As I am writing my blog entries I tend to use terms which have become second nature to me, understandably this can be very frustrating for you as a reader. Below I have listed some photographic terms and their meanings, as I learn more I will expand this list to cover everything I am talking about.
If you find any of the below explanation incorrect, incomplete or just plain confusing send me an email and I will update and attempt to clarify.
AEB (Bracketing)
Auto Exposure Bracketing, with this feature the camera will automatically take 3 or more photos of different exposures, generally this will start with a correctly exposed image followed by 1 under exposed and 1 over exposed.
Ambient Light
The available natural light completely surrounding a subject, essentially the light you hve not added to the scene (e.g. through the use of a flash).
Aperture
This is the hole or opening inside the lens which light passes to expose the film/image sensor. Aperture size is usually referred to in F-Stops, with the hole getting smaller as the F-Stop is increased. This is the primary method for controlling Depth of Field.
Bulb Setting
A setting which allows the camera to expose over a significantly longer time than normal. Using this setting the cameras shutter will stay open as long as the shutter release is pressed. When using a remote in some cameras there is a trigger for opening the shutter and another for closing, allowing the photographer to leave the camera.
Background
The area of the shot that appears behind the subject of the picture.
Back-lighting
Light coming from behind the subject, toward the camera lens, can assist in making the subject stand out vividly against the background.
Bounce Lighting
Flash or fixed light (such as a lamp) bounced off a reflector (generally the ceiling or walls, or an umbrella for studio work). There are also some attachments that fits on the flash unit to give the effect of natural or available light.
Bracketing
A series of shots of the same subject at different exposures to insure the "correct" exposure. Some cameras have provision for automatic bracketing (See AEB), you can bracket by manually adjusting the various settings in the camera.
Camera Angles
Various positions of the camera (high, medium, or low; and left, right, or straight on) with respect to the subject.
Camera shake
Movement of the camera caused by unsteady hold or support, the result is a blurred image. The longer the lens used the more susceptible the shot will become.
Candid Pictures
Unposed pictures of people, these usually appear more natural and relaxed than posed pictures.
Capacitor
Electrical component whcih stores electrical energy used in flash equipment, providing reliable flash even from weak batteries.
Close-Up
A picture taken with the subject close to the camera, usually less than 1m away.
Color Balance
Refers to the reproduction of colors in color images (print or digital), normally these are altered during the post production process
Colour temperature
Description of the colour of a light-source, calculated by comparing it with the colour of light emitted by a (theoretical) perfect radiator at the temperature, expressed in kelvins (K). This directly relates to the white balance setting in digital cameras.
Compact Flash
A standard memory card type, the most common type in Digital SLR cameras.
Composition
The arrangement of the elements within a scene.
Contrast
The range of difference in the light to dark areas of an image.
Cropping
Reducing the scene in the final image, usually for a more pleasing composition or to fit a specific print size/website design.
Definition
The clarity of detail in a photograph.
Depth of Field
The area sharpness in front of and behind the subject on which the lens is focused. There are several aspects that effect this, generally the photographer controls Depth of Field with the aperture and distance. The wider the aperture used and the closer the distance, the shallower the depth of field, conversely a high depth of field is achieved through a small aperture and distance.
A shallow Depth fo Field occurs when the subject is in focus but not the rest of the image, a high Depth of Field has the entire image relativly in focus (it is not possible to have an entire image perfectly in focus).
EIS
Electronic Image Stabiliser, a feature that minimises effect of camera shake. Originally designed for video cameras, this is progressively being made available in still camera lenses.
Electronic flash
Light source based on electrical discharge, designed to provide light approximating to daylight.
Existing Light
Available light, strictly speaking, existing light covers all natural lighting from moonlight to sunshine. In photographic terms this refers to the light that is already on the scene including artificial light sources.
Exposure
The amount of light allowed to act on the film/sensor, usually discussed in respect to shutter speed (duration of light exposure.
Extension tubes
Metal tubes used to obtain the more space between lens and film/sensor for macro photography, allowing the camera to focus on a subject closer than is normally possible.
F-Stop
The size of the lens aperture opening. The F-Stop is a geometric progression based on changes in the size of the lens aperture, as the scale rises each number is multiplied by a factor of 1.4. The standard numbers, or full stops, are 1.0,1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32, etc., and each change results in a doubling (or halving) of the amount of light transmitted through the lens. The higher the F-Stop the smaller the aperture.
Fill-flash
Flash photography method that combines flash illumination and ambient light, generally used to counteract back-lighting and reduce shadows in the foreground.
Fill-In Light
Additional light from a lamp, flash, or reflector, generally used to counteract back-lighting and reduce shadows in the foreground.
Film Speed
Indicated by the ISO number (ISO 100 or ISO 400 etc). This refers to the sensitivity of the film/sensor to light, the higher the number, the more sensitive (or faster) the film. Beware though, the higher the ISO the more noise in the image.
Filter
A transparent material used over the lens to emphasize, eliminate, or change the color, density or path of light of the image.
Focal Length
The distance between the film/sensor and the optical center of the lens. The focal length of the lens is measured in millimetres, the larger the lens the more magnification.
Focus
Adjustment of the lens to define the subject sharply. In a camera, this is effected by moving the lens towards or away from the film/sensor.
Foreground
The area between the camera and the principal subject.
Graininess (also known as Noise)
The sand-like or granular appearance of an image, Graininess becomes more pronounced with faster film and the degree of enlargement.
Hot Shoe
An electrical contact which mates with a contact in the mounting foot of the flash unit. This allows the camera to fire the flash at the proper time Modern flash units demand more than just the main electrical contact and often has more dedicated functions such as TTL control, viewfinder ready light etc.
Iris
Strictly speaking an iris diaphragm. A device consisting of thin overlapping metal leaves pivoting outwards to form a circular opening of variable size to control the aperture setting.
Lens
One or more pieces of optical glass (or similar) designed to collect and focus rays of light on the film/sensor.
Lens Shade
A collar or hood at the front of a lens that keeps unwanted light from entering the lens, useful on a bright day to reduce glare.
Macro Lens
A lens that provides focusing in an extreme close-up.
Macro photography
The process of taking photographs of small objects under magnification.
Normal Lens
A lens which results in an image that appears in perspective similar to that of the original scene. Generally lenses around the 50mm to 60mm acheive this result, shorter and longer lenses distort the perspective.
Overexposure
An image where too much light reaches the film/sensor, producing a very bright/light result.
Perspective
The apparent space in a flat photograph, i.e., how far the foreground and background appear to be separated from each other. If the foreground objects are much larger than the ones in the background, the perspective is considered "exaggerated" (normally occurs with Telephoto Lenses), when there is little difference in size between foreground and background, we say the perspective looks "compressed." (normally occurs with wide angle lenses), normal perspective occurs when the foreground and background are close that seen without the camera.
Polarising Filter
A filter that transmits light travelling in one plane while absorbing light travelling in other planes. When used on a camera lens it can eliminate undesirable reflections from a subject such as water, glass, or other objects with shiny surfaces.
Post Processing
Using image editing software, such as Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, to adjust images to improve the result. This is a standard part of Digital Photography, and one of the trickiest to learn.
Reproduction ratio
A term used in macro photography to indicate the magnification of a subject, specifically the size of the image recorded on film, e.g a Reproduction Ration of 2:1 means the image is double its actual size.
Shutter
Blades, a curtain, plate, or some other movable cover in the camera that controls duration of light reaching the film/sensor.
Single-Lens-Reflex (SLR) Camera
A camera that allows you to see through the camera's lens when using the viewfinder.
Telephoto Lens
A lens that makes a subject appear larger on film than normal at the same camera-to-subject distance.
Tripod
A three-legged support stand used to hold the camera steady, essential for longer exposures.
Underexposure
An image where too much light reaches the film/sensor, producing a very dark result.
Viewfinder
Part of the camera which allows the photographer to preview the photograph.
Wide-Angle Lens
A lens that has a wider field of view than a normal lens.
Zoom lens
Lens where the focal length can be varied between set limits, e.g. 18mm to 55mm.
