Photography Dictionary

panoramic photography: Panoramic photography is the type of photography that includes a wider field of view than other forms of photography. Landscapes and larger group photos are some of the most popular subjects for panoramic photography.

parallax: Parallax is the seeming movement of two immobile points that someone experiences as he himself moves. For example, when you move, fixed objects can appear to have come closer to each other, have changed backgrounds or to have moved further apart from each other.

perspective distortion (caused by camera to subject distance): Perspective distortion describes the phenomenon in which part of a subject (or the entire subject itself) appears unproportionately larger than the other features of the scene.

perspective: Perspective describes how an eye (or camera lens) perceives and interprets a scene based on the spatial relations of the objects within the scene.

photo-essay: A collection of photographs that tell a story or capture an emotion through a simple montage, but can also incorporate text.

photogram: A photogram is the reproduction of an image without taking a picture with a camera. Instead, the image is recreated by placing the subject/object directly on photosensitive light and then exposing it to light to recreate the image of the subject's silhouette.

photogramme: Also meaning "frame," as part of a series in cinematic film or the process of producing an image with film, but without a camera.

photograph: A photograph is the reproduction of an image onto another surface. While today's photographs are traditionally represented in digital form or on photopaper, photographic images can also be recreated on glass or metal surfaces.

photographic printing: Photographic printing is the act of turning a negative into a photograph on paper, glass, metal, etc. While photographic printing traditionally takes place in a darkroom where the negative is exposed to light and the image is transferred to photosensitive paper.

photographic processes: Photographic processes refers to the method of developing film. Traditional photographic processes entail chemical treatment of a negative, followed by light exposure, to recreate an image on photographic paper. In digital terms, the photographic process refers to uploading digital images from a camera and then printing them onto photo paper.

photographic signature: An individual's underlying style that is evident across a life's work of photographs.

photojournalism: Photojournalism is the type of photography committed to photographing current events to either enhance a news story or, in its most ideal sense, to relate the details of a story before it happens.

photojournalism: The use of photography to capture news in a non-biased format.

photomontage: Much like an art collage, the collection of portions of photographs or other pieces of art placed together and then sometimes re-photographed. Created with photo manipulation software as well.

Photoshop: Photoshop, a software program produced by Adobe, lets photographers, photo editors and graphic designers alter digital images in a variety of ways. While you can eliminate red eye or change a color image to a black and white image, you can also cut out unsightly details or enlarge or shrink the size of various aspects of your subject and/or scene.

pictorialists: Followers of Pictorialism, who strived to personalize photographic subjects and landscapes with a higher level of artistic expression and less natural realism.

pinhole camera: A pinhole camera is an early form of the modern camera that has no lens. In place of the lens, outside light enters the camera through a small hole that opens at 0.5mm or less. The photographer can use either his hand or a piece of cardboard as a primitive “shutter” to stop more light from entering when he feels the enough exposure has taken place.

pixel: The word pixel comes from the combination of the terms "picture" and "element," in which picture becomes “pix." A pixel is one tiny dot that is part of the sum total of a digital image. In other words, a digital image is created by the interaction and combination of a series of pixels. The more pixels a digital image has, the more detailed it appears.

pixelization: Pixelization is the act of blending pixels to intentionally distort an image so that a viewer can't see (or hear) offensive material. Pixelization in images generally prevents viewers from seeing nudity.

portfolio: A collection of works used for commercial promotion to obtain work and sometimes published for sale.

portrait: A close-up or full body photograph that characterizes an individual by capturing a mood through facial expression, dress or physical stance.

portraitist: A photographer who specializes in portrait work.

posterization: Posterization refers to changing the color tones in particular areas of an image, creating a blurry, almost psychedelic affect. In fact, the word “posterization” is a derivative of the term "poster" in that posterized images reflect the mass-produced look of images in posters.

previsualization: A technique made popular by Ansel Adams in which technicalities were studied to achieve artful results before a subject was captured on film.

print permanence: Print permanence describes the shelf-life of a photo print (i.e. how long a print will last before becoming damaged or distorted). A particular measure of print permanence depends on what the print lies on. For example, a metal print is likely to have more permanence than a paper or glass print.

print: Typically a glossy or matte reproduction of photographic film or digital output by computer.

push printing: Push printing (or push processing or push developing) refers to developing film so that the print looks like it was shot at a higher film speed than it actually was. “Pushing,” a process that can happen when the film is developed or printed, intensifies the contrast in the final print.

red-eye effect: The red-eye effect is the phenomenon that occurs when a subject’s eyes appear red and demonic in pictures. Scientifically, subjects will suffer from the red-eye effect if the camera’s flash directly enters the retina or if the iris doesn’t contract enough to block out excess light. Those with blue or grey eyes tend to experience the red-eye effect more due to the fact that they lack melanin in their irises, allowing more light to enter their eyes.

rephotography: Rephotography is the act of photographing a single subject at various times to show its evolution or growth. When shooting a rephotography, photographers can recreate the original scene, lighting, etc. or can set the same subject in an entirely new scene.

resolution: Resolution, a feature described as dots per inch (DPI), measures the level of detail an image portrays. Higher DPI numbers mean that a photo has more dots per square inch of the image, which in turn means that it has a higher resolution and greater detail. Resolution can refer to digital images on LCD screens, computers or physical prints.

RGB: RGB refers to a chromatic system based on the colors red, green and blue. Using these three colors, the system manufactures any other color by blending various portions of two or all three of them. An alternate color system is the CMYB system based on cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

Rolleiflex: High-end, professional's choice cameras manufactured by Rollei, a German company.

rollout photography: Rollout photography is the type of photography that renders 3D images as flat, 2D subjects to highlight angles and planes, instead of depth and dynamism. Rollout photography is general used in cartography, map making.

rule of thirds: The rule of thirds is a photographic technique that helps photographers frame their shots. Using the rule of thirds, a photographer is supposed to equally divide a given frame into nine equal sections with two horizontal and two vertical lines. "Power points" refer to the four points where these four lines intersect. By moving the focus of his shot between these nine different sections, the photographer can see how the mood, tone and emphasis of his shot changes.

Sabatier Effect: The Sabatier Effect describes the way in which the light and dark areas on a negative reverse the light and dark areas of the original scene. If the Sabatier Effect maintains this reversal on the print, the resulting effect is referred to as solarisation.

science of photography: The science of photography broadly describes each of the scientific practices (including chemistry and physics) that contribute to the actualizing this practice.

self-portrait: The art of obtaining a portrait while being both the subject and the photographer.

sepia toned: A single tone, typically ranging from yellow to brown hues, and a popular choice to replicate historical photographs.

sepia toning: Similar to greyscale, sepia toning is the representation of an image within a monochromatic color system based on shades of brown. Sepia tones engender the classic, oldtime feel of the some of the first photos of the 1700s that could only be reproduced in these brown scales.

shutter speed: Measured in seconds, shutter speed is the amount of time a camera’s shutter stays open so light can enter the lens and expose an image to the film. Standard shutter speed on a clear, bright day is 1/125th of a second.

SLR: Single lens reflex (SLR) is a camera with a rotating mirror (generally a pentamirror or five-sided prism) that focuses a scene onto the film as the picture is taken. A benefit of the SLR camera is that these types of cameras prevent parallax distortion, the perceived movement of immobile objects due to the photographer's change of position.

solo exhibit: An individual presentation of photographic works in a public location.

stereoscopy: Referred to as stereoscopic imaging or three-dimensional imaging, stereoscopy is the method of creating a 3D image on a flat, 2D surface (i.e. rendering a 3D scene on a flat piece of photographic paper or on a cinematic screen).

still life: Any photography that incorporates immobile objects, often grouped together purposefully to create a scene.

stock photography: Also known as "photo archive" or "image banks," stock photography refers to a metaphorical "warehouse" of images and photos available for public use. While graphic designers and web developers tend to use stock photography the most, anyone has access to these images and can reproduce them based on the terms and conditions of the specific stock photography venue you choose.

stop motion: Stop motion is the photographic technique of creating the sense of movement with a series of still pictures. Not to be confused with animation, stop motion generally describes claymation (clay animation), such as the technology used to create the kid's show "Gumbi" and the Disney movie "Chick Run.
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straight photography: Embraced by many well-known early photographers, this movement stressed the importance of taking pictures in their most natural state, including the elimination of filters and extra lighting.

street photography: Also known as straight photography, street photography is the area of photography that finds its subjects and settings in everyday life, such as parks, streets and neighborhoods. Street photography seeks to act as a mirror that honestly portrays an immediate scene without layering it with a personal bias.

studio photography: Indoor shooting that involves set design as well as highly controlled lighting.

superimposition: Often used in mapping, this technique layers images to highlight special features or to cover existing ones.