photography terms to describe a photo
Exposure refers to the amount of light captured in a photo, affecting its brightness and detail. Composition describes the arrangement of elements within the frame, such as the rule of thirds or leading lines. Focus indicates the sharpness of the subject, while depth of field controls how much of the scene is sharp or blurred. Lighting encompasses the quality and direction of light, including natural, artificial, harsh, or soft. Contrast highlights the difference between light and dark areas, enhancing visual impact. Color balance involves the accuracy and vibrancy of hues, saturation, and tones. Aperture determines the size of the lens opening, influencing depth of field and light intake. Shutter speed dictates how long the sensor is exposed to light, affecting motion blur or freezing action. ISO measures the sensor's sensitivity to light, impacting grain or noise. Perspective is the viewpoint or angle from which the photo is taken, altering spatial relationships. Framing involves using elements to border or highlight the subject. Balance assesses the visual weight and symmetry of elements. Texture conveys the surface quality and tactile feel of objects. Mood captures the emotional tone or atmosphere evoked by the image.
old photography terms
Daguerreotype, calotype, ambrotype, tintype, cyanotype, albumen print, wet plate collodion, dry plate photography, carte-de-visite, stereoscope, pinhole camera, bellows camera, box camera, enlarging lens, focal plane shutter, orthochromatic plate, panchromatic film, glass plate negative, lantern slide, ferrotype, autochrome, and kodachrome.
creative photography terms
Bokeh refers to the aesthetic blur effect in out-of-focus areas of a photo, often creating a dreamy background. HDR, or High Dynamic Range, combines multiple exposures to capture a wider range of tones and details in high-contrast scenes. Long exposure involves using slow shutter speeds to blur motion, such as flowing water or light trails. Tilt-shift photography manipulates focus and perspective to make real scenes look like miniatures. Macro photography captures extreme close-ups of small subjects, revealing intricate details. Abstract photography emphasizes shapes, colors, and forms over literal representation. Surreal photography creates dreamlike or impossible scenes through manipulation or composition. Light painting uses a light source during long exposures to "paint" designs in the dark. Multiple exposure overlays several images in one frame for layered, composite effects. Pinhole photography employs a tiny hole instead of a lens for a unique, distorted perspective. Golden hour denotes the warm, soft light just after sunrise or before sunset, ideal for dramatic portraits. Blue hour is the twilight period with cool, diffused light for moody landscapes. Silhouette photography outlines subjects against a bright background, emphasizing shapes. Leading lines guide the viewer's eye through the composition using natural or man-made lines. Depth of field controls the range of focus to isolate subjects from their surroundings.
photography terms a to z
A: Aperture, Auto focus, Aspect ratio
B: Bokeh, Bracketing, Bulb mode
C: Camera, Composition, Crop factor
D: Depth of field, DSLR, Dynamic range
E: Exposure, EXIF data, Electronic viewfinder
F: Focal length, F-stop, Flash
G: Grain, Golden hour, Grayscale
H: Histogram, HDR, Hyperfocal distance
I: ISO, Image stabilization, Infrared photography
J: JPEG
K: Kelvin
L: Lens, Long exposure, Lightroom
M: Macro, Manual mode, Megapixel
N: Noise, Neutral density filter, Nikon mount
O: Overexposure, Optical zoom, Overcast lighting
P: Pixel, Panning, Portrait mode
Q: Quality settings
R: Resolution, RAW format, Rule of thirds
S: Shutter speed, Sensor, SLR
T: Telephoto, Tripod, TTL metering
U: Underexposure, UV filter
V: Viewfinder, Vignetting, Video mode
W: Wide-angle, White balance, Workflow
X: X-sync speed
Y: Yellow filter
Z: Zoom lens, Zone system
photography terms for beginners
Aperture refers to the opening in a camera lens that controls how much light enters, affecting the exposure and depth of field. Shutter speed is the length of time the camera's shutter is open, determining how motion is captured—faster speeds freeze action, while slower ones create blur. ISO measures the sensitivity of the camera's sensor to light; lower numbers work in bright conditions, and higher ones are for low light but may add noise. Exposure is the total amount of light reaching the sensor, balancing aperture, shutter speed, and ISO for a properly lit image. Focal length indicates the distance from the lens to the sensor when focused at infinity, influencing zoom level and field of view. Depth of field is the range in a photo that appears sharp, with a shallow depth blurring the background and a deep depth keeping more in focus. Composition involves arranging elements in a frame to create a visually appealing image. Rule of thirds is a guideline that divides the frame into a 3x3 grid, placing key subjects along the lines or intersections. Lens is the optical component that focuses light onto the sensor, available in types like wide-angle or telephoto. Focus means making a subject sharp and clear by adjusting the lens. White balance adjusts colors in an image to ensure whites look neutral under different lighting, like daylight or indoor lights. Resolution refers to the detail in an image, often measured in pixels or megapixels, with higher resolution allowing for larger prints. Raw is an unprocessed image file format that retains all data for editing, while JPEG is a compressed format that's ready to share but loses some quality.
film photography terms
Aperture refers to the adjustable opening in a camera lens that controls the amount of light entering and affects depth of field. Shutter speed is the duration the camera's shutter remains open, determining how motion is captured. ISO indicates the film's sensitivity to light, with higher values allowing for shooting in low-light conditions but potentially increasing grain. Exposure is the total amount of light reaching the film, balanced by aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Film speed is essentially the same as ISO, denoting the film's light sensitivity. Developing is the chemical process of processing exposed film to produce negatives or positives. Fixing involves treating developed film with a chemical solution to make the image permanent. Darkroom is a light-controlled space used for developing and printing film. Enlarger is a device used to project and enlarge negatives onto photographic paper. Negative is an exposed and developed film where tones are reversed, with light areas appearing dark. Positive refers to a print or slide where tones match the original scene. Grain is the visible texture in film images caused by the size of silver halide crystals in the emulsion. Depth of field is the range in a photo where elements appear sharp, influenced by aperture. Lens is the optical component that focuses light onto the film. Camera body houses the mechanisms for film advancement and shutter operation. Viewfinder is the device through which the photographer composes the shot. Light meter measures the light in a scene to help determine correct exposure settings. Stop is a unit of measurement for changes in aperture or shutter speed, where each stop doubles or halves the light. Bokeh describes the aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas in an image. Overexposure occurs when too much light hits the film, making images too bright, while underexposure results from too little light, making images too dark. Reciprocity failure is when very long or short exposures don't follow the standard exposure rules, common in low-light film photography.
photography terminology pdf
Aperture refers to the opening in a camera lens that controls the amount of light entering and affects depth of field.
Shutter speed is the length of time the camera's shutter remains open, determining how motion is captured in an image.
ISO measures the sensitivity of the camera sensor to light, with higher values allowing for shooting in low-light conditions but potentially introducing noise.
Exposure is the total amount of light that reaches the camera sensor, balanced by aperture, shutter speed, and ISO to achieve a properly lit image.
Depth of field describes the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a photo that appear acceptably sharp, influenced by aperture and focal length.
Focal length indicates the distance from the lens to the image sensor when focused on infinity, affecting the field of view and magnification.
Composition involves arranging elements within the frame to create a visually appealing image, often using techniques like the rule of thirds.
The rule of thirds is a guideline that divides the frame into nine equal parts to help position key elements off-center for better balance.
White balance adjusts colors in an image to ensure they appear natural under different lighting conditions, such as daylight or indoor lights.
Lens refers to the optical component that focuses light onto the sensor, available in types like wide-angle, telephoto, and prime lenses.
Histogram is a graphical representation of the tonal distribution in an image, helping to assess exposure and contrast.
Bokeh describes the aesthetic quality of the out-of-focus areas in a photo, often created by a wide aperture.
RAW format is an uncompressed file type that captures all image data from the sensor, allowing for extensive post-processing edits.
JPEG is a compressed image format that balances file size and quality but involves some loss of data.
Long exposure involves using a slow shutter speed to capture motion blur, such as in night photography or water flows.
Macro photography focuses on extreme close-up shots of small subjects, revealing fine details.
Portrait mode emphasizes the subject against a blurred background, often achieved through wide apertures or software effects.
Landscape photography captures wide scenes of natural environments, typically using wide-angle lenses and small apertures for maximum depth of field.
Flash is an artificial light source used to illuminate subjects in low-light situations, with options for built-in or external units.
Tripod is a three-legged stand that stabilizes the camera, essential for long exposures or sharp images in low light.
portrait photography terms
Headshot
Close-up
Environmental portrait
Self-portrait
Candid portrait
Posed portrait
Depth of field
Bokeh
Rembrandt lighting
Loop lighting
Butterfly lighting
Focal length
Aperture
Shutter speed
ISO
White balance
Composition
Rule of thirds
Key light
Fill light