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Nov 28, 2023 · A complete guide to photography terms for photographers, from basic words to technical phrases to casual lingo -- this glossary covers it all. PetaPixel Reviews
- Aperture: The part of the camera that opens to let light in. The f-stop or f-number is the measurement of how open or closed the aperture is.
- Depth of field: The difference between the closest and farthest in-focus objects in a photo. A shallow depth of field means that relatively close background objects become blurry.
- Dynamic range: The difference between the darkest and lightest tones in an image — the range of dark and light that a camera is capable of. Darkest and lightest hues are very rarely pure black or pure white.
- Exposure triangle: The combination of aperture, ISO, and shutter speed, which determines the time and intensity of light being let into the camera. Different exposures in film and digital images alike are achieved by adjusting these exposure settings.
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- 129 Photography Terms For Beginners
- Photography Terms For Cameras
- Photography Terms For Lenses
- Terms For Photography Equipment
- Photography Terms For File Formats
- Photography Terms For Camera Settings
- Photography Terms For Lighting
- Photography Terms For Metering Modes
- Photography Terms For Shooting Techniques
- Terms For Photography Rules
We’ve broken down our photography glossary into 12 sections. We’ve alphabetized photography terms A-Z to make finding what you’re looking for easy. Use the links below to jump to each photography definition.
A 360-degree camera lets you record your scene in a full-circle panorama. You can create photographs and videos viewers can move around in.
The advanced photo system type C (APC-C) is an image sensor format. It’s approximately equivalent in size to the advanced photo system “classic” negatives of 25.1 × 16.7 mm, with an aspect ratio of 3:2. APS-C sensors are also called “crop sensors.” You can find APS-C cameras in manufacturers’ entry-level DSLR, beginner, and mid-range camera lineups. Compared to the 35 mm full-frame format, this gives a lens a crop factor of 1.5 to 1.6x. A 50mm lens is effectively an 80mm full-frame equivalent...
APS-H
The advanced photo system type-H (APS-H) is also an image sensor format. It falls between full-frame and APS-C sensor sizes. Their crop factor is 1.3x. This means your 50mm lens is effectively 65mm. These were specifically used in the original Canon 1D line.
An aperture is an iris mechanism. It controls how much light gets through the lens. It also affects the depth of field. The f-stop numberdescribes the relative size of the aperture. The f-number (or f-stop) is the ratio of the diameter of the hole of the aperture and the focal length. We write it as “f/” followed by a number—for example, f/2.8. As the number decreases, the aperture physically gets wider. More light passes, and the depth of field gets shallower. Generally, lower f-numbers mean...
An aspherical lens contains an aspherical element. This reduces spherical and other aberrations. They are common in high-end wide-angle and standard lenses. We recommend paying attention to this photography term if you plan to buy new lenses. These keep your images sharp.
A fish-eye lensproduces images with strong barrel distortion. This is due to the angle of view being wider than the sensor or film format, squeezing the edges to fit. They go from 4.5mm to 16mm, depending on the sensor size. They have an angle of view from 100 to 180 degrees.
A cold shoe is a holding area for a flash or other device. It doesn’t allow a connection between the camera and the device.
Extension tubesare used to further extend the zoomable area of lenses in macro photography. They sit between the camera body and the lens. They come in 1x, 2x, and 3x options. A 100mm macro lens with a 3x extension tube turns your lens into the equivalent of a 300mm lens.
A flash is basically a light source that produces a burst of artificial light. It lights just for a short time (flashes). This is where its name comes from. It can be built into the camera or sit on top via a hot shoe, or you can use it on a stand. A flash is commonly used in studiosand low-light conditions, like at different events.
This is an abbreviation for “digital negative.” As a container file, it does not only consist of the image itself. It also holds non-destructive editing information. Because of this, DNGs can be moved more easily. You don’t have to search for their sidecar XMP files. DNG files also offer more future compatibility than brand-specific RAW files.
Exchangeable image file format (EXIF) is a standard. It specifies the formats for digital camera images, sound, and ancillary tags used by digital cameras. This is where an image’s information is found, like aperture, f-stop, and ISO.
JPEG stands for “joint photographic experts group.” It’s a file extension for a lossy graphics file. The JPEG file extension is the same as a JPG.
AI Focus
AI stands for artificial intelligence. This autofocus mode is a hybrid of the two camera focus modes listed below. It starts in the one-shot mode. But if your subject moves, it tracks it, keeping the subject in focus.
AI Servo AF
In this focus setting, the camera’s artificial intelligence refocuses your lens on a moving subject. It does this as long as your finger is pressed halfway down on the shutter release.
Aperture priority (A or Av) is a camera setting mode. You can set the aperture as desired and automatically change the shutter speed (and ISO, if set to auto).
Ambient light is also referred to as available light or natural light. This light naturally occurs in a scene without adding a flash or light modifiers.
Fill light is the secondary source used to fill in shadows created by the main light.
This is harsh or undiffused light coming from the sun or flash. It produces hard shadows and well-defined edges, contrast, and texture.
Center-Weighted Metering
When you don’t want to use the whole scene for correct exposure, center-weighted metering evaluates the light in the middle of the frame. It measures the light in the middle of the image with an intensity of 75% and less intensity on the sides. It doesn’t look at where you focus, as it assumes you are concentrating on the center of the image.
Matrix Metering or Evaluative Metering
“Matrix metering” (Nikon), the same as “evaluative metering” (Canon), is a light metering mode. It determines the correct exposure with a special algorithm. It looks at the scene you photograph and separates it into different zones. These zones are then analyzed separately for light and dark tones. It counts the focal point as more important.
Spot metering reads reflected light in a concentrated area of any given scene. It looks at where your focus is placed and evaluates the light only in that area, ignoring everything else.
Bokeh is Japanese for “blur.” It is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image. More bokeh is achieved by using wide apertures, longer focal lengths, or getting closer to the subject. Light appears in circles because of the blade mechanism of the aperture.
Bracketing involves taking several shots of the same scene using different camera settings. This is used for HDR images.
Depth of field is the area in your image where the objects or subjects are sharply in focus. A large depth of field keeps most of the image in focus, while a small one will show a very small area in focus. The depth of the field is controlled by changing the lens’s aperture.
Looney 11
This is a photography rule to take breathtaking photos of the moon’s surface. Use an f/11 aperture and a shutter speed setting the same as your ISO. For example
Overcast 8
This is a photography rule to use on cloud days with various aperture settings. Use f/11 when the sky is variable, f/8 in cloudy weather but not very dark, and f/5.6 for bad weather, like rain.
This is a photography rule using an aperture of f/16 on sunny days. Your shutter speed should then be the inverse of your ISO value. So, if you are at f/16 and ISO 400, your shutter speed should be 1/400 s.
Feb 26, 2024 · Full-Frame Sensor –. A full-frame sensor is the photography term used to describe the physical dimensions of a camera sensor that measures 36mm x 24mm. This is the same size as a single frame of 35mm film. It is relevant when discussing the focal length of camera lenses and their field of view.
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- Aperture: Simply it is the size of the opening of the lens. This can determine the exposure of an image and is measured in f-stops.
- AE: Automatic Exposure.
- Ambient light: Is the light that is already present in the scene you are shooting. It can also be known as ‘natural light’ and is commonly the name for the light.
- Aperture Priority Mode: Also abbreviated to A or AV on your camera, Aperture Priority Mode is the setting on your camera that will control the f-number while the camera selects a shutter speed to match the light conditions.
... Are you overwhelmed or confused by photography terminology? Do you want to speak “photographer” like the pros? That’s what this article is all about. I’ll go over some of the most common technical photography terms as well as some less common slang and photographer jargon. By the end, I promise you will have a better grasp of the language.
technology of photography, equipment, techniques, and processes used in the production of photographs. The most widely used photographic process is the black-and-white negative–positive system ( Figure 1 ).
