Photography Vocabulary

Composition

Photographic composition can be defined as the arrangement of elements of design (line, shape, value, color, texture, and space) to create an image that is interesting to look at and clearly express an idea.

Aesthetics

The personal or emotional reaction to works of art.

Aperture

The opening that lets light into the camera. The larger the aperture selected the more light there will be to expose the film at any given amount of time. A series of f/numbers is used to denote aperture size, and these are marked on a ring on the lens. These settings, called f-stops, run in a series from largest to smallest: f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, and f/22 are the most common.

Balance

Balance can be symmetrical, with both halves of the photograph having equal visual elements; or asymmetrical, with more visual weight on one side than the other.

Camera angle

Position of the camera can affect the subject. A low camera angle will make the subject look larger; a high camera angle will make the subject look smaller. A close-up camera angle will fill the frame and include many details.

Center of interest

The main subject of the photograph.

Contrast

The difference between blacks and whites in a photograph. High contrast means there are mostly black and white areas with little gray. Low contrast means the photograph is mostly gray and flat, with few bright-white or deep-black areas.

Film speed

An ISO (International Standards Organization) number denotes the film’s speed, or its sensitivity to light. The higher the number, the more sensitive the film. An ISO 1600 film, for example, requires very little light to form a correct exposure, while an ISO 25 film requires more.

Focal point

The main subject or center of interest in a photograph that is in focus.

Frame

The area of a photographic negative or print.

HDR “high dynamic range”

This involves taking two (or often more) photos with different exposures and then blending them together for detail and clarity in the darks and the lights. 

 Leading line

A line in a photograph created by objects that lead the viewer’s eye to the focal point, or main subject.

Light-sensitive paper

Paper that has been coated with an emulsion (usually silver based) that is sensitive to most light rays.

Negative image

An image, usually made in the camera, which shows the values and placement of objects in a scene in reverse order.

Positive image

An image usually made using a negative, which shows objects and values in a realistic placement within the picture frame.

Repetition

Elements are repeated throughout the photograph, such as the repetition of a shape, color, line, and so on.

Rhythm

A repeated element, such as line, texture, or value that creates movement in the photograph.

Rule of thirds

Suggested placement of the center of interest. The main subject should not be placed in the center of the photograph. The picture frame can be divided into thirds horizontally and vertically, and the center of interest is composed so it is on one of the four intersections.

Selective focus

One subject or area in the photograph is in sharp focus and the other areas are out of focus.

Shutter

The part of the camera that protects the film from light. The shutter speed controls the amount of time the curtain in the camera will remain open. The longer the shutter speed, the more light will reach the film at any given aperture size. Common shutter speeds include the following from slow to fast: 1 second. ½, ¼, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, and 1/1000 of a second.

Values

The lights and darks of a hue or a color. In black-and-white photography, value refers to the blacks, whites, and shades of gray.

View camera

A large camera that allows the photographer to view subject matter through a ground glass opening that is the same size as the negative. When photographers compose an image in a view camera, they see the subject upside down and backward.

White Balance

the process of removing unrealistic color casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in your photo.

Exposure

the amount of light that enters the camera hitting the camera sensor or film is called exposure

Depth of Field

the zone of acceptable sharpness within a photo that will appear in focus