35 Photography Definitions- Madison Sigmon
pixels – a minute area of illumination on a display screen, one of many from which an image is composed
image resolution – is the detail an image holds.
megabyte- a unit of information equal to 220 bytes or, loosely, one million bytes.
megapixel- a unit of graphic resolution equivalent to one million or (strictly) 1,048,576 (220) pixels.
gigabyte- a unit of computer information equal to 1,073,741,824 bytes
jpeg- a type of computer file used for storing images; also : an image that is stored as this type of file
bitmap- a representation in which each item corresponds to one or more bits of information, especially the information used to control the display of a computer screen.
exposure- the amount of light per unit area
tiff- a computer file format for storing raster graphics images, popular among graphic artists, the publishing industry, and both amateur and professional photographers in general. The format was originally created by the company Aldus for use in desktop publishing.
png- a raster graphics file format that supports lossless data compression.
White balance- the process of removing unrealistic color casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in your photo.
Histogram- A diagram consisting of rectangles whose area is proportional to the frequency of a variable and whose width is equal to the class interval.
Aperture- A device that controls the amount of light admitted through an opening. In photography and digital photography, aperture is the unit of measurement that defines the size of the opening in the lens that can be adjusted to control the amount of light reaching the film or digital sensor.
Shutter speed- exposure time is the length of time when the film or digital sensor inside the camera is exposed to light, also when a camera’s shutter is open when taking a photograph.
Depth of field- focus range or effective focus range, is the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image
Aperture priority- on a camera mode dial, is a setting on some cameras that allows the user to choose a specific aperture value while the camera selects a shutter speed to match, thereby ensuring proper exposure.
Shutter priority- a setting on some cameras that allows the user to choose a specific shutter speed while the camera adjusts the aperture to ensure correct exposure.
Bitmap- A representation in which each item corresponds to one or more bits of information. The information is used to control the display on a computer screen.
Exposure- a tool to create beautiful photo narratives
Watermarking- originally faint imprints on paper that could only be seen at a specific angle. This process was designed to prevent counterfeiting and is still used today.
optical zoom- on a digital camera, optical zoom is a true zoom feature. It allows you to zoom in (or out) on the subject in the LCD or viewfinder. This will enable you to get a closer view of the subject before taking your picture.
digital zoom- Digital zoom is a method of decreasing the apparent angle of view of a digital photographic or video image. Digital zoom is usually accomplished by scaling portion of the image data (usually center) to have same aspect ratio as well as pixel dimensions compared to the original image.
bracketing- the general technique of taking several shots of the same subject using different camera settings
light meter- An instrument for measuring the intensity of light, used chiefly when showing the correct exposure in photography.
image stabilization- a family of techniques used to reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera or other imaging device during exposure.
noise- a sound, especially one that is loud or unpleasant or that causes disturbance
lag time- the period of time between two closely related events, phenomena, etc., as between stimulus and response or between cause and effect: a time-lag between the declaration of war and full war production. Origin of time-lag Expand
hot shoe- A hot shoe is a mounting point on the top of a camera to attach a flash unit and other compatible accessories.
fisheye being- having, or produced by a wide-angle photographic lens that has a highly curved protruding front, that covers an angle of about 180 degrees, and that gives a circular image
macro- short for macro lens
telephoto- a lens with a longer focal length than standard, giving a narrow field of view and a magnified image.
wide angle- In photography and cinematography, a wide-angle lens refers to a lens whose focal length is substantially smaller than the focal length of a normal lens for a given film plane.
DSLR- A digital single-lens reflex camera (also called a digital SLR or DSLR) is a digital camera combining the optics and the mechanisms of a single-lens reflex camera with a digital imaging sensor, as opposed to photographic film.
dynamic range- the range of acceptable or possible volumes of sound occurring in the course of a piece of music or a performance. The ratio of the largest to the smallest intensity of sound that can be reliably transmitted or reproduced by a particular sound system, measured in decibels.
digital negative- open lossless raw image format written by Adobe used for digital photography
exposure compensation- is a technique for adjusting the exposure indicated by a photographic exposure meter, in consideration of factors that may cause the indicated exposure to result in a less-than-optimal image.