Unit 57: Photography and Photographic Practice Terminology (P1, P2, M1, M2)Term Explanation of term e.g. what

it is used for / the effect it has on your images

Examples

Shutter Speed In still cameras, the term shutter speed represents the time that the shutter remains open when taking a photograph.

ISO The letters ISO on your digital SLR camera settings refer to the film speed.

Aperture & Depth of field (F stop)

Depth of field refers to the range of distance that appears acceptably sharp. It varies depending on camera type, aperture and focusing distance, although print size and viewing distance can also influence our perception of depth of field.

Automatic Exposure An option on automated cameras in which a computer system inside the camera controls the selection of a correct exposure. At its simplest, automatic exposure is of one basic type - program AE, in which both shutter speed and aperture are determined by the camera. More advanced cameras also support aperture priority and shutter speed priority modes which let the photographer specify the desired aperture and shutter speed, respectively

Manual Exposure In "Full Manual" mode, you can set both the aperture and the shutter speed. This gives you ultimate control over the exposure. This can be useful to ensure that the same exposure is used for a sequence of shots or when shooting in special circumstances.

Colour Balance Also known as white balance, this is a camera setting that allows you to compensate for the colour of the light that is illuminating your scene.

Composition Composition is the visual process of organizing and individual details of a scene into a balanced and pleasing arrangement.

Rule of thirds Imaginary lines are drawn dividing the image into thirds both horizontally and vertically. You place important elements of your composition where these lines intersect.

Complementary Colours

We look at a colour wheel to understand the relationships between colours. Analogous colours are positioned in such a way as to mimic the process that occurs when blending hues.

Analogous colours Analogous colours are any three colours which are side by side on a 12 part colour wheel, such as yellow-green, yellow, and yellow-orange. Usually one of the three colours predominates.

Macro Macro photography is the art of taking close-up pictures that reveal details which can’t be seen with the naked eye.

Macro photography of a flower.