is light that harmonizes with the emotional message you're trying to convey. Even the most beautiful sunset isn't necessarily good light, and the dullest overcast sky isn't necessarily bad light. Either could be a good or bad fit, depending on the look you want to capture. So - ask yourself what type of light would work best for your subject, then search for that.

Noise

a visual distortion that looks like tiny colored specs on a photo. It is especially visible in images shot at high ISO or very slow shutter speeds. Noise is the digital photography version of film grain.

Photography

The word comes from two old Greek words "phos" meaning light and "graph" meaning to draw. Photograph literally means to draw with light, or a drawing made with light. Photography is the art of drawing with light.

Overexposure (see Blown Out)

When your photo loses detail because it is too bright, it is said to be overexposed. Overexposure doesn't just mean your photo "looks too bright." So long as you can darken the image in post-processing and maintain all your highlight details, the photo really isn't overexposed. Instead, a photo is overexposed when it "blows out" highlight detail, like bright portions of a cloud. Overexposure = irrecoverable highlight loss. Overexposure is a major problem; there is no way to get back highlight detail that has completely blown out to white. If you try, you'll end up with discolored highlights, or - worst case - highlights that have no color at all, and are completely gray. Because there is no post-processing fix for overexposure, your best bet is to expose the scene properly in-camera.

Long Exposure

When your shutter speed is a few seconds or more, you are considered to be shooting with a long exposure. Long exposures produce movement blurs in the photo.

Bulb

a camera setting (the "B" in shutter speed) that holds the shutter open for as long as the shutter release button is pressed. This mode allows photographers to capture longer exposures than the ones offered by the camera (usually up to 30").

Portfolio

a collection of work that are related in some format. Portfolios are usually tailored to fit requirements. To get a job as a portrait photographer, your portfolio should contain portraits and not landscapes.

Light Meter

a device that measures the scene's luminosity in order to determine the best exposure value. The vast majority of cameras have a built-in light meter that relies on reflective readings through the lens. It can be fooled when there is a large amount of white or black in a scene, such as a snowy scene. That's because metering systems aim to expose the whole photo roughly to "middle gray."

RAW

a file format that saves the image as it was captured by the sensor, with minimal processing and no compression. This allows photographers to take complete control over the creative edition of the photo. On the downside, RAW files are much larger and will fill your memory card and computer faster.

Rule of Thirds

a rule that says you should divide your photo into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) like a tic-tac-toe board. Then - according to this rule - place your main subject at one of the four intersection points, and place your horizon along the top or bottom third. The main thing about composition, is that you should THINK about it and not just fall into the "Instagram" habit of centering everything and only shooting horizontally.

JPEG

an acronym for Joint Photographic Experts Group and the standard format in which pictures are compressed. Due to this compression, JPEG files are smaller and carry less information. Data is lost each time a jpeg image is opened and closed, degrading the image over time.

Bokeh

an optical phenomenon that makes bright out-of-focus elements aesthetically pleasing. Using a fast lens at its largest aperture creates a blurred background, where light appears as soft shapes.

Scene Modes

automatic camera modes with pre-set exposure values based on different types of situations and subjects. These modes are aimed to help amateur photographers achieve the optimum exposure and DOF without having to control any of the settings.

Golden Hour

commonly referred to as 'magic hour,' is the period right before sunset and after sunrise. During this time, the sun is low on the horizon so light takes on a redder tone. Shadows are lengthened and the light is at its most beautiful.

Exposure Triangle

refers to the "big three" camera settings - aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. These are the camera settings that alter the brightness of an image.

Megapixels

simply a term for the resolution of your camera sensor. For example, a lot of sensors today have a resolution of 6000 pixels across by 4000 pixels tall. If you multiply this out, you'll end up with a total of 24 million pixels - i.e., 24 megapixels. It's very popular for camera companies today to advertise megapixel count above all other factors. However, this is far from the most important factor in image quality. See the 41-megapixel Nokia Lumia 1020 smartphone, for example. It has a lot of megapixels, but megapixels aren't what make image quality. Far, far more important is the camera's sensor size - and smartphones universally have tiny camera sensors.

Subject

simply the object that you are photographing. However, the importance of your subject cannot be overstated. The primary subject in an image is the part that my viewer will notice first and is the core of your photo, and of your emotional message. Don't just point your camera at something interesting. Ask yourself why it's interesting, how to accentuate the most interesting points, and how to direct your viewer's eye to it with your composition.

DSLR Camera

stands for "digital single lens reflex" camera. The reason for a mirror inside the camera is to direct light from the lens to an optical viewfinder. When you take a photo, the mirror swings out of the way so as not to block your camera sensor. Newer digital cameras are "mirrorless" with a "live view".

DOF

stands for Depth of Field, is the distance between the closest and farthest object that are focused in an image. It is determined by focal distance, aperture, and distance to the subject. The larger the aperture, the shallower the DOF will be. While the smaller the aperture, the more that is in focus.

Bracketing

the action of capturing the same shot using different exposure values to make sure the whole scene is exposed properly. Bracketing can be done manually or using the auto exposure bracketing (AEB) function. The auto function will take three photos, one overexposed, one underexposed and one that is right in the middle.

Exposure

the amount of light that reaches the camera sensor and it determines how light or dark an image is. The exposure of an image is determined by the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

Manual Mode

the camera mode in which the photographer controls all exposure settings. Shooting manual offers complete creative control over the shot, and is therefore considered a "must" for professional photographers.

Resolution

the dimension in megapixels that a camera sensor is able to capture. Higher resolutions allow photographers to capture a larger amount of detail on their photos and prints can be made a larger size. Web resolution is 72dpi (dots per inch), but if you want to print out a photograph to 8"X10" you will need a resolution of at least 240dpi. Resolution on your camera is set in the "quality" setting.

Focal Length

the distance in millimeters between the center of a lens and the camera sensor. It determines the angle of view as well as the magnification of the subject. Focal length is the measure used to categorize the different type of lenses: wide angle (<35mm), standard (35mm - 70mm), medium telephoto (70mm - 135mm) and telephoto (>135mm).

Shutter Speed

the length of time a camera sensor is exposed to light when taking a photo. Slow shutter speeds capture the blur of subjects in motion, making it highly valuable for night and landscape photographers. On the other hand, high speeds allow photographers to freeze a single millisecond in time, which is usually an absolute must in fields such as sport and pet photography.

Composition

the manner in which elements are positioned within a photo. It is considered one of the most important components of an image, as it allows the photographer to guide the viewer's eye across the image towards the main subject.

Macro

the name given to extreme close up photography, usually capturing really small organisms or objects. In this kind of photos, the size at which the subject appears on the sensor is larger than it is in real life. This is also called "close up photography."

Aperture

the opening in the lens, that light passes to enter the camera. Its size can be modified to control how much light reaches the sensor or negative film. The diameter of the aperture, also known as the F-stop, affects the exposure and depth of field.

Crop Factor

the proportion of a camera sensor size to a 35mm film frame or digital full-frame sensor. Different brands work with different crop factors. For example, Canon offers 1.3x (APS-H) and 1.6x (APS-C), while Nikon, Sony, Fuji, and Pentax use a 1.5x ratio (ASP-C). A camera's crop factor determines a lens' effective focal length. APS-C is the most common sensor size. The yellow rectangle is the APS-C and the blue is the iPhone sensor size.

Pixel

the smallest unit of programmable color represented on a digital display. Despite common photography myths, the number of pixels is not the determining factor of camera quality.