Vocabulary

Aperture: The adjustable opening in a camera lens that controls the amount of light entering the camera.

Shutter Speed: The duration for which the camera's shutter remains open to capture an image.

ISO: The sensitivity of the camera's image sensor to light. Higher ISO values are used in low-light situations, but they can introduce noise into the image.

Exposure: The combination of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO that determines the amount of light that reaches the camera sensor.

Depth of Field: The range of distance in a photograph that appears sharp. A shallow depth of field means a narrow area is in focus, while a deep depth of field means a large area is in focus.

White Balance: The adjustment of color temperature in a photograph to ensure accurate representation of colors under different lighting conditions.

RAW: A file format that captures all the data recorded by the camera sensor, allowing for greater control and flexibility in post-processing.

Megapixel: A unit of resolution that represents one million pixels. Higher megapixel counts generally result in higher image detail.

Bracketing: Taking multiple shots of the same scene using different exposure settings to ensure capturing the optimal exposure.

Bokeh: The aesthetic quality of the out-of-focus areas in an image, typically created by a shallow depth of field.

Histogram: A graphical representation of the tonal distribution in an image, showing the distribution of brightness values.

Composition: The arrangement of visual elements in a photograph to create a visually appealing and balanced image.

Rule of Thirds: A compositional guideline suggesting that the frame should be divided into a grid of nine equal parts, and important elements should be placed along the lines or at their intersections.

Noise: Unwanted random variations in brightness or color that can occur in an image, often more noticeable in low-light or high ISO conditions.

Megabyte/Megapixels: A unit of data storage or image resolution, respectively, with a megabyte representing one million bytes, and a megapixel representing one million pixels.

DSLR: Digital Single-Lens Reflex camera, which uses a mirror and prism system to direct light from the lens to the optical viewfinder.

Mirrorless Camera: A type of camera that lacks a mirror and optical viewfinder, using an electronic viewfinder or the camera's LCD screen to preview the image.

Autofocus: A camera's ability to automatically adjust the focus to ensure that the subject is sharp and in focus.

Burst Mode: A shooting mode that allows the camera to capture a series of images in rapid succession, useful for capturing action or fast-moving subjects.

Megabytes per Second (MB/s): A unit of data transfer rate used to measure the speed of memory cards, indicating how quickly images can be written to or read from the card.

Focal Length: the distance between the center of a lens or curved mirror and its focus.

Zoom: when the focal length of a camera lens is adjusted to give the illusion of moving closer or further away from the subject

Image Stabilization: how stable an optical system of a camera is during capture

Prime Lens: a fixed focal length lens that doesn't let you zoom in or out

Macro Photography: showcasing a subject larger than it is in real life

Telephoto Lens:  a type of photography that brings distant subjects closer with the use of long focal lengths.

Wide-Angle Lens

Fisheye Lens

Lens Hood

F-stop

Dynamic Range

Sensor Size

Crop Factor

Image Sensor

Image Resolution

Aspect Ratio

Image Compression

JPEG

TIFF

White Point

Black Point

Kelvin

Graduated Neutral Density Filter

Polarizing Filter

UV Filter

Exposure Compensation

Light Meter

Flash Photography

TTL (Through The Lens) Metering

External Flash

Softbox

Diffuser

Reflector

High Key

Low Key

Silhouette

Leading Lines

Long Exposure

Panning

Light Painting

Multiple Exposure

In-Camera Editing

Post-Processing

Dodge

Burn

Clone Stamp

Layers

Curves

Saturation

Vibrance

Sharpening

Histogram

Graduated Filter

Vignetting

Lens Flare

Chromatic Aberration

Pixel

White Pixel

Black Pixel

Color Space

Adobe RGB

sRGB

CMYK

Megabytes (MB)

Gigabytes (GB)

Terabytes (TB)

Memory Card

Compact Flash

Secure Digital (SD)

XQD

Wireless Transfer

Tethering

Tripod

Monopod

Rule of Space

Rule of Odds

Rule of Symmetry

Leading Lines

Negative Space

Golden Hour

Bracketed Shots