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Lecturer: Ms Christiana Constantinou - art.cc@fit.ac.cy

Subject: AART109 / AART119/ AART208 / AART209

Photography Glossary

AF Sensor is the Instrument that senses focus.

Analogical Camera is a device used to capture images on film.

Aperture is a circular opening inside the lens which controls the amount of light allowed to pass
on to the camera. The aperture diameter is expressed in f-stops. Aperture also affects Depth of
Field.

B (Bulb) is the letter on the shutter dial indicating that the shutter will stay open while the
release is depressed.

Blur is the area of an image that is not sharp or focus.

Bridge camera is So-called because it “bridged” the gap between a smaller compact digital
camera and a larger digital SLR.

Camera Obscura is Latin and means "dark chamber". It was an early mechanism for projecting
images, in which an entire room functioned as a real-time imaging system. It was first invented
by the Iraqi scientist Alhazen (1011-1021).

Camera shake is the movement of the camera caused by an unsteady hold or support.

Close-up is the general term for an image of a close subject, i.e. filling the frame.

Compact Camera is a small-sized camera that has a fixed-size aperture.

Compact Flash is a common type of digital memory camera card. Like Memory Stick and Smart
Media, it is flash-based storage for photos.

Depth of field is a technical term used to describe the 'zone' of sharpness' between nearest and
furthest of a subject in focus. Depth of field is affected by aperture, lens focal length and the
shooting distance.

Digital Camera is a camera that captures the photo, not on film, but in an electronic imaging
sensor that replaces the film.

Effective Megapixels are the pixels on the sensor that are actually used to capture the
photograph. Any leftover megapixels are used for a supporting role.

Exposure- When the camera shutter opens, the image sensor (or film / paper), is exposed to
light and a latent image is formed. This is known as exposure. Exposure is managed with 3
components: the aperture, the shutter speed and the ISO. Exposure is measured in seconds.
Over-exposure is an expression used to indicate that the light sensitive material has been
excessively exposed.
Underexposure is the result of too little exposure in the camera or at the enlargement stage.

Exposure meter is the Instrument, in the camera, that measures the amount of light that falls
on a subject.

Flat lighting is the lighting that produces very little contrast or modeling on the subject and a
minimum of shadows.
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Focal length is the distance between the rear nodal point of the lens and the focal plane, when
the focus is at infinity.

Focus image is a sharp image. To get a focus image, one should use the focusing system and to
be x –cm away from the subject that is photographed.

Full Frame is the image sensor in DSLR camera that has the same size as a 35mm film frame
(36mm X 24mm). The majority of the digital cameras use a smaller sensor than a 35mm film
frame (since it’s cheaper to be manufactured), equivalent to APS-C ‘classic’ size negatives. This
negative was 25.1X16.7mm and has an aspect radio 3:2.

George Eastman was a great and important inventor and manufacturer. 1885 - Photographic
film 1888 – Kodak (the box) and Brownie (first hand out camera)

A Gigabyte (GB) is a measure of computer data storage capacity and is approximately a billion
bytes.

Image Resolution, we commonly referred to the number of pixels in a digital photo.

Image Sensor is a device capable to convert optical images to electric signals.

A digital camera uses a sensor array of millions of tiny pixels in order to produce the final image.

Image stabilization is a group of techniques used to increase the stability of an image. Most
modern digital cameras come with image stabilization. On average, image stabilization can help
one take handheld shots almost two stops slower than with image stabilization off.

ISO is the system of rating photographic materials, which was devised by the International
Standards Organization). (ASA was the original system of rating photographic materials, which
was devised by the American standards Association.)

ISO speed (sensitivity) is the indication of how sensitive a film is to light. In Digital Photography
ISO describes the sensitivity of the camera’s imaging sensor.

Lamp, in general terms used to describe the various kinds of artificial light sources used in
photography.

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is an electronic solid state display system commonly used to display
exposure information or the photo itself, in the viewfinder of most digital cameras.

Lithium battery is the battery that has lithium metal or lithium compounds as an adobe. It is
widely used in electronic devices, since it produces twice the voltage of an ordinary zinc-carbon
battery or alkaline cell. Lithium cells can produce voltages from 1.5 V to about 3.7 V.

A photographic Lens is an optical lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with a camera
body and mechanism to make images of objects.

Megabyte (MB) is a measurement of data storage equal to 1024 kilobytes (KB).

Megapixel (MP) is equal to one million pixels.

Metering System in a digital camera measures the amount of light in the scene and calculates
the best-fit exposure value based on the metering mode.

Metering modes depend on the camera and the brand, but are mostly variations of the following
three types:

[1) Center-weighted average metering is possibly the most ordinary metering method. This
method concentrates between 60 to 80 percent of the sensitivity towards the central part of the
viewfinder.
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[2) Spot meter is used to get accurate light readings of a small part of a subject. With spot
metering, the camera will only measure a very small area of the scene; this will typically be the
very centre of the scene.

[3) Matrix or Evaluative Metering offers the best exposure in most circumstances. The camera
measures the light intensity in several points in the scene (matrix of metering zones), and then
combines the results to find the settings for the best exposure. This metering is most commonly
found on SLR cameras.
Macro photography is close-up photography, usually of very small subjects.

Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras are small in size cameras that use a mechanically
simpler system than traditional DSLRs that does away with the optical viewfinder and mirror
altogether. This allows for physically smaller 'big sensor' (Four Thirds) cameras that deliver
excellent image quality.

Mode is the prime operating function of SLR and most bridge cameras, e.g. manual mode,
aperture priority mode, shutter priority mode, etc.

Monochrome is single colored. It is most frequently applied to black and white photographs, but
can also describe sepia and other toned images.

Multiple Exposure is the technique of making more than one exposure on the same frame,
normally so that the images are superimposed.

Optical zoom brings the subject you are photographing closer, without you having to move.

Parallax error is the difference between the image seen by a viewing system and that recorded
on film. Only TTL (through-the-lens) viewing systems, like the one that SLR cameras have, avoid
parallax error.

Pixel / Picture Element: A photograph produced by a digital camera is a collection of tiny dots.
Each dot is is called a pixel. All digital photographs are comprised of thousands or millions of
them; they are the building blocks of a digital photo.

Photography is the method of drawing with light (from the Greek words photos meaning light
and graphos, writing). It was first suggested by Sir John Herschel to William Fox Talbot in 1839.

Photometer is the instrument for measuring light being reflected from a surface. It works by
comparing the reflected light with a standard source produced within the photometer.
Photo file format is the digital format that an image is stored on the memory card. There are
lots of digital image formats, but the three most common are JPEG a lossy format, TIF, a
lossless format and RAW an in-camera lossless format. Lossy means that image data is lost when
the image is compressed while a lossless format retains all the original data, even when
compressed.
Rear focus refers to the focused area behind the picture's subject.

Red-eye is the effect encountered when light from a flash unit travels parallel to the lens axis
during exposure.

Resolution refers to the number of pixels used to either capture an image or display it. The
superior the resolution is, the finer the image detail is viewed.

Self-timer is the mechanism for delaying the opening of the shutter for a given number of
seconds after the release has been operated.

Sensor is the imager that converts light into electric charge and process it into electronic
signals. There are two known sensors, the CCD (charge-coupled devise) and the CMOS (active-
pixel sensor).
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The size of sensor that a camera has ultimately determines how much light it uses to create an
image. In very simple terms, image sensors consist of millions of light-sensitive spots called
photosites which are used to record information about what is seen through the lens. Therefore,
it stands to reason that a bigger sensor can gain more information than a smaller one and
produce better images.

Sharpness is the clarity of detail in a photo.

Shutter is the mechanical system used to control the time that light is allowed to act on the
sensitive emulsion.

Shutter speed is the length of time a shutter is open to expose to light. Shutter speed is
measured in seconds. The slower the shutter speed, the longer the exposure time. Shutter speed
settings are given in the fraction of a second. When the shutter speed is set to 1/125 or simply
125, this means that the shutter will be open for exactly 1/125th of one second.

SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex. It is a camera of 35mm or medium format in which a system of
mirrors shows the user the image precisely as the lens renders it. SLR cameras offer one great
creative control over picture taking.

Snapshot is the term once used to describe a photograph taken with the instantaneous setting
on cameras. The term originally came from rifle shooting, when little or no time is allowed for
aiming.

USB (Universal Serial Bus): a protocol for transferring data to and from digital devices. Many
digital cameras and memory card readers connect to the USB port on a computer.

White balance is a function on the camera to compensate for different colors of light being
emitted by different light sources.

Telephoto lens is a compact lens construction which provides a long focal length with a short
back focus.

Total Megapixels is the total number of pixels that are included on the camera’s sensor.

Tripod is a three legged camera support. The legs usually feature sections that permit height
adjustments.

Tungsten light is the light from standard room lamps and ceiling fixtures, it produces a yellow /
orange cast.

UV filter is a filter which is used to absorb ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Often is used as a
protected filter.

Viewfinder is a system used for composing and sometimes focusing the subject. There are
several types: direct vision, optical, ground glass or reflex.

Wide-angle lens is a lens with wide covering power. It has a focal length which is less than the
diagonal of the film format with which it is being used.