Name: ______________________________

Photography Terms
Research what each of these terms mean, and what controls they
are on your camera, if they are. The sheet provided in your Intro
to Photography booklets will help determine this.
Give a brief description, when best each is used, and what/where
it is located on your camera if possible in your answers.
1. Aperture-

is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically,

the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle
of rays that come to a focus in the image plane.
2. Motion- the action or process of moving or being moved.
3. Depth of Field- is the amount of distance between the nearest and farthest objects
that appear in acceptably sharp focus in a photograph.
4. Shutter Speed- is open allowing light, usually after it has passed through a lens
and through the aperture diaphragm, to strike a photosensitive surface, like film or a
digital sensor.
5. Rule of Thirds- is a concept in video and film production in which the frame is
divided into nine imaginary sections, as illustrated on the right. This creates reference
points which act as guides for framing the image.
6. Exposure- is the amount of light per unit area (the image plane luminance times the
exposure time) reaching a photographic film or electronic image sensor, as determined
by shutter speed, lens aperture and scene luminance.
7. Composition- is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in
a work of art, as distinct from the subject of a work.
8. Focal length- The focal length of the lens is the distance between the lens and the
image sensor when the subject is in focus, usually stated in millimeters.
9. SLR- is a digital camera combining the optics and the mechanisms
10.
Auto Focus- a device that focuses a camera or other piece of equipment
automatically.

11.
12.

Back Lighting-?
Balance- an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to

remain upright and steady.

13.
Contrast- the state of being strikingly different from something else, typically
something in juxtaposition or close association.
14.
F-stop- the ratio of the lens's focal length to the diameter of the entrance
pupil. It is a dimensionless number that is a quantitative measure of lens speed, and an
important concept in photography.

15.
ISO Speed- A closely related ISO system is used to
measure the sensitivity of digital imaging system

Name: ______________________________