Today’s world is changing and with it the slang of photographers. Sometimes it’s hard even for experts to stay up to date. For newcomers, unfamiliar words can be confusing.
In today’s article, we’ll talk about some of the terms photographers use. After studying it, you’ll feel much more confident when talking to professionals. If you want to learn more about photography terms visit Skylum’s blog!
Photography terms that relate to images
Photographers often use special jargon to talk about what’s in the picture. Below we show a few of these terms.
Bokeh
Stepping away from precise scientific definitions, the easiest-to-understand meaning of the term bokeh can be defined as the artistic blurring of the background in a photograph. The origin of term comes from the Japanese language.
Forced perspective
This technique is often used to make one object large and another object small. No special equipment is used. One of the most striking examples is the filming of the movie Lord of the Rings. In the film, Frodo seems very small against the background of Gandalf. This also includes photos of people supposedly holding the Leaning Tower of Pisa in their hands.
Photobomb
Have you ever taken a celebratory photo and then seen someone making a funny face in the background? That’s the photobomb. It can be taken deliberately or accidentally. Sometimes bombs can ruin a shot, but other times they make it interesting and colourful!
Terms that refer to technical shooting
Photographers often use words like this:
- ISO;
- Shutter speed;
- Exposure;
- White balance;
- Depth of field.
We will talk about them in more detail below.
ISO
ISO is one of the most important things to pay attention to when taking pictures. It refers to the sensitivity of the sensor to light. High values are used when shooting in the dark, allowing for better image quality. However, this is achieved at the expense of increased noise in the photo, so it is recommended to use lower settings.
Shutter speed
It is the amount of time for which the shutter stays open. Do you want to take a picture of something that is moving at a very high speed? Use a shutter speed of 1/500. Slower shutter speeds are good for taking pictures in low light conditions or capturing something that isn’t moving very fast.
Exposure
If we talk about how light or dark a photo is, we are actually referring to exposure. If the photo is too light, it is overexposed, and if it is too dark – underexposure.
White balance
This option allows you to adjust the colour temperature so that objects that are white in life remain white in the finished photos. Most often you can use the automatic setting, but every camera has a customization option.
Depth of field
Depth of field shows if it is possible to focus on the background and the object at the same time. It depends on the aperture, lens and distance to the subject. You need more depth of field to shoot a landscape, for example. That way, the whole of it will be in focus. A smaller one is used to take portraits. It allows you to focus on your object so nothing distracts the viewer from it.
Other interesting terms
Who is uncle Bob? Why isn’t machine gunning scary? Read on for answers to these and other questions!
Uncle Bob
Have you ever seen someone at a wedding who is constantly running around with his camera and interfering with a professional photographer taking pictures? Meet Uncle Bob! And yes, he really is often someone’s uncle.
Machine Gunning
Set the camera to continuous shooting mode and do not release the shutter. Do you hear a steady sound like a machine gun shooting? Congratulations! Now you know why you shouldn’t be afraid of machine-gunning in photography.
Sharp/soft
These terms can refer to a photo or a lens. “Soft” refers to a lens that takes fuzzy pictures that lack detail. If we’re talking about a “hard” photo, on the other hand, it means that we’re looking at a clear, detailed picture in which it’s easy to see every feature.
Candid
This involves photographing an object or person in its natural state. Most often such pictures are taken at an unexpected moment so that the person does not have time to prepare, to take the right pose. Such photos are as natural and sincere as possible.
Selfie
It is now one of the most popular types of photos. Who hasn’t seen guys and girls making interesting facial expressions and taking pictures of themselves? The term implies a self-portrait photo at arm’s length.
Conclusion
Want to learn more terms that photographers use and not feel like an outsider in the company of professionals? Read more about photography terminology! If you want to become a professional photographer, install Luminar Neo! This picture editing app will allow you to create a true photo masterpiece.
