Photography Terms
A - stands for aperture priority shooting mode. When you are in this mode in a dSLR camera you set the size of the lens’ aperture (lens’ opening) and the camera selects the shutter speed based on the f/stop you have selected and the lighting condition of the scene or landscape you are shooting. The f/stop is the unit of measure for the lens’ opening. An alternate abbreviation used for A is Av
AEB - stands for auto exposure bracketing, a function in a digital camera that a photographer sets to make the camera automatically shoot an image with one exposure brighter and one exposure darker than the original exposure shot by the photographer
AF - stands for autofocus, which is a function in a camera that allows it to guess what in its field of view it should render sharp
aperture - is a camera lens’ opening and is circular in shape framed by the shutter (in most consumer cameras), which determines the size of the opening
auto exposure bracketing - a function in a digital camera that a photographer sets to make the camera automatically shoot an image with one exposure brighter and one exposure darker than the original exposure shot by the photographer
autofocus - a function in a camera that allows it to guess what in its field of view it should render sharp
Av - stands for aperture priority shooting mode. When you are in this mode in a dSLR camera you set the size of the lens’ aperture (lens’ opening) and the camera selects the shutter speed based on the f/stop you have selected and the lighting condition of the scene or landscape you are shooting. The f/stop is the unit of measure for the lens’ opening. An alternate abbreviation used for Av is A
depth of field - The range of pereceptual sharpness; the area in front of and behind your subject that remains perceptibly in focus.
depth of field behind - the distance between the plane of focus and the far end of the depth of field
depth of field far limit - the distance between the lens and the far end of the depth of field
depth of field in front - the distance between the plane of focus and the beginning of the depth of field in relation to the camera
depth of field near limit - the distance between the lens and the beginning of the depth of field
exposure - the amount of light hitting a sensor combined with how long it remains on the camera’s sensor; exposure is a function of light and time
exposure compensation - function in a camera that allows incremental adjustments to the original exposure set in the following modes: Program, Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority. Changes to size aperture are in partial f/stops.
exposure guide indicator - a set of bars that appear after a camera's shutter release button has been pressed 1/2 way down. When the middle bar or line has brightened, changed color, or has a triangle pointing at it (depending on the camera) that is optimal exposure has been reached according to the camera's programming.
f/stop - an aperture’s unit of measure which is written as f/# where f in f/stop stands for focal length and # is the diameter of the lens. An aperture of f/4 on a lens with a 50mm diameter indicates a lens focal length of 200mm. On a lens with a 52mm diameter an aperture of f/4 indicates a lens focal length of 216mm. When moving from one f/stop to another full f/stop you are either the double or halving the amount of light entering a camera’s lens. Mathematically speaking the relationship from one full f/stop to another is √2 (the square root of 2). Increasing an f/stop by 1 full stop doubles the amount of light entering a lens’ aperture. Decreasing an f/stop by one full stop halves the amount of light coming into a lens’ aperture. Many camera lenses display f/stops as well as distance of subject from camera in meters or feet on the barrel of the lenses. The standard f/stops displayed are f/1, f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22, f/32. The largest size for a lens’ aperture is f/1. The size of the aperture becomes smaller as you change from f/1 to f/1.4 to f/2, etc. Not all lenses are capable of achieving an aperture as wide as f/1.
fixed lens (prime lens) - a camera lens that cannot change its focal length.
focal length (lens focal length) - the distance from the lens to the sensor, when the subject focused on is at an infinite distance (far away). The symbol for infinity which often is displayed on the camera’s lens is an 8 at a right angle (laying on its side). When the infinity symbol is displayed other subject-to-camera distance options are offered as well in feet or meters. This is helpful when using manual focus to sharpen an image.
full frame sensor - a sensor that records the same equivalent field of view as a 35mm film camera using the same lens focal length.
full f/stop - refers to a change in aperture's size that results in the doubling of halving of the amount of light entering a camera's lens.
gridlines - a visual aide in a digital camera that helps a photographer break up a scene into sections. Most cameras that offer grid lines include as part of a set a grid that is based on the composition Rule of Thirds.
hyperfocal distance - the minimum distance between a lens and an object located at infinity such that all objects located between half that distance and infinity look acceptably sharp.
hyperfocal near limit - the distance between a lens and half the hyperfocal distance
lens - A series of convex-shaped glass elements that bend light coming into the camera in a manner to reach the camera’s sensor
lens types - There are a variety of lens for different types of shooting situations. Here is a list. To know more about each type search this site: telephoto, normal, wide, zoom, fixed (also referred to as prime).
M - stands for manual shooting mode. When you are in this mode in a dSLR camera you have control over both the size of the aperture and the lens’ shutter speed; you control entirely the exposure in this mode.
manual focus - a setting in a camera that allows you to manually determine the sharpest point or plane in the camera’s field of view
MF - stands for manual focus
normal lens - a lens that has a focal length in the range of 35mm to 70mm (based on a lens made for a full frame sensor); used primarily in street and documentary photography
overexposure - an event that happens when the amount of light hitting a sensor is too much and/or the light has remained on the sensor for too long resulting in an image which has parts of it too bright with loss of some detail.
P - stands for program shooting mode. When you are in this mode in a dSLR camera the camera sets the initial size of the aperture and shutter speed. This is similar to using your camera in Auto mode with the exception that in program mode you have the ability to override the initial exposure settings.
partial f-stop - when an exposure is changed by a partial f/stop that means the amount of light entering the camera has decreased by either less than 1/2 of what was entering before or it has increased by less than double.
plane of focus - the plane where the subject you want in sharpest focus is placed.
Rule of Thirds - The Rule of Thirds is part of what is called the golden rules of composition in the visual arts; and it is a simplified version of the Golden Mean. To apply the Rule of Thirds, a photographer only needs to divide in his or her mind the scene s/he wishes to photograph in thirds horizontally and vertically with imaginary lines. The main subject is placed at the intersection of those lines Many digital cameras provide grid lines as an aide that mimic the Rule of Thirds. What's nice about the Rule of Thirds is it allows the photograph to show enough of a subject's background to offer context for your subject which can result in a more meaningful photograph.
S - stands for shutter priority shooting mode. When you are in this mode in a dSLR camera you set the lens’ shutter speed and the camera sets the size of the aperture based on the shutter speed you selected and the lighting conditions of the scene or landscape you are shooting. Alternate abbreviations used instead of S are T and Tv
sensor - a computer chip in a camera’s body which receives light coming through the lens. It uses the amount of light it receives (the number of light photons passed through the lens) and the length of time the light remains on the sensor determined by the shutter speed to record what the brightness of the final image should be. A full-frame sensor records the same equivalent field of view as a 35mm film camera using the same lens focal length. Smaller sensors capture a narrower field of view then full frame cameras and as a result present an apparent magnification of the image shot with the outer edges cut off in comparison to a full frame sensor. This apparent magnification means a small sensor camera can use a smaller lens focal length to achieve the same results as a full frame camera with a longer lens focal length.
shutter - a set of blades in a camera’s lens and/or body used to control the amount of light reaching a sensor and how long that light remains on the sensor.
shutter speed - the length of time a shutter remains open; speed is primarily recorded as fractions of a second through whole seconds.
T - stands for shutter priority shooting mode. When you are in this mode in a dSLR camera you set the lens’ shutter speed and the camera sets the size of the aperture based on the shutter speed you selected and the lighting conditions of the scene or landscape you are shooting. Alternate abbreviations used instead of T are S and Tv.
telephoto lens - a lens that has a focal length of at least 70mm (based on a lens made for a full frame sensor); used for portraiture, sports and wildlife. Sports and wildlife are usually shot with a minimum focal length of 135mm.
Tv - stands for shutter priority shooting mode. When you are in this mode in a dSLR camera you set the lens’ shutter speed and the camera sets the size of the aperture based on the shutter speed you selected and the lighting condition of the scene or landscape you are shooting. Alternate abbreviations used instead of Tv are S and T.
underexposure - an event that happens when the amount of light hitting a sensor is too small and/or the length of time that is has remained on the sensor is not enough
wide lens - a lens that has a focal length that is less than and does not exceed 35mm (based on a lens made for a full frame sensor); used primarily in architecture and landscapes.
zoom lens - a lens is a lens that can change its focal length.