Top Photography Terms For Beginning Photographers

Top Photography Terms For Beginning Photographers

Learning photography is never complete without understanding the most basic photography terms such as: ISO, aperture, shutter speed, depth of field, and so on. In fact, these photography terms are perhaps the first things that you are expected to learn before you explore the different techniques and genres of photography. Unfortunately, many beginning photographers and hobbyists of today are more interested in buying the latest DSLR and camera lens than understanding the definition of photography terms that affects a photograph.
Below are some of the terminologies that every beginning photographer needs to know. The way they are applied can either make or break the story or emotion a photographer is trying to capture and convey to his/her viewers.

APERTURE

This is also commonly known as an F stop. It simply pertains to the amount of light being let in through the lens. The size of an F stop affects the portion of a scene that appears in focus in the image. In practice, the lower the number the larger the aperture. An aperture opening of f1.4 enables a high shutter speed and not much in focus. On the other hand, an aperture opening of f2.8 enables almost as high shutter speeds and yields more focus, which is normally great for portraits.

SHUTTER SPEED

Just like aperture, this is one of the photography terms you’d be dealing a lot with from the moment you start learning about photography up to the time you move forward to the advanced stage.  Shutter speed refers to the exposure time a camera’s shutter is open. Ever wonder why some of the photographs you’re taking is more exposed than the rest? The shutter speed works in conjunction with the aperture in terms of controlling the total amount of light reaching the sensor of your camera. The longer your shutter speed is open, the more light it lets into the camera and the more your images become exposed.

ISO

ISO or Internal Organization for Standardization is a numerical rating that describes the sensitivity of a film to light. Using higher ISO makes your camera more sensitive to the light and results to a grainier images. On the other hand, the lower your ISO the less grainier the images will be. An ISO 100 is normally great for day light use, whereas, ISO 400 is good for twilight use.

FOCUS

In DSLR, focus literally refers to what can be clearly and sharply seen in the depth of field. There are different types of focus mode such as: macro; infinity; normal; auto focusing; manual focusing; single focus; and continuous focus, to name a few.

FLASH

This is the burst of light that comes from the camera when a picture is taken. Fill flash and red eye flash are two different types of flash you’d be using in your camera.
Again, these are just some of the commonly-used photography terms you’d be encountering in the industry. Whether you’re doing photography to earn a living or to fulfill a hobby, it’s imperative to know how these terminologies apply so that you can produce better photographs.