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Digital Photography terminology
20 quick-fire photography definitions!
Here's a quick whip through some digital photography terminology that you will find used throughout Photography Art Cafe.
It will serve as a handy introduction to some key terms and phrases, and help you get your bearings in the jargon laden world of digital photography!
Most of the brief photography definitions on this page are given fuller explanations elsewhere on Photography Art Cafe, so I've linked to the more in-depth articles where appropriate.
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Digital photography terminology for basic digital camera settings
1. Aperture
'Aperture' simply means a 'hole' or 'opening'. In digital photography terminology the aperture is a hole in the lens which admits light into the camera body and on to the sensor to form an image.
The aperture can be widened or narrowed to determine how much light enters the camera, affecting the exposure of an image. Aperture also determines depth of field.
2. Shutter Speed
Shutter speed refers to the duration of time for which the sensor in your camera is exposed to light entering through the aperture.
Shutter speed works reciprocally with the aperture to determine how much light passes into the camera and so what the exposure of an image will be. Shutter speed also affects the appearance of motion.
3. ISO
ISO is a measurement of the speed at which the sensor in your digital camera reacts to light. So this determines the required aperture size and shutter speed for a well exposed photo. High ISO speeds are useful for freezing motion in low light, but result in high levels of noise (speckles).
4. White Balance
White balance refers to the colour temperature of a photo. Cameras do not interpret light in the same way as our eyes, so it's necessary to fine tune the balance of reds, greens and blues that you want in a photo. This can easily be done through the white balance digital camera settings before taking a picture, or later in Photoshop.
5. Metering
In digital photography terminology, 'metering', refers to the way in which your camera's light meter reads the light. This is obviously pretty important since it determines the suggested exposure value (balance of aperture and shutter speed) for a shot. The digital camera settings on DSLR's typically offer a range of metering options: Multi-matrix, centre-weighted and spot.
6. Focus Modes
DSLR cameras offer a choice between auto-focus and manual focus. Depending on the speed at which it works, auto-focus can be a useful option in certain situations, such as sport of wildlife photography where your opportunity for a shot passes pretty quickly.
Cameras often feature more than one type of auto-focus, such as 'continuous-servo' on Nikon DSLR's, where the focus constantly re-adjusts to track a moving subject.
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Digital photography terminology for types of camera
7. Compact cameras
Compact digital cameras are small, portable cameras that make it really easy to take simple snaps. Their small sensors produce good quality images for standard sized prints, but large poster sized reproductions will be poor quality. Fewer digital camera settings and manual controls provide ease of use, but reduce the creative involvement of the user.
8. Bridge cameras
Bridge cameras are a half-way-house between compacts and DSLR's. They do not offer the interchangeable lenses of DSLR's, but do have full manual controls and a range of other digital camera settings not present in compacts. Larger sensors than those in compacts provide detailed photos that can be blown up to small posters successfully.
9. DSLR cameras
'DSLR' stands for 'digital single lens reflex'. The digital bit, of course, means that large numbers of photos can be stored electronically on a tiny memory card and viewed on a computer. The sensor records images electronically rather than chemically, as with film.
'Single lens reflex' refers to the 'reflex mirror' inside DSLR's which reflects light from the lens up to the viewfinder and then swings up to allow it on to the image sensor as you take a shot (resulting in the cool clicking sound!)
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Digital photography terminology for technical details of an image
10. Angle of view
The angle of view is the breadth of a scene taken in by your camera's lens. It is the amount of the world that your camera is able to see - the size of the angle that comprises its field (/angle) of view. Angle of view is determined by focal length.
11. Focal length
The focal length refers to how far zoomed in you are; the level of magnification on your subject. It determines what fits into the frame: the angle of view. A large focal length causes a narrow angle of view, whilst a small focal length makes for a wide angle of view.
12. Depth of field
Depth of field refers to the size of the area around your main focal point that is also in sharp focus. A large depth of field means a large area in focus, whilst a narrow depth of field means a small area of sharp focus.
Depth of field has a big impact on the character of a photo and can be determined using the digital camera settings for aperture size. A wide aperture causes a small depth of field and a narrow aperture gives a large area in focus.
13. File format
In digital photography terminology, the 'file format' is the type of digital file that photos are saved as. You can specify your preference in the digital camera settings for 'image quality'. JPEG files 'compress' the information of a photograph by discarding certain bits of it, in order to free up space for more images to be saved. This reduces quality, but not always detectably for normal prints.
Raw files, meanwhile, preserve all the information that was recorded, but need to be 'converted' and processed in Photoshop or other software.
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Digital photography terminology for key parts of the camera
14. Lens
Compact cameras and bridge cameras have fixed lenses that cannot be removed. DSLR cameras feature detachable lenses, which increases the range of possible focal lengths. DSLR lenses can be broadly put into 4 categories: Wide angle, standard, telephoto and super-telephoto.
15. Memory card
The memory card is the digital device that saves your photos. SD and CF (Compact Flash) memory cards are the most common varieties. Memory cards come in a range of sizes and, increasingly, can be fitted into printers for direct and quick printing of images.
16. Sensor
The sensor is located inside the body of your camera and records light electronically to form an image. It is made up of pixels, which is a shortening of 'picture elements', the little elements that absorb light to create a photo.
There are lots of pixels on a sensor, so the term 'megapixels', or MP'S, is used: 1 MP being 1 million pixels. The more MP's a sensor has the better the detail of a photo (sensor size, sensor quality and lens quality also impact this significantly).
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Digital photography terminology for processing and printing
17. Post-processing
Post-processing refers to the work done on an image after it has been taken. This includes the use of Photoshop, or other editing software. It's the final stage in your 'workflow' for creating an image, where anything from tiny tweaks to big artistic changes can be made.
18. Inkjet
Inkjet refers to the prevailing technology used when printing digital photos. Inkjet photo printers squirt thousands of little droplets of ink from cartridges on to paper. This system is able to produce high quality prints with smooth graduations between colours and tones. Inkjet printers offer the best balance quality and price for the general consumer.
19. CMYK
CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow and key black. This is the colour system used by inkjet printers. A basic printing process requires that these 4 component colours are present. Higher quality printing relies on more cartridges with variants of these colours, like light cyan. For good home photo prints, a 5 or 6 cartridge printer is required.
20. DPI
DPI stands for dots per inch. It is a measurement of the detail of prints from an inkjet printer. It literally refers to the number of little dots of ink that a printer can make on piece of paper, within the space of 1 inch; the more dots the better. Home photo printers typically offer between 300 and 600 dpi.
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I hope these brief photography definitions have been useful! Digital photography terminology can be a real bore if, like me, you don't relish technical jargon!
There is of course a lot more to know about the pieces of digital photography terminology above, so click on the links to learn more.
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