photographic terminology

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Photographic Terminology Unit 57: Photography and Photographic practice terminology

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Page 1: Photographic terminology

Photographic Terminology Unit 57: Photography and Photographic practice terminology

Page 2: Photographic terminology

Shutter speedIn photography, shutter speed or 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. The amount of light that reaches the film or image sensor is proportional to the exposure time. 1/500th of a second will let half as much light in as 1/250th.

The camera's shutter speed, the lens's aperture (also called f-stop), and the scene's luminance together determine the amount of light that reaches the film or sensor (the exposure). Exposure value (EV) is a quantity that accounts for the shutter speed and the f-number. Once the sensitivity to light of the recording surface (either film or sensor) is set in numbers expressed in "ISOs" (ex: 200 ISO, 400 ISO), the light emitted by the scene photographed can be controlled through aperture and shutter-speed to match the film or sensor sensitivity to light. This will achieve a good exposure when all the details of the scene are legible on the photograph. Too much light let into the camera results in an overly pale image (or "over-exposure") while too little light will result in an overly dark image (or "under-exposure).

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Slow shutter speed

Fast shutter speed

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ISOISO is the level of sensitivity of your camera to available light. The lower the ISO number, the less sensitive it is to the light, while a higher ISO number increases the sensitivity of your camera. The component within your camera that can change sensitivity is called “image sensor” or simply “sensor”. It is the most important (and most expensive) part of a camera and it is responsible for gathering light and transforming it into an image. With increased sensitivity, your camera sensor can capture images in low-light environments without having to use a flash. But higher sensitivity comes at an expense – it adds grain or “noise” to the pictures. Every camera has something called “Base ISO“, which is typically the lowest ISO number of the sensor that can produce the highest image quality, without adding noise to the picture. So, optimally, you should always try to stick to the base ISO to get the highest image quality. However, it is not always possible to do so, especially when working in low-light conditions.

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Examples of ISO

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Aperture & depth of fieldDepth of Field (DOF) is the front-to-back zone of a photograph in which the image is razor sharp. As soon as an object (person, thing) falls out of this range, it begins to lose focus at an accelerating degree the farther out of the zone it falls; e.g. closer to the lens or deeper into the background. With any DOF zone, there is a Point of Optimum focus in which the object is most sharp. There are two ways to describe the qualities of depth of field - shallow DOF or deep DOF. Shallow is when the included focus range is very narrow, a few inches to several feet. Deep is when the included range is a couple of yards to infinity. In both cases DOF is measured in front of the focus point and behind the focus point. DOF is determined by three factors – aperture size, distance from the lens, and the focal length of the lens. The aperture is the opening at the rear of the lens that determines how much light travels through the lens and falls on the image sensor. The size of the aperture’s opening is measured in f-stops - one of two sets of numbers on the lens barrel (the other being the focusing distance). The f-stops work as inverse values, such that a small f/number (say f/2.8) corresponds to a larger or wider aperture size, which results in a shallow depth of field; conversely a large f/number (say f/16) results in a smaller or narrower aperture size and therefore a deeper depth of field.

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Narrow depth of field

Wide depth of field

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Manual exposureUsing manual exposure mode is key when you need to ensure each shot looks the same as the last, such as for studio work, timelapses, high speed photos or even for long exposure photography. Manual mode gives you control over the three variables that make up exposure: shutter speed, aperture and ISO. Shutter speed controls how long the shutter is open for, aperture controls how much light gets through the lens, and ISO controls the sensitivity of the camera. The three settings are all connected, so if you change the ISO and the aperture, chances are you’ll need to change the shutter speed too.

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Automatic exposureAutomatic exposure mode (also called automatic exposure and abbreviated as AE) is a standard feature on digital cameras that will automatically determine the correct exposure for pictures without any user input other than to select the AE option before taking a picture. In automatic mode the cameras will make all the decisions for you, including the aperture setting, the shutter speed, white balance and ISO. Nearly all digital cameras have an automatic exposure mode. Having a proper exposure is very important, as a photograph where the camera doesn't measure the light properly will end up overexposed (too much light in the photo) or underexposed (too little light). With an overexposed photo, you can end up losing details in the scene, as you'll have bright white spots in the image. With an underexposed photo, the scene will be too dark to pick out details, leaving an undesirable result.

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Colour balance

Colour balance is the global adjustment of the intensities of the colours (typically red, green, and blue primary colors). An important goal of this adjustment is to render specific colours – particularly neutral colours – correctly. Hence, the general method is sometimes called grey balance, neutral balance, or white balance. Colour balance changes the overall mixture of colors in an image and is used for colour correction. Generalized versions of color balance are used to correct colors other than neutrals or to deliberately change them for effect.

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White balanceThe White Balance setting you choose will change the colour balance in your pictures, making it warmer or cooler depending on how the sort of light you're shooting in affects things. Using Auto White Balance is the simple option, but your camera's White Balance presets give you more control over colour. The colour of the light will affect the colours in your photographs. You probably won't notice this with the naked eye because our minds adapt very quickly to perceive the colour of the light as neutral, even when it's not. The camera is less forgiving, and records colours exactly as they are. That's why pictures taken under household lighting have an orange colour cast, and pictures taken at dusk or dawn have a cold, blue look. Digital cameras have 'White Balance' controls to correct these colour shifts. This adjustment happens when the camera processes and saves your pictures.For example, if you take a picture under incandescent lighting, the camera can reduce the amount of orange in the colours and boost the blue to produce more neutral colours.

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CompositionThe term “composition” applies not only to visual arts, but to music, dance, literature and virtually any other kind of art. In certain contexts, such as writing, this term may not be as widely used, but is just as valid nonetheless. composing an image means arranging elements within it in a way that suits the core idea or goal of your work best. Arranging elements can be done by actually moving the objects or subjects. A good example for this case is portrait or still life photography. Street photography involves anticipation, since the photographer doesn’t usually have the choice of moving his subjects himself, but has to wait for them to take the most suitable position within the frame. Another way of arranging elements is by changing your own position. Such a way is appropriate in circumstances that do not allow the photographer to physically move anything, like landscape photography.

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The Rule Of Thirds

The “Rule of Thirds” one of the first things that budding digital photographers learn about in classes on photography and rightly so as it is the basis for well balanced and interesting shots. The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts. As you’re taking an image you would have done this in your mind through your viewfinder or in the LCD display that you use to frame your shot. With this grid in mind the ‘rule of thirds’ now identifies four important parts of the image that you should consider placing points of interest in as you frame your image. Not only this – but it also gives you four ‘lines’ that are also useful positions for elements in your photo.

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Examples of The Rule Of Thirds

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Analogus colours

Choosing colors next to one another on the color wheel can give your photographs flow, harmony and a easy to understand color theme. Analogous colors are located next to each other on the color wheel. Orange and yellow, for instance, are have an analogous color harmony as do blue and purple. Unlike complementary colors, analogous colors create a more soothing look to your photographs. There is no "right" color theme to use in photography. However, it is important to know your different options so you can actively seek out the desired photographic effect your looking for. If you are trying to create a visually dramatic photograph it might be worth spending the extra time and looking for the colors in your surrounding which will help you make the dramatic look you are shooting for.

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Complementary colours

Two colours on opposite sides of the colour wheel, which when placed next to each other make both appear brighter. The complementary colour of a primary colour (red, blue, and yellow) is the colour you get by mixing the other two (red + blue = purple; blue + yellow = green; red + yellow = orange). So the complementary colour for red is green, for blue it's orange, and for yellow it's purple.

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Macro

Macro photography is extreme close-up photography, usually of very small subjects, in which the size of the subject in the photograph is greater than life size (though macrophotography technically refers to the art of making very large photographs). By some definitions, a macro photograph is one in which the size of the subject on the negative or image sensor is life size or greater. However, in other uses it refers to a finished photograph of a subject at greater than life size. The ratio of the subject size on the film plane (or sensor plane) to the actual subject size is known as the reproduction ratio. Likewise, a macro lens is classically a lens capable of reproduction ratios of at least 1:1, although it often refers to any lens with a large reproduction ratio, despite rarely exceeding 1:1.