Photography and Camera Vocabulary Definitions Part 2

Many beginners and amateurs of photography become quickly frustrated by the numerous amount of technical terminology used in the craft. But all is not lost, listed below are a few common terms that I have defined in an easy to understand language.

Aperture

All cameras have a diaphragm inside them that can change size to admit more or less light. This is very similar to how the human eye works ” a circular opening that changes size depending on light levels.

Nomenclature is the most confusing part for beginning photographers. Essentially, this is quoted in what is commonly referred to as ‘stops’. If there is a smaller f-stop number such as f/1.8, there will be a wider opening from the aperture. However, if there is a larger number such as f/22, there will only be a tiny opening from the aperture.

If you have an SLR camera, you will not have the wide range of f-stops. The range can run from f/2.8 to f/8 which means the widest the aperture will open is 2.8 and the narrowest is 8.

Sensor

Your digital camera contains a light-sensitive panel that records the light that hits it when you press the button to take a photo. This performs the same function that film does in older cameras. The sensor remains hidden behind the closed shutter (see below) and is only exposed when a photo is taken. Your camera records the light hitting the sensor when you take a picture, and stores the result on the memory card in the camera.

Shutter Speed

A cameras shutter sits just in front of the image sensor. It is normally closed so that no light is getting through to the sensor, but when you press the button, it opens for a certain length of time to expose the sensor to light.

In most cases, the shutter of a camera is made up of two curtains. When using fast shutter speed, the first curtain opens only a tiny gap between it and the second curtain, and travels across the sensor with the second curtain following close behind. When longer exposures are being taken, the whole sensor might be exposed for a period of time before the second curtain closes it.

Shutter speeds are expressed in whole and fractions of seconds. A shutter speed of 1/640, for example, means that the sensor will be exposed for only a one-six-hundred-and-fortieth of a second.

Exposure

The word or term ‘exposure’ means exposing the sensor or film to light in order to take a photograph. For this reason, a photograph is also referred to as an ‘exposure’.

As a photograph is taken, how much light reaches the light-sensitive sensor is determined by aperture and shutter speed. If a darker photo is desired, a slower shutter speed and larger aperture or combination of both may be required for a quality photograph.

The term ‘correct exposure’ refers to the approximation of what could be seen by the photographer’s naked eye at the time of the photograph, however this is truly a matter of taste. It is possible however, to take a photo in the dark of night at a shutter speed so long that the photo appears to have been taken in the daytime.

Tobias Sterling has been in love with photography for many years. He loves to write and share his knowledge with fellow enthusiast on Clivir.com where you can find his lessons including Photography basics and tips and Black and White Photography Tips.