Many people who started as photographers become confused by various terminology. Many of the characteristics of a camera are described in technical terms even when purchasing one. We want to clarify the basic terms used in photography in this post. The goal of the article is to familiarise an aspiring photographer or just a person who enjoys photography with certain key terms that can improve communication and understanding of their craft.
Aperture
In simple English, aperture refers to a small opening in some object. In photography, the camera lens has a diaphragm that can open or close to adjust the amount of light entering the camera lens. If a person is shooting in a bright light setting then he would preferably reduce the opening to limit the light entering the lens to avoid an over-exposed photograph.
In Photography, these adjustment made to control aperture size is referred to as f-stops. f-stop is a number that helps a photographer understand and adjust their camera lens aperture. The rule of thumb is, the larger the number of f-stops smaller the aperture. So if you are planning to shoot in the dark, you will need your lens to allow more light to pass and hence need to adjust your lens with a lower f-stop value.
ISO
ISO defines the sensitivity of your camera. Higher the ISO value more the sensitivity. This means the image will be brighter. Traditionally it was used for camera films. A higher ISO film would mean it can get exposed even with minimum light available. But in this digital era, ISO has become a setting option. If you set your camera to high ISO it will make your image more bright, but it will do so by adding noise it your image. Noise is the grains you see in the image. It reduces the sharpness of an Image.
Shutter speed
The camera lens is attached in front of the camera sensor. In front of this sensor, there is a shutter. When you click on the button the shutter opens allowing the light to fall on the sensor which ultimately generates the image. The amount of time the shutter opens is referred to as shutter speed. It can range between a few seconds to a fraction of a second. For example, the shutter speed is set to say 1/500 which means the shutter will be open for 0.002 seconds. This is helpful if you are trying to capture a fast-moving object.
Exposure triangle
Shutter speed, ISO, and aperture determine the camera’s light absorption. This is referred to as the exposure triangle. By adjusting this parameter you can create various exposures in your photographs.
Depth of field
The camera can focus on a particular object at a given time. But there would be many objects in front and back of our primary object which we would like to keep in focus. If your lens keeps in focus multiple objects at different distances then it is considered to have a large depth of field. While portrait usually all the background is blurred, this is referred to as shallow depth of field.
White balance
Our eyes are capable of adjusting to different lighting conditions. But the camera cannot do it by itself. Ever notice while taking a picture of a sky or a water body, the photo seems to be much more blue than the reality? This is because the white balance is not calibrated. In photography, it is essential to calibrate the white balance to make sure the photo you take matches the actual scene.
Playing around the above-mentioned parameters along with your creativity you can capture some of the amazing photographs. In addition to this, the type of lens you use plays an important role. We recommend reading our article on different kinds of lenses to have a better understanding of them.