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Peter Ashby-Hayter - Photo glossary Category: Hobbies and Crafts > Photography Date & country: 20/09/2007, UK Words: 305

Aberration
The inability of a lens to produce a perfect, sharp image, especially at the edge of the photo. (see Barrel distortion& Pincushion effect )

Accessory shoe
Metal fitting on the top of a camera which supports the flash gun, also various other accessories such as a viewfinder or rangefinder. (see Hot Shoe, Finder & Rangefinder)

Achromatic
A term which describes a lens system which is corrected for chromatic aberration. (see Chromatic Aberration)

Agitation
Keeping a chemical moving: Agitation helps to speed-up and achieve an even development while processing film or paper. It also prevents spotting or staining by keeping the developer, stop bath, or fixer in motion.

Ambient Light
The available light. Already existing in an indoor or outdoor setting which is not caused by any illumination created by the photographer. (see Existing light )

Analyzer
Instrument used in photo printing to determine correct colour filtration (colour balance) when making colour prints. (see Colour Balance)

Angle of coverage
Concerning Large Format lenses: The maximum image area of usable quality which a certain lens can produce (the image circle). Known as the angle of coverage.

Angle of view
Angle of view is determined by the focal length of the lens. A wide-angle lens includes more of the scene than a normal (standard lens) or telephoto lens. (see Standard lens,Tele & Wide )

Aperture
The opening in a lens through which light passes to expose the film. Aperture size is usually calibrated in f-numbers, the larger the number, the smaller the lens opening, therefore the slower the shutter must be! (see f-stop)

Apochromatic (APO lens)
Lens corrected for chromatic aberrations in all three primary colours. Many manufactures use different names (i.e. NIKON use ED)

APS
The Advanced Photo System (APS) was devised by a group of five manufactures: Canon, Fuji, Kodak, Minolta and Nikon as a 'breakthrough in camera and film technology' and created a new generation of 'point-and-shoot' cameras. Now, with hindsight, regarded as an interim consumer product which just filled a gap until the more innovative compact digital cameras became affordable. The film size is smaller than 35mm. (see 35mm)

Artificial light
Light not originating from a natural source. The commonest artificial light sources in photography are flash, and tungsten bulbs. (see Tungsten light)

Available light
(see: Existing light )

Background paper
Available in numerous colours, the rolls are hung from the ceiling or a set of free standing poles. The common sizes are 9ft and 4ft 6ins wide. (see Cove)

Backlighting
Light from behind the subject, and towards the camera lens, so that the subject stands out against the background. This sometimes can produce a silhouette effect.

Bag bellows
Used on large format cameras in place of normal bellows when wide-angle lenses are in use. (A flexible 'bag' affair) (see Bellows, Large format & Wide )

Balanced Fill Flash
When a modern camera with a multi-segment exposure meter (Matrix) is used with a dedicated flashgun the correct exposure can be obtained for both the subject and background using 'Automatic Balanced Fill Flash'. Balanced Fill Flash can also be achieved manually using a little knowledge and technique. (see Matrix & Dedicated flash )

Barn doors
Accessory used on lights to control the direction of output and the width of the beam.

Barrel distortion
Lens aberration (distortion) where straight lines are formed as curved lines in the image. These barrel shaped lines are most noticeable along the edges of the photo. (see Aberration & Pincushion effect )

Baseboard camera
Portable large format camera supported on a baseboard. It only gives limited use of the camera movements. (see Camera movements, Field camera & Technical)

Batch
A set of numbers and letters printed on the packaging of film and paper to indicate a production batch. The number is given because of slight variations of colour, contrast and speed which may occur between batches of the same type.

Bayonet
All modern 35mm SLR cameras now use a 'bayonet' lens fitting (a quarter turn clockwise or anti-clockwise will remove or attach the lens). Each camera manufacturer has its own type of fitting, therefore as an example a Canon lens cannot be attached to a Nikon camera body. (see Screw mount lens ,35mm & SLR)

Bellows
Large format cameras: The folding (piano accordion style) part that connects the standards (lens and film back). Also a camera accessory for smaller formats that aids close focusing. (see Monorail & Standard)

Between-the-lens shutter
Close to the diaphragm, inside the lens are metal blades which spring open and then close when the camera is fired, this exposes the film. (see Focal plane shutter)

Bleach fix
Chemical bath in which bleach and fixer have been combined! Used in many colour processes. (see C41& E6)

Bounce
Flash or tungsten light bounced off a reflector (such as the ceiling, walls or brolly) to give the effect of natural light. (see Brollies)

Bracketing
The technique of taking a number of pictures of the same subject at different levels of exposure. At half and one stop differences, depending on subject and film type. (see f-stop)

Brollies
Photographic white or silver Umbrellas! used to bounce flash light off of. (see Bounce)

Bromide
(see Bromide paper)

Bromide paper
Photographic printing paper which is coated with a light sensitive emulsion of silver bromide, to reproduce black and white images. (see: Emulsion, Fibre (FB) and RC paper)

Buffer
Memory in a digital camera that stores the photos before they are written to the removable storage card. (see Compact Flash)

Bulk back
A device that allows the use of many many feet of film at one loading: 35mm or 70mm (medium format). (see Bulk film, Medium format & 35mm )

Bulk film
Film purchased in long lengths and used in a bulk camera back, in assignments which demand a large amount of film in long continuous runs, (or with a bulk film loader, to reload cassettes cheaply).

Burning-in (or Burn-in)
To make an area of a print darker. This is accomplished after the basic exposure by extending the exposure time (or opening the aperture) to allow extra image-forming light to darken areas of the print while holding back the light from the rest of the image (with hands or card etc.); also called printing-in. (see Dodging & Exposure )

Cable release
Flexible cable for firing a camera shutter. Useful for long exposures where touching the camera release by hand could cause camera-shake blur. (see ,Exposure Shutter & Shutter speed)

Camera movements
Mechanical Systems most common on large format cameras (and some Medium Format) which provide the facility for lens and film plane movement from a normal standard position. The movements can create greater or lesser depth of field, and correct or distort image shape. (see Depth of field, Movements & Standard)

Camera obscura
For hundreds of years the camera obscura was a curiosity, consisting of a darkened room with a small hole in one of its walls; a reduced inverted image of the world outside was projected through the hole onto a whitewashed wall opposite; the phenomenon was noted by the Arabs as early as the eleventh century. By the end of the sixteenth century Italian academics had fitted a converging lens into the hole which produced a much brighter and sharper picture. Artists began to use a collapsible, portable version to reproduce perspective in their landscapes and portraits. (see Pinhole camera)

CC filter
Abbreviation for colour compensating filter. CC filters are designed primarily for correcting colour bias in colour photo printing. CC2OY, for example, indicates a yellow filtration of 0.2 density. (see Colour correction)

CCD
Charge Coupled Device (CCD). The Digital camera's 'film'; a CCD converts light into a digital photograph of pixels. When a picture is taken the CCD is struck by light coming through the camera's lens; each of the millions of tiny pixels that make up the sensor converts this light into electrons. (See CMOS & Pixel)

Centre Weighted
A camera metering system which concentrates the light reading mostly to the central portion of the viewfinder and feathering out to the edges. Although in the hands of an inexperienced photographer a 'Matrix' style meter will achieve more correct results many professionals still prefer to use their cameras in manual mode with the meter set to 'Centre weighted'! Now regarded as a 'classic', this metering system is included in all quality 35mm SLR cameras. (see Matrix, finder, 35mm & SLR)

Changing bag
A light tight fabric bag, used for safely removing sensitive photographic materials from film holders or backs in daylight.

Chromatic Aberration
The inability of a lens to focus different colours on the same focal plane. Appearing as a 'colour fringe' around objects, especially at the edges of the photograph.

Chromogenic film
Chromogenic literally means 'colour forming'. In chromogenic films the final image is made of coloured dyes formed during processing rather than Silver Halide. A Black & White chromogenic film can be processed along side colour films in a C41 process. (see C41 & Silver Halide)

Circle of confusion
Disc of light in the image where a point on the subject is not perfectly brought into focus. The eye cannot distinguish between a very small circle of confusion and a true point.

Clean & tight
A phrase often used by photographers when describing a well composed (clean) photo which eliminates all inconsequential items from the photo (tight).

Clearing time
Twice the clearing time is a popular darkroom term. Insufficient time in the fix causes film to appear milky. Photographers use a film clipping in the fixer chemical to accurately time this process, after a second clipping is 'clear' the film is ready for washing. (see Fix)

Clip test
A test to determine accurate development times using a small part of the exposed film as a sample.

Close-up lens
A lens attachment used in front of the camera lens; pictures then could be taken at a closer distance than normal. (see Extension tubes & Macro)

CMOS
Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS). An image sensor used in some digital cameras. Its basic function is the same as the CCD. (see CCD)

CMYK
A colour system based on the four colours used in colour printing: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and BlacK. Can also be a colour mode used to define colours in a digital image. All Digital cameras & scanners are RGB devices, a colour method based on combinations of the primary colours Red, Green & Blue this is the same as your TV and PC monitor. CMYK is primarily used when preparing digital images that will be printed using the process colours by a printer or publisher on a four colour printing press. (see RGB)

Colour balance
How a particular colour film reproduces the colours of a scene. All Colour films are formulated to be exposed by light of a certain colour quality (daylight or tungsten). It also describes an adjustment in colour photo processes that ensure a neutral scale of grey tones is reproduced accurately, i.e. a grey subject will have no colour cast or bias. (see Daylight film & Tungsten film)

Colour cast
Overall bias towards one colour in a colour photograph or trannie. (see Colour Balance)

Colour correction
Filters which help balance the colour rendition of a scene to match the colour response of the eye. (See CC filters)

Colour sensitivity
The response of a sensitive material to the colours of the spectrum

Colour temperature
Measured in Kelvin, expressed on a scale (i.e.3400K) this indicates the colour content and quality of a light source light such as a lamp. (see Tungsten film)

Coma
A lens defect which results in points of light appearing in the image not as points but as discs with comet-like tails.

Compact Flash
The removable CF card is a popular Digital Camera photo storage system. Although they are larger than SD, Smart Media, XD Picture Card and Memory Sticks 'Professional' use has made them widely available and in very large sizes, currently up to 16 Gigabytes. (see Memory Stick, Micro Drives, SD, Smart Media & XD Picture Card)

Complementary colour
The hue most opposite to a given colour. The complementaries for blue, green and red are yellow, magenta and cyan respectively.

Compound lens
Lens system consisting of two or more elements.

Concave lens
Simple lens, or lens shape within a compound lens, whose surfaces curve inward. Such a lens causes light rays to diverge. (see Compound lens)

Condenser
A simple lens system which concentrates light from a source into a beam. Condensers are used in equipment such as slide projectors,spotlights and enlargers. (see Focusing Spot)

Contact print
A print made from placing the negative in 'contact' with a sheet of photo paper and then exposed to light; the resulting 'Contact print' is the same size as the negative and therefore not enlarged. (see Contact printer & Enlargement)

Contact printer
Apparatus used for making contact prints. Usually just a simple frame with a glass top to hold the negative and paper in tight contact during exposure.

Contrast
A subjective judgment of the difference in brightness and density between shadow and highlight areas in an image. Contrast is affected by lighting, lens flare, film type, degree of development, enlarger type and quality of printing.

Contrast grade paper
Graded by numbers (usually 1-5), the contrast grades of photographic papers, enable us to obtain good prints from negatives of varying contrasts. Use a low-numbered or soft paper with a high contrast negative to get a print that most closely resembles the original scene. Use a high-numbered or a hard paper with a low-contrast negative to obtain a normal contrast print. (see Multigrade)

Contrasty
Higher-than-normal contrast including very bright and very dark areas. The range of density in a trannie or print is higher than it was in the original scene.

Converging angles
This occurs when the camera is not held or supported vertically. The vertical lines will seem to run together at the top or the bottom of a photo. Most noticeable with photographs of tall buildings. (see Movements, Rising front , Keystoning & Shift)

Converter
A supplementary lens that can double the length of a telephoto lens (e.g.:2x converter). Usually fitted between lens and camera body.

Convex lens
Simple lens, or lens shape within a compound lens, whose surfaces curve outward. Such a lens causes rays of light passing through it to converge. (see Compound lens)

Copy
Not an original. A print, neg., trannie, artwork or 2D object copied on a copystand (see Copystand & Dupe).

Copystand
A device that holds a 2D object square with the camera to obtain quality copies of an original (usually with lights attached).

Correction filter
A filter which alters the colour rendition of a scene to suit the colour response of the eye. (see Colour correction)

Coupled rangefinder
Focusing system in which a rangefinder and the lens focusing mechanism are linked. As the lens is adjusted, the central area of the viewfinder indicates when the lens is in focus (as found on Leica M series Cameras).

Cove
Infinity cove. Found in most large studios and painted white, a solid background that wraps over the floor & walls to create the illusion of an infinite 'white'. (see Background paper)

Covering power
The maximum area of usable image quality which a lens will produce. Known as the angle of coverage. (Frequently a required knowledge when using a large format camera with 'movements'). (see Movements)

Cropping
Printing or using only part of the image that is in the original negative or trannie, usually for a more pleasing composition. Could also refer to the framing of the scene in the viewfinder. (see Clean & Tight)

Cross process
To develop a film in the wrong process (e.g.: neg.(C41) film in trannie(E6) chemicals) to obtain a sometimes bizarre colour or contrast effect. (see C41& E6)

Curvature of field
Lens aberration causing the plane of sharp focus to be curved. (see aberration)

Cut film
Large format film available in flat sheets. The most common are in 'Imperial sizes': 4 ins x 5 ins and 8 ins x 10 ins . (see Large format)

Dark slide
Light-tight film holder for large format cut film.

Darkcloth
Cloth made of a dark material and placed over the Photographers head and camera back to help the viewing and focusing of images on the ground glass screen of a Large format camera.

Daylight film
Film balanced to a colour temperature of 5400K which will give a natural result with 'daylight' and also 'flash'.

Daylight tank
A light-tight container for film processing. Film is loaded in the dark after which all other processing steps can be carried out in normal light.

Dedicated flash
A flashgun designed for use with a specific camera. It links directly with the internal camera circuitry to help produce perfectly exposed photos.

Density
The blackness of an area in a negative or print. Sometimes referred to as contrast. (see Contrast)

Depth of field
The distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear in acceptably sharp focus in a photograph. Depth of field depends on the lens aperture, the focal length of the lens, and the distance from the subject. (see Aperture & Focal length)

Depth of focus
Very narrow zone on the image side of the lens within which slight variations in the position of the film will make no appreciable difference to the focusing of the image.

Dev. (Developer)
A Chemical bath which converts exposed silver halides to black metallic silver, so making the latent image on exposed films or photographic papers visible. (see Latent image)

Developing Tank
A light tight container used for processing film. (see Daylight tank)

Diaphragm
The device, usually found inside the lens, which uses a set of interleaving blades to control the size of the aperture. (see Aperture)

Diffuse Lighting
Lighting that is low or moderate in contrast; an overcast day is a good example.

Diffuser
Any material capable of letting light scatter (diffuse) through it.

Digicams
Popular term for a Digital camera. A camera that does not use traditional silver halide film. (see Silver Halide)

Digital SLR
A digital SLR is simply a SLR camera that takes photos digitally (electronically) rather than using traditional film; popular examples are the Nikon D80 and Canon EOS 30D. (see SLR)

DIN (Deutsche Industrie Normen)
The German industrial standard for rating film speed. This scale indicates a doubling of speed by an increase of 3 in the rating; a rather complicated standard, it fell from widespread use during the early 'Seventies' although the German manufacturer Agfa still carried on using the system for film identification until more recently. (see ISO)

Diopter
Close-up lenses (which screw into the front of an existing lens and act like a reading glass) are often marked in 'diopters' (2.5 diopter close-up lens) The diopter value of a lens is calculated by taking the reciprocal of the focal length expressed in meters. Each diopter is the number of times the focal length of the lens will divide into one meter

Distortion
There are various lens induced 'distortions' that can effect the photographic image. (see: Aberration , Barrel distortion& Pincushion effect )

Dodging
'Local' control of density in photographic printing achieved by shading (using your hands, small pieces of card or various other dodging tools), therefore, holding back the image-forming light from a part of the photo to make that area of the print lighter. (see Burning- in)

Dupe
A duplicate of an original. Usually the term is used to describe a duplicate trannie. (see copy)

DX
Nikon Digital format lenses. Nikon Digital SLRs have CCDs smaller than the area of a 35mm film frame therefore DX lenses will cause vignetting if used on a 35mm film camera. (see Vignetting)