Glossary

Adobe RGB A large color space focusing on Cyan and Greens. It is a common option for photographers shooting for print.

AI Servo focusing mode A focusing mode that follows the subject’s movement until the shutter button is pressed completely to expose the image.

ambient light Available natural or existing light that is not provided by the photographer.

angle of view The amount of area seen through the viewfinder and measured in degrees. For example, telephoto lenses have a narrow angle of view.

aperture The opening in the lens that allows light into the camera. See also diaphragm.

Aperture-priority AE An exposure mode in which the photographer controls the aperture and the camera controls the shutter speed to create a proper exposure based on the information provided by the camera’s metering system.

archive Long-term storage of data. In the case of photography, your image files are the data that is stored on a hard drive, DVD, or on the Cloud.

artificial light Light from a manmade source, such as a light bulb or flash.

aspect ratio The proportional relationship of a shape’s width compared to its height.

Autofocus (AF) Focusing mode in which the camera focuses on the subject using select points.

Automatic Exposure (AE) The camera selects all of the elements for proper exposure or the photographer selects some of them, and the camera selects the rest. For example, in Shutter-priority AE mode, the photographer selects the shutter speed and the camera selects the aperture.

Automatic Exposure Lock A button on the camera that locks the exposure setting so that the photographer can recompose the image, or point the camera in a different direction using the locked exposure.

Automatic White Balance (AWB): A process in which the camera detects and applies the necessary adjustments to make the color of light in a scene appear natural.

backlighting A type of lighting in which the subject stands between a light source and the camera lens. Depending on where the photographer meters, the exposure might blow out the background or create a silhouette.

barrel distortion Distortion created by wide-angle and fisheye lenses in which straight lines are bowed.

bounce light Reflected light that is bounced off a wall, ceiling, or reflector, or any light that does not come directly from the original source.

bokeh The out-of-focus, aesthetic quality of blurred shapes (often circles) created by lights in the fore- or background of an image.

bracketing Taking a series of images, some of which are under-, over-, and correctly exposed. This technique is often used when photographers are unsure of the proper exposure or want backup options.

brightness The lightness of an image.

broad light Lighting that illuminates the side of the subject that is facing the camera.

buffer A temporary storage location for digital data. Your camera uses a buffer to store bursts of generated images before they are written to the memory card.

built-in flash A flash hardwired into the camera. It is usually located on top of the camera above the viewfinder.

Bulb An exposure mode that allows the shutter to remain open as long as the shutter button is pressed or the cable release (remote) is engaged.

cable release A tool used to manually trigger or keep the shutter of a camera open without the photographer touching the camera.

calibration Adjusting the color of one device to match that of another, or a predetermined standard.

camera shake A condition caused by the movement of a handheld camera, usually while using a slower shutter speed, which results in blurry photographs.

candid A photograph taken when the subject is ignoring or unaware of the camera.

card reader A device that transfers data from a memory card to a computer.

Center-weighted metering A metering system that emphasizes and gives more weight to the center of a scene when calculating the correct exposure.

chromatic aberration Light rays of different wavelengths coming into focus at different distances and causing color fringing. See also color fringing.

close-up A tight photograph often taken within just a few feet of the subject.

CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) The type of imaging sensor used by the Canon T5i/700D (and many other cameras) to capture photos.

color balance How the camera reproduces colors in comparison to the original scene.

color fringing A chromatic lens aberration that creates a color (such as purple) outline or halo around parts or all of a subject. See also chromatic aberration.

color space A model in which colors are represented, such as RGB or CMYK. Different color spaces have large and small ranges of colors.

color temperature The representation of light based on Kelvin temperature. See also Kelvin.

composition How and where subjects and objects are placed within the visual frame of an image.

compression The process that reduces the size of a file. Unless lossless compression is used, some of the file information may be permanently lost. For example, a JPEG file compresses file data, making the file smaller. See also JPEG.

contrast The range between light and dark. The fewer shades there are, the more contrast there will be. The more shades there are, the less contrast.

crop Removing or only printing a section of an image. This is done when the photographer does not want part of the frame to be in the final image presentation.

CRW The RAW file format used by Canon digital cameras.

daylight balance A white balance adjustment designed to correct light to equal the color temperature of the midday sun.

dedicated flash A flash designed for a particular camera brand.

depth of field The amount of focus in front of and behind the subject of a photo.

diaphragm The adjustable opening (aperture) inside the lens that works like the iris of the eye, allowing more or less light to hit the camera sensor. See also aperture.

diffused light Indirect light that is usually shot through a material that disperses it, making it softer.

download Transferring image and video files from a camera to a computer.

DPI (dots per inch) The number of dots printed per inch by output sources, such as printers.

dynamic range The difference (measured in f-stops) between the darkest and lightest values in a photographic scene.

exposure The result of the combination of the amount of light reaching light-sensitive material, the sensitivity of that material, and the length of time the light strikes the light-sensitive material.

E-TTL II (Evaluative Through–the-Lens) Exposure system created by Canon. It uses a brief preflash before the main flash to calculate the proper exposure.

fill flash Using flash, often outdoors, to fill in deep shadows caused by the sun or a strong light source.

filter A material (often glass) usually placed on the front of a camera lens to change the way the camera sees the scene. dSLR cameras have digital filters programmed into them.

flare An effect that occurs in an image when direct light shines into the camera lens and hits the digital sensor. It is often created when a light (such as the sun) is behind the subject. It is sometimes a desirable effect.

flat A low-contrast photograph predominantly comprised of middle tones. Flat photographs tend to lack dimension and detail.

f-number The number that indicates the size of the opening in the lens aperture. A smaller f-number equates to larger openings, allowing more light to hit the digital sensor. Larger numbers equate to smaller openings, allowing less light into the camera.

focal length The length of the camera lens represented in millimeters from the focal plane. A larger number indicates a longer focal length, such as a telephoto lens, while a lower number indicates a shorter focal length, such as a wide-angle lens.

frame The boundaries containing the subject of a photograph.

frames per second (fps) The number of frames produced by a video camera within a second.

frontlighting Light shining in the same direction that the camera is facing.

f-stop See f-number.

ghosting A ghost-like look created by the combination of flash, movement, and a slow shutter speed.

gray card A card that is made up of middle 18 percent gray and used with a reflective light meter to find a proper exposure.

grayscale A scale that shows the progression between black and white.

highlights The bright areas of a photograph that are often white.

histogram A graphical representation of the tone distribution in a photo between white and black, or the Red, Green, and Blue channels.

hot shoe The location where the flash is attached to an SLR camera.

hue The pure color of an object.

infinity The maximum distance of focus on your camera.

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) A setting that represents a camera’s sensitivity to light.

intervalometer A function of a camera remote to create interval recordings of images or time-lapse photography. See also time-lapse photography.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) An image file type that uses lossy compression. It is one of the most common digital image file types. See also compression.

Kelvin A scale that helps determine the color and origin of light. See also color temperature.

LCD (liquid crystal display) Commonly used for flat screen televisions, computer monitors, and the back panel of cameras.

lens One or more pieces of optical glass designed to focus and create an image within a camera body at the focal plane. An image is created by the light coming through the lens and reaching the photo sensor in a camera.

lossless A compression method that allows the exact original data to be reconstructed from the compressed data.

macro lens A lens designed to take extreme 1:1 or closer photographs. A 1:1 ratio means the subject is captured at life size on the camera sensor.

Manual exposure An exposure setting in which the photographer sets both the shutter speed and aperture to expose an image.

megapixel 1 million pixels. See also pixel.

memory card The electronic card used to record photographs in a dSLR camera.

metadata Information about a file stored or embedded within it.

midtone The point between white and black.

monochromatic An image that uses different shades, tones, and tints of the same color.

noise Visible artifacts (similar to grain in film) found in underexposed images, or images taken with high ISO settings or long exposures.

overexposed An image that receives too much light.

panning An exposure created while following a moving subject with the camera, resulting in an image in which the subject is in focus and the background is blurry.

pincushion distortion Type of image distortion in which lines in a photograph bow inward toward the center of the frame when longer lenses are used This is the opposite of the barrel distortion found in wide lenses.

pixel The smallest picture element that can be manipulated to change tone and color. See also megapixel.

polarizing filter A filter designed to minimize reflections and glare, while increasing color saturation and contrast.

Program AE An exposure mode in which the camera is in full control of the aperture and shutter speed.

RAW An image file that has not been run through compression software and can be adjusted without loss of information.

reflective light meter A light meter that bases exposure on the light reflected off a subject or object.

reflector Anything used to reflect light back on the subject. Photographers often use white, gold, and silver surfaces to reflect light onto their subjects.

RGB Red, Green, and Blue color channels. The mixing or adding of these three colors combines to create a given color. This additive color model is used in televisions and computer monitors.

self-timer A device used to set and count down the seconds before it releases the camera shutter.

sharp The point at which an image is well-defined or considered in focus.

shutter A curtain or moving cover that opens and closes to let light into the camera in a matter of seconds, or fractions of seconds.

sidelighting Light hitting the subject from the side.

slave Flash unit that is triggered by another flash unit.

spot-metering mode A metering mode in which the camera uses a small segment (1 to 5 percent) of the frame area or scene to calculate exposure.

sRGB A color space best used for images meant to be displayed on computer monitors and the Internet.

telephoto A long lens that makes the subject appear closer.

Through-the-Lens (TTL) A type of flash metering system that reads the information from the camera sensor to make exposure calculations. This is the type of flash metering used on most dSLR cameras.

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) A high-quality and commonly used image file format that uses lossless compression.

time-lapse photography Capturing images at a slow frame rate over time so that, when shown at normal speed, it appears that time is moving faster. See also intervalometer.

tonal range The range of light to dark within a photograph.

tungsten light Type of light that often comes from incandescent bulbs. It produces light that is low on the Kelvin scale and often produces a yellow cast.

underexposed An image that did not receive enough light.

viewfinder What the photographer looks through to see the scene in front of the lens.

vignetting A darkening of the edges of a photograph. It is considered a sign of a poor or defective lens, although it can also be used for creative photographic enhancement.

white balance Adjustments made in the camera or image-editing software to establish neutral color based on white light or daylight.

wide-angle lens A short focal-length lens, such as a 20mm, that offers a wide range of view.