Exposure Triangle

Aperture: The opening in your lens that controls how much light hits the sensor. Measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/2.8, f/5.6, etc.). Lower numbers = wider opening = more light + shallower depth of field.

Shutter Speed: How long your camera's sensor is exposed to light. Measured in fractions of a second (1/1000, 1/250, 1/60) or full seconds. Faster speeds freeze motion; slower speeds create blur.

ISO: Your camera sensor's sensitivity to light. Lower numbers (100, 200) = less sensitive, cleaner images. Higher numbers (1600, 3200, 6400) = more sensitive, grainier images (noise).

Exposure: The amount of light that reaches your camera sensor. Proper exposure balances aperture, shutter speed, and ISO to create a well-lit image.

Stop: A unit of measurement for light. Each stop represents a doubling or halving of light. Used when adjusting aperture, shutter speed, or ISO.

Metering Modes

Metering: How your camera measures light in a scene to determine proper exposure settings.

Evaluative/Matrix Metering: Camera analyzes the entire frame and calculates an average exposure. Good general-purpose metering mode for most situations.

Center-Weighted Metering: Prioritizes the center of the frame (about 60-80%) while still considering the rest of the scene. Good for portraits where your subject is centered.

Spot Metering: Measures light from a very small area (1-5% of the frame), usually the center or active focus point. Precise control for high-contrast scenes or when you want to expose for a specific area.

Partial Metering: Similar to spot metering but covers a slightly larger area (about 10-15% of the frame). Available on some Canon cameras.

Exposure Compensation: Manually adjusting your camera's suggested exposure brighter (+) or darker (-) in stops or fractions of stops. Useful when metering gets tricked by very bright or dark scenes.

Focus Modes

Single Shot AF (One-Shot AF/AF-S): Camera focuses once when you half-press the shutter, then locks focus. Best for stationary subjects like portraits and landscapes.

Continuous AF (AI Servo/AF-C): Camera continuously adjusts focus as long as you hold the shutter button halfway. Tracks moving subjects. Essential for sports, wildlife, and action photography.

Auto AF (AI Focus/AF-A): Camera automatically switches between single and continuous AF based on subject movement. Good when you're not sure if your subject will move.

Manual Focus (MF): You control focus using the lens focus ring. Useful for macro, low light, video, or when autofocus struggles.

Focus Points: The specific areas in your frame where your camera can focus. Modern cameras have anywhere from 9 to several hundred focus points.

Focus Area Modes: How your camera selects which focus point(s) to use—single point (you choose one), zone/area (camera uses a group), or all points (camera decides).

Eye/Face Detection AF: Advanced autofocus that automatically finds and tracks human (or animal) eyes and faces. Excellent for portraits and keeping eyes sharp.

Drive Modes

Single Shot: Camera takes one photo each time you press the shutter button. Standard mode for most photography.

Continuous/Burst Mode: Camera takes multiple photos in rapid succession while you hold down the shutter button. Speed measured in frames per second (fps). Essential for action, sports, and capturing fleeting moments.

Self-Timer: Camera delays taking the photo for a set time (usually 2 or 10 seconds) after you press the shutter. Good for self-portraits or reducing camera shake on a tripod.

Interval Timer/Intervalometer: Takes photos automatically at set intervals. Used for time-lapse photography.

Mirror Lock-Up: On DSLRs, raises the mirror before taking the photo to reduce vibration. Useful for long exposures on a tripod.

Silent/Quiet Mode: Reduces shutter noise. Useful for weddings, performances, or wildlife photography where sound matters.

Camera Modes

Manual Mode (M): You control aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Full creative control.

Aperture Priority (Av or A): You set the aperture, camera chooses shutter speed. Great for controlling depth of field.

Shutter Priority (Tv or S): You set the shutter speed, camera chooses aperture. Useful for freezing or blurring motion.

Program Mode (P): Camera sets both aperture and shutter speed, but you can adjust other settings. A step up from full auto.

Auto Mode: Camera makes all decisions. Limited creative control.

Focus & Depth of Field

Depth of Field (DOF): The zone of acceptable sharpness in your photo, from foreground to background. Shallow DOF = blurry background (portraits). Deep DOF = everything sharp (landscapes).

Bokeh: The aesthetic quality of the out-of-focus areas in your image, usually created by a wide aperture. Smooth, creamy bokeh is often desirable for portraits.

Autofocus (AF): Your camera's automatic focusing system. Can be single-point, multi-point, or face/eye detection.

Manual Focus (MF): Focusing by hand using the focus ring on your lens. Useful for macro, low light, or when autofocus struggles.

Composition

Rule of Thirds: Compositional guideline that divides your frame into a 3x3 grid. Place key elements along the lines or at intersections for balanced, interesting images.

Leading Lines: Lines in your image (roads, fences, rivers) that guide the viewer's eye toward your subject.

Framing: Using elements in your scene (doorways, branches, windows) to create a frame around your subject.

Negative Space: Empty or uncluttered areas around your subject. Creates breathing room and draws attention to your main subject.

Golden Hour: The hour after sunrise and before sunset when light is soft, warm, and flattering. Prime time for outdoor photography.

Blue Hour: The period of twilight before sunrise or after sunset when the sky has a deep blue color. Great for cityscapes and moody landscapes.

Light & Color

White Balance: Adjusts colors to look natural under different light sources (daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, cloudy). Measured in Kelvin (K).

Color Temperature: The warmth or coolness of light. Lower Kelvin = warmer (orange/yellow). Higher Kelvin = cooler (blue).

Histogram: A graph showing the tonal distribution in your image from shadows (left) to highlights (right). Helps you check exposure.

Dynamic Range: The range between the darkest shadows and brightest highlights your camera can capture in a single shot.

High Key: Images with predominantly bright tones and minimal shadows. Light, airy feel.

Low Key: Images with predominantly dark tones and deep shadows. Dramatic, moody feel.

File Formats

RAW: Unprocessed image file containing all data from your camera sensor. Maximum editing flexibility, larger file size. Requires processing software.

JPEG: Compressed image file processed in-camera. Smaller file size, ready to share, but less editing flexibility.

DPI/PPI: Dots per inch or pixels per inch. Resolution measurement for printing. 300 DPI is standard for high-quality prints.

Lenses

Focal Length: The distance (in millimeters) between your lens and the sensor when focused at infinity. Determines your field of view and magnification.

Wide-Angle Lens: Short focal length (12-35mm). Captures more of the scene. Great for landscapes, architecture, interiors.

Standard/Normal Lens: Moderate focal length (35-70mm). Similar perspective to human vision. Versatile for many subjects.

Telephoto Lens: Long focal length (70-600mm+). Magnifies distant subjects. Great for wildlife, sports, portraits.

Prime Lens: Fixed focal length (50mm, 85mm, etc.). Often sharper and faster (wider aperture) than zoom lenses.

Zoom Lens: Variable focal length (24-70mm, 70-200mm, etc.). More versatile but may sacrifice some image quality or maximum aperture.

Macro Lens: Designed for extreme close-up photography of small subjects (flowers, insects, jewelry). Can focus very close with 1:1 magnification or greater.

Post-Processing

Culling: The process of sorting through photos to select the best ones and reject the rest. First step in your editing workflow.

Editing: Adjusting exposure, color, contrast, sharpness, and other parameters to enhance your image.

Retouching: Removing blemishes, smoothing skin, removing distractions, or making other detailed corrections.

Batch Processing: Applying the same edits to multiple photos at once. Saves time when editing similar images.

Presets: Saved editing settings you can apply to photos with one click. Speeds up workflow and maintains consistency.

Catalog: A database (like in Lightroom) that organizes and tracks your photos, edits, and metadata without duplicating files.

Export: Converting your edited image to a specific file format, size, and quality for sharing or printing.

Lens & Image Issues

Vignetting: Darkening of image corners. Can be a lens limitation (especially at wide apertures or with wide-angle lenses) or added intentionally in post-processing for artistic effect.

Distortion: Bending or warping of straight lines in your image caused by lens design. Common types include barrel distortion (lines bow outward) and pincushion distortion (lines bow inward).

Barrel Distortion: Type of distortion where straight lines bow outward, making the image appear to bulge in the center. Common with wide-angle lenses.

Pincushion Distortion: Type of distortion where straight lines bow inward toward the center. More common with telephoto lenses.

Perspective Distortion: When vertical or horizontal lines appear to converge due to camera angle. Common when shooting buildings from ground level (making them appear to lean backward).

Chromatic Aberration: Color fringing (usually purple or green) along high-contrast edges. Lens imperfection caused by different wavelengths of light focusing at slightly different points. Can be corrected in post-processing.

Lens Flare: Bright spots, streaks, or haze in your image caused by light hitting your lens directly. Can be unwanted or used creatively.

Soft Focus: Slightly out-of-focus or diffused image quality. Can be unintentional (missed focus) or intentional for dreamy, romantic effect.

Motion Blur: Blur caused by subject or camera movement during exposure. Can be unwanted (camera shake) or intentional (showing motion).

Technical Terms

Sensor: The digital component in your camera that captures light and creates your image. Larger sensors generally produce better image quality.

Full Frame: A sensor size equivalent to 35mm film (36x24mm). Larger than crop sensors, better low-light performance and shallower DOF.

Crop Sensor: A sensor smaller than full frame (APS-C, Micro Four Thirds). More affordable, smaller cameras, but narrower field of view.

Crop Factor: The multiplier effect of a crop sensor on focal length. For example, a 50mm lens on a 1.6x crop sensor behaves like an 80mm lens on full frame.

Noise: Grainy texture in your image, usually from high ISO or underexposure. Similar to film grain.

Metadata: Information embedded in your image file (camera settings, date, time, location, copyright). Also called EXIF data.

Buffer: Temporary memory in your camera that stores images before writing them to your memory card. Larger buffers allow more continuous shots.

Image Stabilization (IS/VR): Technology in cameras or lenses that reduces blur from camera shake. Called IS (Image Stabilization) by Canon, VR (Vibration Reduction) by Nikon.

Shooting Techniques

Bracketing: Taking multiple shots of the same scene at different exposures. Used for HDR or to ensure proper exposure in tricky lighting.

HDR (High Dynamic Range): Combining multiple exposures to capture detail in both shadows and highlights beyond your camera's single-shot capability.

Long Exposure: Using slow shutter speeds (seconds or minutes) to capture motion blur, light trails, or smooth water.

Panning: Following a moving subject with your camera while using a slower shutter speed. Subject stays sharp while background blurs, showing motion.

Back Button Focus: Separating focus from the shutter button by assigning focus to a button on the back of your camera. Gives more control over focus and recomposing.

Business & Professional Terms

Usage Rights: Permissions granted for how a client can use your images (personal use, commercial use, duration, territory, exclusivity).

Licensing: Granting permission to use your images while retaining copyright. Can be exclusive or non-exclusive, limited or unlimited.

Copyright: Legal ownership of your images. You own copyright the moment you create the photo (in most countries).

Model Release: Legal document signed by people in your photos granting permission to use their likeness, especially for commercial purposes.

Property Release: Legal document granting permission to photograph and use images of private property for commercial purposes.

Turnaround Time: How long it takes to deliver edited images to your client after the shoot.

Gallery: Online platform where clients view, select, and purchase their images.

Print Release: Permission granted to clients to print their digital images themselves rather than ordering through the photographer.

Portrait-Specific Terms

Catchlight: The reflection of your light source in your subject's eyes. Adds life and sparkle to portraits.

Rembrandt Lighting: Portrait lighting pattern creating a triangle of light on the shadowed cheek. Named after the painter Rembrandt.

Butterfly Lighting: Light positioned directly in front of and above the subject, creating a butterfly-shaped shadow under the nose.

Split Lighting: Light from the side, illuminating half the face while the other half is in shadow. Dramatic effect.

Posing: Directing your subject's body position, angles, and expression to create flattering, natural-looking portraits.

Event & Action Photography

Burst Mode: Continuous shooting mode that captures multiple frames per second. Essential for action, sports, and capturing fleeting moments.

Spray and Pray: Taking many shots rapidly hoping to get one good image. Generally not recommended as a primary technique.

Decisive Moment: The perfect instant when all elements align to create a powerful, meaningful image. Coined by Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Candid: Unposed, natural photos taken without the subject's awareness or direction. Captures authentic moments and emotions.