Photography Glossary of Terms

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

Adjustable hole in a lens that controls how much light enters the camera.

Auto Focus (AF)

System by which the camera lens automatically focuses the image of a selected part of the picture subject.

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.

Boot Time

Time it takes a digital camera to be ready to shoot once it’s turned on.

Bracketing

Taking several shots in sequence with slightly different exposures to increase chances of getting a picture with the correct exposure.

Burst Rate

Number of frames per minute a camera can take in succession.

Camera Angles

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

Un-posed pictures of people, often taken without the subject's knowledge or preparation. These usually appear more natural and relaxed than posed pictures.

Catch Lights

Gleams or patches of light reflected in the subject’s eyes.

Composition

Arrangement of people and elements within the frame of the camera’s viewfinder.

Cropping

Altering the boundaries of a finished photograph by trimming or masking the photograph. Cropping can be done manually or digitally.

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

Silver-gelatine image layer of the processed film.

Enlargement

A photograph that is larger than the negative or slide; blow-up.

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. ISO stands for International Standards Organization.

f-Number

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/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.

Focus Range

The range within which a camera is able to focus on the selected picture subject. For example, 4 feet to infinity.

Hand Tinting

Also known as hand colouring. Applying layers of colour with oils, dyes, or pigments to the surface of a black-and-white photograph, giving it the appearance of a coloured photograph.

Image Sensor

Digital camera part that receives light from the image being photographed.

Layers

In image-editing software, individual “sheets” containing copies of an image or different elements to be added to an image. Using layers is a good way to make changes that are easily reversible by deleting the layer.

LCD

Liquid crystal display. The screen on the back of most digital cameras where you can view photos.

Megapixel

One million pixels. Often used to describe a camera’s resolution capabilities.

Monitor Calibration

Adjustment of a monitor to display colours more accurately.

Optical Zoom

Digital camera feature that changes the focal length of the lens from wide-angle to telephoto. The higher the number of the optical zoom (3x, 5x, 10x, etc.), the longer the lens can be extended for photographing at a distance. Optical zoom capability is more important that digital zoom in selecting a digital camera.

Pixel

Short for “picture elements,” pixels are the individual dots that comprise a digital image.

Pixelation

Image distortion due to enlargement of an image beyond the number of pixels available to create a sharp image.

Resolution

Degree of sharpness of detail in an image.

White Balance

Digital setting through which a camera compensates for different colour temperatures of light, such as the orange tint cast by indoor light, to produce a more accurate image.