Just like doctors and lawyers, photographers love to use colorful and often cryptic terminology in their profession. Let’s demystify some of the most unusual photographic terms.
An optical process that samples the edges of an image to fill in the missing areas that causes a jagged appearance.
A photography term that refers to the way a lens blurs an image. Generally it is considered good practice, especially with portrait photography, to have the main subject in focus and the background blurred.
Circle of Confusion
Areas in a photograph that, while not in perfect focus, look sharp enough for the naked eye to make them look in focus.
Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor, one of the two main types of image sensors used in digital cameras.
This is an old film term. It refers to the practice of deliberately developing film in chemicals intended for a different type of film. For example, developed a slide film using print film chemicals. The result is un-natural colors and contrast. In digital photography the effect can be achieved using software.
The special slot on the top of the camera than can accept camera accessories, usually a flashgun.
Exposure Value. A number that represents available combinations of shutter speed and aperture offering the same exposure effect when scene richness remains the same
Focal Length Multiplier
For a DSLR that uses an imaging sensor smaller than full frame (35 mm film frame), the ratio of the diagonal of the camera’s imaging sensor in comparison to the diagonal of a 35 mm frame is the crop factor. This ratio is commonly referred to as a focal length multiplier (FLM) since multiplying a lens focal length by the crop factor or FLM gives the focal length of a lens that would yield the same field of view if used on the reference format.
A technique in which the flash fires an instant after the first (front) curtain of a focal plane shutter has completed its travel across the film plane. See also Rear-Curtain Sync.
High-Definition Multimedia Interface is used to transmit uncompressed digital audio and video. Many Nikon cameras feature HDMI ports, allowing users to connect their cameras to a HD television and view their photos and HD video.
Provides the option to plug and unplug a computer peripheral or a camera into and out of a USB or FireWire port while the computer is on.
The kicker light is also known as the rim light in a multi-light studio set-up.
A lighting technique whereby there is a pleasing shadow in the shape of a loop under the nose. Loop lighting is flattering for many types of faces. The main light is placed above the subject and to the right or left in the direction that the subject’s face is pointing.
When a digital camera takes a photo, the image data is stored on a memory card as a computer file. If the date is stored fully, the file is called a lossless files. These files are quite large in size with the most common type being TIFFs. To cut down on the file size, the camera can throw away parts of the data that the human eye most likely won’t notice. These files are called lossy and commonly JPEG files.
Mirror up mode (MUP)
Choose this mode to minimize camera shake in telephoto or close-up photography or in other situations in which the slightest camera movement can result in blurred photographs. This is usually done while using a tripod for best results.
The optical center of a lens.
The term used for a thin, flat lens with (very short lens barrel). These lenses are ultra compact and usually feature a very fast minimum aperture.
A type of camera that features a focusing method involving the display in the viewfinder of two separate images of the subject. Sharp focus is achieved when the focusing mechanism is turned and the images coincide.
This principle states that for perfect focus the subject plane, the lens plane and the image plane all meet along a single axis. This is used in large format photography in order to get everything in focus.