Photo Vocabulary

1. Co-Operate

Work together with others towards a common goal.

2. Maturity

Adult, responsible behaior.

3. Responsible

A person who has the ability to act without supervision. Able to be trusted or depended upon.

4. Photography

The process of forming and fixing the image of an object on a material containing light-sensitive silver salts. It is an art, mechanical recording process, a mirror of reality, a medium of communication, and the result of craftsmanship coupled with the ability to see.

5. Film

A sheet or strip of acetate coated with a light-sensitive emultion for exposure in a camera.

6. Negative

The image produced on a film by the product of exposure and development. The reversed image you make prints from.

Light sensitive paper which you have projected or contacted an image onto from a negative.

The light-sensitive layer of film consisting of silver salts suspended in gelatin - which is spread over a permanent support such as acetate.

A camera with changable shutter speeds, aperture settings, and focus.

A piece of glass or plastic which focuses the light rays from a subject and creates a reversed, upside-down image on the film at the back of the camera.

A box that houses the various parts of the camera, protects the film from all light except that which enters through the lens when a picture is taken.

Shows the scene that the picture will cover, usually through a set of lenses mounted above the lens (range finder system) or through the picture taking lens (single lens reflex system).

Winds film from one spool to another in the camera using film rolls or cartridges. Sometimes the shutter cocking mechinism is built into this.

Moves the lens back and forth to create a sharp image on the film. Most commonly the lens alone moves in and out by turning like a screw.

A device with a light source that projects light through the negative onto light sensitive paper. The image on paper is magnified over the size of the original negative.

Exact size pictures of every negative from a roll of film all on one sheet of photographic paper. (A)Contact sheets enable you to easily compare all the negatives made on one roll of film. (B) They give you a handy filing system. (C) Easier to read than nagatives. (D) Good for selecting which negatives you want to print and what portion of the picture to print.

The sensitivity of a given film to light, indicated by a number; the higher the number, the more sensitive, or (faster) the film. This number must be set on the camera, the light meter, an the flash (the faster the film the better it is for use in low light situations.)

The quantity of light allowed to act on a photographic material. A product of the intensity (controlled by the lens opening - Aperature), and the duration (controlled by the shutter speed) of light striking the film.

(Duration of Exposure). The amount of light that hits the film is cumulative, meaning that the longer the shutter stays open, the more light will register on the film. Shutter speed controls the cameras ability to stop action.

(Lens Opening). The opening in a lens system through which light passes. The size of the aperture may be fixed or adjustable. Lens openings are usually calibrated in F-Numbers.

A number used to indicate the size and light passing ability of the lens opening on most adjustable cameras. Common F-Numbers are 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, and 22. The larger the F-Number, the smaller the actual lens opening. Example F/22 is a small lens opening. It lets in less light than F/16 does. These numbers indicate the ratio of the focla length of the lens to the actual diameter of the lens opening. (FL/D=F-Stop)

The distance range between the nearest and farthest objects that appear in acceptably sharp focus in a photograph. The length of this range is affected by the lens opening, the focal length of the lens, and the distance from the lens to the subject.

This is purposely putting the background and foreground out of focus while keeping the subject in sharp focus, thus emphasizing your subject. This is best achieved by using a large aperture opening such as F/2.8

The distance from the optical center of the lens to a point behind the lens where the light rays are focused when the distance scale is set on infinity. Focal length determines image size at a given lens-to-subject distance.

A lens that makes the image in a photograph appear in a perspective similar to that of the original scene. On a 35mm Camera the 50mm focal length is usually considered the "normal" lens. It is so called because its field of view 45 degrees approximated the normal visual impression received by the human eye. It has a focal length slightly greater than the diagonal of the film.

26. Telephoto Lens

A lens that makes a subject appear larger on film than does a normal lens at the same camera-to-subject distance; a telephoto lens has a longer focal length and narrower field of view than a normal lens. (example: 85 to 1000mm). It also has a focal length greater than the diagonal of the film.

27. Wide-Angle Lens

A lens that has a shorter focal length and a wider field of view, it includes more subject area than a normal lens. (examples: 35mm, 28mm, 24mm). This type of lens has a focal length that is less than the diagonal of the film.

28. Zoom Lens

A lens in which the focal length can be adjusted over a wide range, giving the photographer lenses of many focal lengths all in one lens. (examples: 35-75mm, 80-200mm, and 50-300mm).

29. Macro Lens

A lens capable of giving a 1:1 magnification ratio (a life size image); the term is generally used to describe any close focusing lens. Macro lenses can also be used at ordinary subject distances.