This glossary covers a wide range of terms commonly used in digital photography.
Aperture: The opening in the lens through which light passes to the camera sensor.
Aspect Ratio: The ratio of the width to the height of an image.
Autofocus: A feature that allows the camera to automatically focus on the subject.
Bokeh: The aesthetic quality of the out-of-focus areas in an image.
Bracketing: Capturing multiple shots of the same scene at different exposures.
Bulb: A camera setting that allows for long exposure times, typically used for night photography.
Burst Mode: A feature that allows the camera to capture a series of images in rapid succession.
Chromatic Aberration: The distortion of colors in an image, often seen as fringes around edges.
Clipping: Loss of detail in highlights or shadows due to overexposure or underexposure.
CMOS Sensor: A type of image sensor used in digital cameras to capture light and convert it into digital signals.
Composition: The arrangement of elements within a photograph.
Contrast: The difference between the lightest and darkest parts of an image.
Depth of Field: The range of distances within a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image.
Digital Zoom: Enlarging the central portion of an image digitally, reducing image quality.
DSLR: Digital Single-Lens Reflex camera, which uses a mirror mechanism to allow light to pass through the lens to the optical viewfinder.
Exposure: The amount of light reaching the camera sensor, determined by aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
Fisheye Lens: A wide-angle lens that produces strong visual distortion.
Flash: A device that emits a burst of light to illuminate a scene.
Focal Length: The distance between the lens and the camera's sensor when the subject is in focus.
Focus: The sharpness of detail in an image.
Frame Rate: The number of individual frames or images that are displayed or recorded per unit of time.
Histogram: A graphical representation of the tonal distribution in a digital image.
Hot Shoe: A mounting point on the top of a camera to attach accessories such as a flash.
Image Stabilisation: Technology to reduce blur caused by camera movement during exposure.
ISO: A measure of the sensitivity of the camera sensor to light.
JPEG: A common file format used for storing digital images.
Kelvin: A unit of measurement used to quantify colour temperature.
Lens: A piece of glass or other transparent material used to focus light onto the camera sensor.
Light Meter: A device or function in a camera used to measure the intensity of light.
Macro Photography: Photography of small subjects at close distances.
Manual Mode: A mode in which the photographer has full control over the camera settings.
Megapixel: One million pixels; a measure of the resolution of a digital camera.
Metadata: Information about the characteristics of an image, such as date, time, and camera settings.
Mirrorless Camera: A type of digital camera that lacks a mirror and optical viewfinder found in DSLRs.
Noise: Random variation of brightness or colour information in images.
Optical Zoom: Zoom achieved by adjusting the lens rather than enlarging pixels digitally.
Overexposure: Allowing too much light to reach the camera sensor, resulting in a washed-out image.
Panning: A photographic technique where the camera moves horizontally to track a moving subject.
Pixel: The smallest unit of a digital image, typically a square or dot.
Polarising Filter: A filter used to reduce glare and reflections in photographs.
Prime Lens: A lens with a fixed focal length, as opposed to a zoom lens.
RAW: A file format that contains minimally processed data from the camera sensor.
Red-Eye: A phenomenon where the subject's eyes appear red in flash photography.
Rule of Thirds: A guideline for composing images by dividing the frame into thirds vertically and horizontally.
Saturation: The intensity of colors in an image.
Shutter: A device that opens and closes to expose the camera sensor to light.
Shutter Lag: The delay between pressing the shutter button and the camera capturing the image.
Shutter Speed: The amount of time the shutter remains open, controlling the exposure time.
SLR: Single-Lens Reflex camera, a type of camera that uses a mirror mechanism to allow light to pass through the lens to the optical viewfinder.
Spot Metering: A metering mode that measures the exposure based on a small area of the scene.
Telephoto Lens: A lens with a longer focal length, used for capturing distant subjects.
Time-Lapse: A technique where images are captured at set intervals to create a video showing changes over time.
Tripod: A three-legged stand used to support and stabilise a camera.
Underexposure: Allowing too little light to reach the camera sensor, resulting in a dark image.
Viewfinder: A device used to frame and compose photographs.
White Balance: Adjusting the colours in an image to appear neutral under different lighting conditions.
Zoom Lens: A lens with variable focal lengths, allowing for different magnifications.
Aberration: A flaw in the lens that causes distortion or blurring of the image.
Ambient Light: Natural light in a scene, not including artificial lighting.
Back-lighting: Lighting that comes from behind the subject, often used for dramatic effect.
Bayer Filter: A colour filter array used in digital cameras to capture colour information.
Bracketing: Capturing multiple shots of the same scene at different exposures.
Buffer: Temporary storage in the camera that holds images before they are written to the memory card.
Burst Mode: A shooting mode that allows the camera to capture a rapid series of images.
Cable Release: A remote shutter release used to trigger the camera without touching it.
Chrominance: The colour information in an image, separate from the luminance.
Clipping: Loss of detail in highlights or shadows due to overexposure or underexposure.
CMOS Sensor: Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor sensor used in digital cameras to capture light.
Continuous Auto-focus: A feature that allows the camera to adjust focus continuously while shooting.
Depth of Field: The range of distances in a scene that are in sharp focus.
Digital Negative (DNG): An open standard raw image format.
Diffraction: The bending of light waves as they pass through a small aperture, causing loss of sharpness.
Exposure Compensation: Adjusting the exposure settings to compensate for lighting conditions.
EXIF Data: Exchangeable Image File Format metadata embedded in image files.
File Format: The structure in which data is encoded in a digital file.
Flash Sync: The synchronisation of the camera shutter with a flash burst.
Focus Peaking: A feature that highlights in-focus areas of an image when manually focusing.
Framing: The composition of a photograph, including the placement of elements within the frame.
Grain: Visible noise in an image, particularly in film photography.
High Dynamic Range (HDR): A technique to capture a greater range of luminance levels than standard photography.
Histogram: A graphical representation of the tonal distribution in an image.
Hot Shoe: A mounting point on a camera for attaching accessories like a flash.
Infra-red Photography: Photography using infra-red light outside the visible spectrum.
Intensity: The brightness or luminance of light in an image.
Interpolation: The process of estimating data points between known values.
ISO: The sensitivity of the camera sensor to light.
Lens Flare: Light scattered or reflected inside a lens, causing artefacts in the image.
Long Exposure: A technique where the shutter is left open for an extended period to capture motion blur or low-light scenes.
Macro Lens: A lens designed for close-up photography of small subjects.
Noise Reduction: Digital processing to reduce unwanted noise in an image.
Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS): A technology to reduce blur caused by camera shake.
Panorama: A wide-angle view or representation of a physical space.
Pixel Peeping: Examining images at a high magnification to assess sharpness and detail.
RAW Format: A file format that contains minimally processed data from the camera sensor.
Resolution: The level of detail in an image, typically measured in pixels.
Shutter Priority Mode: A shooting mode where the photographer sets the shutter speed, and the camera adjusts the aperture.
Teleconverter: An optical device that increases the effective focal length of a lens.
Tonal Range: The range of tones, from darkest to lightest, in an image.
Vignetting: A reduction of brightness or saturation at the edges of an image.
White Balance: Adjusting the colors in an image to appear neutral under different lighting conditions.
