Photography Glossary
Photography Glossary
Here's a small and simple glossary related to photography. The definitions were found on the internet to which I added a few changes. In photography a lot of words are taken from the day to day vocabulary but doesn't have the same meaning at all. Sometimes, it can be confusing. I hope that those 16 words and definition can help you with your understanding and your pronunciation.
- digital camera
- noun
- Device that records and stores digital images.
- Example: He takes a picture with his digital camera.
- fr: caméra numérique, appareil photo numérique
- lens
- noun
- Light-gathering device of a camera, typically containing a group of compound lenses.
- Example: I use a 50mm lens for low-light shooting.
- fr: lentille, objectif
- image sensor
- noun
- Electronic device used in digital cameras and imaging devices to convert the light received on the camera or imaging device lens into a digital image.
- Example: My digital camera has bigger image sensor than yours.
- fr: capteur d'image
- focus
- noun, verb
- Process of adjusting the lens to find maximum detail and sharpness in an image. It can be done either manually or automatically.
- Example: Her face is out of focus.
- fr: mise au point
- exposure
- noun
- Amount of light which reaches your camera sensor or film. It is a crucial part of how bright or dark your pictures appear.
- Example: My picture is too bright because the exposure is too high.
- fr: exposition
- shutter
- noun
- Device through which the lens aperture of a camera is opened to admit light and thus expose the image sensor of a digital camera. Adjustable ones control exposure time, or the length of time during which light is admitted.
- Example: There are two types of shutters in a digital camera.
- fr: obturateur
- aperture
- noun
- Opening in a lens through which light passes to enter the camera.
- Example: The aperture works like the pupil of our eyes.
- fr: ouverture
- Shutter speed
- phrase
- Length of time the camera shutter is open, exposing light onto the camera sensor.
- Example: The picture is blurry because the shutter speed wasn't fast enough.
- fr: vitesse d'obturation
- ISO
- abbreviation
- It stands for International Standards Organization. It is the light sensitivity rating of a digital image sensor.
- Example: I will increase the ISO because the ambiant light is low.
- fr: iso
- bokeh
- noun
- The aesthetic quality of the blur produced in out-of-focus parts of an image.
- Example: This lens renders a bokeh of quality.
- fr: bokeh
- noise
- noun
- Visual distortion that affects the quality of pictures taken by digital camera. It is the random variation of brightness or color information in images.
- Example: Noise tends to get worse when you're shooting in low light.
- fr: bruit
- Grain
- noun
- Visual distortion that affects the quality of the picture in film photographs. It is the random optical texture in images.
- pixel
- noun
- Smallest item of information in an image. The more pixels there are, the better quality is the picture.
- Example: My picture has a low amount of pixels.
- fr: pixel
- diffuser
- noun
- Device which spreads the light from a light source evenly and reduces harsh shadows.
- Example: Could you place the light diffuser on the left of the model?
- fr: diffuseur
- hard light
- phrase
- Type of light that creates harsh shadows. The transition between light and shadows is defined.
- Example: Hard light creates more contrasts.
- fr: lumière dure
- soft light
- phrase
- Type of light with few hard shadows that’s bright yet balanced. The transition between the light and the shadows is more of a gradient and much smoother.
- Example: The skin looks smoother when lightened with soft light.
- fr: lumière douce
