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Glossary of terms used in Digital Photography Photography has long had its own language, and digital photography adds many new terms. This glossary defines commonly used words and phrases in digital photography. Aperture A small, circular opening inside the lens that can change in diameter to control the amount of light reaching the camera's sensor as a picture is taken. The aperture diameter is expressed in f-stops; the lower the number, the larger the aperture. For instance, the aperture opening when set to f/2.8 is larger than at f/8. The aperture and shutter speed together control the total amount of light reaching the sensor. A larger aperture passes more light through to the sensor. Many cameras have an aperture priority mode that allows you to adjust the aperture to your own liking. See also shutter speed. Buffer Memory in the camera that stores digital photos before they are written to the memory card. Burning Selectively darkening part of a photo with an image editing program. CCD Charge Coupled Device: one of the two main types of image sensors used in digital cameras. When a picture is taken, the CCD is struck by light coming through the camera's lens. Each of the thousands or millions of tiny pixels that make up the CCD convert this light into electrons. The number of electrons, usually described as the pixel's accumulated charge, is measured, then converted to a digital value. This last step occurs outside the CCD, in a camera component called an analog-to-digital converter. CMOS Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor: one of the two main types of image sensors used in digital cameras. Its basic function is the same as that of a CCD. CMOS sensors are currently found in only a handful of digital cameras. CompactFlash™ A common type of digital camera memory card, about the size of a matchbook. There are two types of cards, Type I and Type II. They vary only in their thickness, with Type I being slightly thinner. A CompactFlash memory card can contain either flash memory or a miniature hard drive. The flash memory type is more prevalent. Contrast The difference between the darkest and lightest areas in a photo. The greater the difference, the higher the contrast. Download, downloading The process of moving computer data from one location to another. Though the term is normally used to describe the transfer, or downloading, of data from the Internet, it is also used to describe the transfer of photos from a camera memory card to the computer. Example: I downloaded photos to my PC. DPI Dots per inch: A measurement of the resolution of a digital photo or digital device, including digital cameras and printers. The higher the number, the greater the resolution. EXIF Exchangeable Image File: the file format used by most digital cameras. For example, when a typical camera is set to record a JPEG, it's actually recording an EXIF file that uses JPEG compression to compress the photo data within the file. External flash A supplementary flash unit that connects to the camera with a cable, or is triggered by the light from the camera's internal flash. Many fun and creative effects can be created with external flash. Fill flash A flash technique used to brighten deep shadow areas, typically outdoors on sunny days. Some digital cameras include a fill flash mode that forces the flash to fire, even in bright light. FireWire A type of cabling technology for transferring data to and from digital devices at high speed. Some professional digital cameras and memory card readers connect to the computer over FireWire. FireWire card readers are typically faster than those that connect via USB. Also known as IEEE 1394, FireWire was invented by Apple Computer but is now commonly used with Windows-based PCs as well. Grayscale A photo made up of varying tones of black and white. Grayscale is synonymous with black and white. Histogram A graphic representation of the range of tones from dark to light in a photo. Some digital cameras include a histogram feature that enables a precise check on the exposure of the photo. Image editor A computer program that enables you to adjust a photo to improve its appearance. With image editing software, you can darken or lighten a photo, rotate it, adjust its contrast, crop out extraneous detail, remove red-eye and more. Image resolution - The number of pixels in a digital photo is commonly referred to as its image resolution. Inkjet A printer that places ink on the paper by spraying droplets through tiny nozzles. ISO speed A rating of a film's sensitivity to light. Though digital cameras don't use film, they have adopted the same rating system for describing the sensitivity of the camera's imaging sensor. Digital cameras often include a control for adjusting the ISO speed; some will adjust it automatically depending on the lighting conditions, adjusting it upwards as the available light dims. Generally, as ISO speed climbs, image quality drops. JPEG A standard for compressing image data developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group, hence the name JPEG. Strictly speaking, JPEG is not a file format, it's a compression method that is used within a file format, such as the EXIF-JPEG format common to digital cameras. It is referred to as a lossy format, which means some quality is lost in achieving JPEG's high compression rates. Usually, if a high-quality, low-compression JPEG setting is chosen on a digital camera, the loss of quality is not detectable to the eye. LCD Liquid Crystal Display: a low-power monitor often used on the top and/or rear of a digital camera to display settings or the photo itself. Megabyte (MB) A measurement of data storage equal to 1024 kilobytes (KB). Megapixel Equal to one million pixels. Memory Stick®—A memory card slightly smaller than a single stick of chewing gum. Like CompactFlash and SmartMedia, it is flash-based storage for your photos. NiMH Nickel Metal-Hydride: a type of rechargeable battery that can be recharged many times. NiMH batteries provide sufficient power to run digital cameras and flashes. Pixel Picture Element: digital photographs are comprised of thousands or millions of them; they are the building blocks of a digital photo. RAW The RAW image format is the data as it comes directly off the CCD, with no in-camera processing is performed. Red-eye The red glow from a subject's eyes caused by light from a flash reflecting off the blood vessels behind the retina in the eye. The effect is most common when light levels are low, outdoor at night, or indoor in a dimly-lit room. RGB Red, Green, Blue: the three colours to which the human visual system, digital cameras and many other devices are sensitive. Sensitivity See ISO speed. Serial A method for connecting an external device such as a printer, scanner, or camera, to a computer. It has been all but replaced by USB and FireWire in modern computers. Sharpness The clarity of detail in a photo. Shutter speed The camera's shutter speed is a measurement of how long its shutter remains open as the picture is taken. The slower the shutter speed, the longer the exposure time. When the shutter speed is set to 1/125 or simply 125, this means that the shutter will be open for exactly 1/125th of one second. The shutter speed and aperture together control the total amount of light reaching the sensor. Some digital cameras have a shutter priority mode that allows you to set the shutter speed to your liking. See also aperture. SmartMedia™—a wafer-thin, matchbook size memory card. This is also a flash-memory based storage medium. Thumbnail A small version of a photo. Image browsers commonly display thumbnails of photos several or even dozens at a time. In Windows XP's My Pictures, you can view thumbnails of photos in both the Thumbnails and Filmstrip view modes. USB Universal Serial Bus: a protocol for transferring data to and from digital devices. Many digital cameras and memory card readers connect to the USB port on a computer. USB card readers are typically faster than cameras or readers that connect to the serial port, but slower than those that connect via FireWire.
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Website created by Susan Porter-Thomas Portraits - Parties - Other Ideas - Gallery - Corporate - Contact - Hints and tips - a photographer's opinion - buying a camera - links - glossary All images copyright Susan Porter-Thomas Photography | |||||||||||
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Website created by Susan Porter-Thomas children - Parties - Pregnancy - Gallery - Adults - Contact - Hints and tips - a photographer's opinion - buying a camera - links - glossary All images copyright Susan Porter-Thomas Photography | ||
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Susan Porter-Thomas Top UK Photographer, London. One of the finest London photographers or UK photographers. Corporate photographer, family photographer, children, baby, infant, toddler photographer, people photographer. who also does weddings, stock photos actors and singers publicity head shots and pregnancy shots...but above all a London photographer. Digital. Susan Porter-Thomas is a professional freelance photographer based in Ealing, West London England and is available for studio and location work around the area, Hounslow, Richmond, Chiswick, Ealing, Acton, Kew, Wimbledon, Cheam, Kingston, Greenford, Hammersmith This website also contains an on-line picture library of location and studio shots of families, children and actors and singers..This London picture library includes photographs taken in London's Richmond Park, Kew Gardens, and Syon House Gardens, Top London photographers do not usually come cheap but you will find that Susan Porter-Thomas is one of the more realistically priced London photographers. Susan's Photography is very experimental and uses a fully digital set up which allows her to create amazing effects on the computer. She has created stunning effects with black and white and colour prints as well as colour modification prints. Some more stylised and modern looks have been well received as families are looking for a more contemporary feel to their portraits. Susan's husband is professional singer and so there has also been a lot of work coming from professional singers and actors for publicity shots of which there are some great examples in the corporate section. Susan has also taken photographs for a company web site also looking for a more contemporary feel.
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