Surely many times you have come across photographic terms that have sounded like Chinese. When one immerses oneself in photography one gradually discovers the meaning of the different concepts, although sometimes we find definitions that are difficult to understand. to digest. That’s why today I bring you a glossary of photographic terms explained in a simple way, many of them with links to further information in other blog articles.
I recommend that you have this article close at hand, put it somewhere accessible, in your favorites, in your folder of important topics or wherever you want, but, and above all, if you have just arrived and are starting to learn photography, do not lose it of view (the link that I just left you either).
Glossary of photographic terms
4k: standard for digital video resolution. It refers to different image formats that have approximately 4,000 pixels of horizontal resolution. There are also videos in 8k and 12k.
Aberration: it is an optical deficiency of the objective that materializes in defects in the image (they can be of color, shape, etc.) and affect its sharpness).
Chromatic aberration
AF: autofocus or autofocus, the camera focuses for you.
Reversing ring: ring that allows you to turn the lens and attach it to the camera to take photos closer to the subject. When buying it, keep in mind the diameter of the objective with which you are going to use it.
APS-C: sensor format somewhat smaller than the full sensor of cameras known as Full Frame.
Size of different types of sensors
Exposure lock: button that allows you to lock a certain exposure. It allows changing the frame and not changing the measurement. Depending on the brand you will find it as an asterisk (Canon) or with the letters AE-L, AEL, AE Lock on most brands.
bokeh: blur effect achieved with large apertures.
zenith: it can refer to the angle (when shooting from above vertically at a subject) or to the light, which comes from the same place, from above vertically.
High Key: lighting technique in which white and bright tones predominate.
Exposure compensation: adjustments made to modify the parameters recommended by the exposure meter of the camera when the scene requires it.
Backlighting: when the light source is positioned in front of the camera and behind the subject.
Diaphragm: mechanical device made up of blades inside the objective or lens that controls the amount of light that enters through the aperture.
Diaphragm
Self-timer: camera mechanism that delays the moment of shooting (most cameras allow a delay of up to 10s).
Remote Switch: accessory used to shoot from a distance, it can be wireless or wired.
Focal distance: defined as the distance from the principal point to the focal point. Simplifying a lot, it refers to the scope of the objective. It is measured in mm and the higher your number, the more zoom you will be able to do and the less part of the scene you will capture. The smaller the number, the angle of the captured scene will be larger. We better see it with a graph, but for more information on the focal length of your lens, take a look at this.
Distortion: distortion of an image produced by the lens. can be from barrel, straight lines in an image appear to have a sphere shape); of cushion, same as barrel distortion but here the lines curve inwards; Or a combination of both.
Barrel distortion Pincushion distortion
Double exposure: when two exposures are made on the same image. can be achieved on-site with some cameras that have this option or in post-production, combining two images with some editing program.
parallax error: parallax is the angular deviation from the apparent position of an object, depending on the point of view chosen. Reframing causes parallax error because the distance varies and blurring occurs when using large apertures or when shooting a panorama.
Let’s see these two examples graphically:
The Reframing Technique Parallax Error
Grayscale: synonymous with black and white. A grayscale image is made up of different shades of gray with different degrees, from the lowest shade (black) to the highest shade (white).
Mirror: mirror that is found in reflex cameras and that regulates the path of light to the interior of the camera. It works by bouncing light towards a pentaprism and this allows us to see the scene through the viewfinder.
mirror operation
Image Stabilizer: system that seeks to compensate for small movements and vibrations of the camera so that the image that reaches the sensor remains stable while the shutter is open. It can be incorporated in the camera or in the lens.
EXIF: the EXIF data They contain information about the image and how it was taken, from date and time to settings used.
Exposition: total amount of light reaching the film or camera sensor.
Flash: device that produces a very intense light at the moment of shooting. The external flash, is not attached to the camera and is attached to the camera’s hot shoe or placed away from the camera and triggered remotely. Most cameras have a built-in flash that cannot be separated from the camera.
fill flash: flash light used to fill in shadows.
Background: that which is behind the main subject.
Photos per second: How many pictures is the camera capable of taking in a row in one second when using burst mode.
full-frame: Full-frame sensor, equivalent to the classic 35mm format, larger than other camera sensors like APS-C, but smaller than medium format camera sensors.
wide angle: lens with a small focal length that allows covering a wide angle of view.
Intervalometer: device used to release the camera shutter at predetermined intervals. Very useful for making time-lapses.
ISO: numerical standard that measures the light sensitivity of an image sensor or film. At higher ISO the camera captures more light, at lower ISO less light, although all this ISO is somewhat more complex (not difficult), otherwise it would be too simple.
jpeg: most common file format by which the camera saves the image with the settings it considers and that takes up less space than, for example, the RAW format.
Lens: optical device that transmits light to the sensor or film. Can be zoom lens (with a mechanical assembly that allows the variation of the focal length and, therefore, of the viewing angle) or fixed Lens, which offers a fixed focal length.
Law of the horizon: composition rule that recommends not placing the horizon in the center of the composition, but leaving two thirds to the part that we most want to highlight.
Inverse Square Law: law of physics that states that when the distance between a subject is increased to twice the distance from a light source, then it will receive a quarter of the light. That is, the light does not decrease proportionally to the distance at which you move away from your subject. For example, if you increase the distance from 1m to 2m, being at 2m you will not receive 50% of the light you received at 1m, but 25%. If, said like this, it is still a bit complex for you to understand, in this article you have a more detailed explanation.
light painting: English word that literally means to paint with light. Light painting is nothing more than using slow speeds to capture moving lights for an artistic purpose. To show a button.
light painting photography
LiveView: it is the mode that shows through the screen the scene in front of you and how it would look with the settings you have at that moment. It helps to shoot from impossible angles where you can’t look through the viewfinder.
hard light: light that causes a sharp transition between shadows and highlights.
Incident light: light that strikes a subject or motif.
reflected light: it is the light reflected by the subject and measured by the camera’s built-in light meter.
Soft light: diffused light that produces a smooth transition between light and shadow.
Light measurement: process to measure the “amount of light” that a certain scene has in order to achieve a correct exposure, that is, that it is not overexposed (burnt) or underexposed (dark). Depending on the type of scene and its lighting, one type or another of measurement is recommended.
FM: (Manual Focus) manual focus, you have to search for the focus point manually by turning the lens focus ring.
Moire: visual effect due to an interference pattern that is produced by two repeating elements or patterns that overlap. Occurs sometimes when shooting closely spaced lines or small squares.
Monopod: accessory that serves to stabilize the equipment and that has a single leg.
Nadir: when referring to illumination it means that the light reaches the subject perpendicularly from below. When it comes to the shooting angle, it means that it is done from below and perpendicular to the scene.
nadir perspective
Guide number: indicates the power of a flash.
Shutter: device that opens and closes inside the camera to allow light to pass through the camera body.
Fish eye: lens with a very wide viewing angle that causes large distortions with a very particular effect.
Picture taken with a fisheye.
Parasol: accessory that fits the lens and serves to prevent the sun’s rays from sneaking into it (and protect it from blows).
Pixel: basic unit of a digital image. They are those squares that you see when you enlarge an image on the screen a lot.
Focal Plane: in an analog camera it is where the film is, in a digital camera, it corresponds to the exact place where the image is fixed. In the cameras it is marked with this symbol that you see on the right.
Dynamic range: ability to capture detail in lights and shadows within the same image. Depending on the camera model, it will be able to capture a greater or lesser dynamic range. To learn more about the subject, click here….