A Photographer’s Glossery
Aperture
This setting dictates how much light you allow through your camera lens, measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/2, f/4, and so on).
Balance
A compositional technique that positions the subject and all other elements within the photo so that everything holds equal visual weight.
Composition
How the elements of your photos are arranged.
Depth of field
The distance between the closest and farthest object within the focused area of a photo. A shallow depth of field describes a short range in which objects appear in focus, whereas a deep depth of field describes a long range in which objects appear in focus.
Exposure
The amount of light that reaches the film or camera sensor when a photo is being taken - a function of shutter speed and aperture. The more you expose the film or camera sensor to light, the brighter your photos will be.
f/stop
The aperture of the lens; the letter f stands for focal length. The lower the f-stop number, the wider the lens opening and the shallower your depth of field; the higher the f-stop number, the smaller the lens opening and the deeper your depth of field.
Focus ring
A ring attached to the lens of your camera that allows you to focus on particular subjects.
ISO
A measurement of your film camera or digital camera’s sensitivity to light. (ISO stands for International Organization for Standardization.) Petra usually opts for 400 ISO film, which works with many exposure types. Higher ISOs (such as 800) are better for low-light situations, while lower ISOs (such as 100) are better for well-lit situations. Keep in mind that the higher your ISO, the more grain (also known as noise) will appear in your photo.
Rule of thirds
The idea that if you divide an image horizontally and vertically into thirds, your eye will gravitate to the points where these lines meet. Petra doesn’t believe the rule of thirds mirrors how we really see the world. She prefers to play with composition in terms of asymmetry and color.Shutter speed
Shutter speed
The length of time your camera’s shutter stays open when you take a picture. If you’re in a low-light situation, the camera needs more time to capture whatever light is available, requiring a lower (i.e., slower) shutter speed. The num- bers represent the length of time the shutter is open per second. So Petra’s preferred shutter speed of 1/60, for example, indicates that the camera’s shutter opens and closes in one-sixtieth of a second. Be aware that the slower your shut- ter speed, the longer your camera has to capture motion, which can cause blur.
White balance
The setting in digital cameras by which you adjust color to compen- sate for the “temperature” (i.e., warm vs. cool) of the light in your photo. For film cameras, white balance can be addressed via filters, photo paper selection, and digital editing.