Photography Dictionary

fashion photography: Fashion photography is the area of photography that concentrates on taking pictures of clothing or accessories (on models or alone) to be published in fashion magazines, advertisements or circulated among designers.

fill-flash photography: Fill-flash photography is a method of taking pictures in which flash is used in bright light to flesh out details located in shadowy areas. Fill-flash is generally used in outdoor shots with full sun.

film developing: Film developing refers to the process of turning a piece of film into a printed photograph. The way in which film is developed depends on the type of film being processed.

film format: Film format refers to the various dimensions of film used to take photographs. The characteristic that film format primarily describes is the size of the film and the type of camera that uses the given film. Film format can be either standard (35 mm), medium (between 35 mm and 4"x5") or large (4"x5" or larger).

film speed: Film speed measures the degree to which film is sensitive to light. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the American Standards Association (ASA) are both responsible for setting the ranges of film speed. Both digital and manual cameras depend on film speed ratings.

fine art photography: Fine art photography, also known simply as art photography, refers to the branch of photography dedicated to producing photos for purely aesthetic purposes.

fisheye lens: A fisheye lens is a wide-angle camera lens that takes broad photographs. Generally used for astronomy or landscape shots, a fisheye lens tends to distort the rendered image.

f-number: An f-number, also known as a focal ratio, is the ratio of the diameter of the lens aperture to the length of the lens. On a camera, a photographer can alter the f-number by changing the f-stop setting on the camera's lens.

FTP (File Tranfer Protocol): File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is the process of sending or receiving photo files over a network supported by a transmission control protocol, such as the Internet.

gallery: A public setting that displays works of photography, art and sculptures.

genre: Specific areas of focus in any field, including photography that might include combat or nude photography.

glamour photography: Glamour photography refers to the body of photography that concentrates on taking attractive pictures of models. Most glamour photos capture models in suggestive and erotic poses, rather than in explicitly pornographic situations.

grey card: A grey card is a tool that allows a photographer to measure the degree of light in a given scene. This piece of photographic equipment generally consists of a piece of grey-colored matte cardboard.

Hasselblad: A Swedish manufacturer of high-end traditional and digital cameras used by professional and advanced photographers.

headshot: A closeup of an individual typically included in a model's portfolio.

high contrast: An elimination of middle tones, especially in black and white photography with little or no graytone scales to soften the picture.

Holography: Holography refers to the area of photography that is dedicated to producing holograms and other three-dimensional images. Holography works by transferring an image onto film or photo paper with a laser and then developing it with laser or another light source.

hot shoe: The hot shoe is the area of a camera where the flash piece is attached to the camera base. Shaped like a horse shoe, the hot shoe has two parallel rims under which the flash unit is affixed to the camera.

infrared photography: Infrared photography refers to the area of photography in which photos are taken with film sensitive to infrared light. In infrared photography, the filter only allows the infrared wavelengths, not the wavelengths of visible color, to pass through and produce an image.

infrared: Typically achieved with the use of a filter in photography to create pictures of items that cannot be seen by the human eye.

JPEG: JPEG, short for Joint Photographic Experts Group, is a method of storing graphic image files.
JPEG files work by compressing images in order to save memory space. During the compression, the image looses some of its quality.