Terms to Define

• Shutter- Blades, a curtain, plate, or some other movable cover in a camera that controls the time during which light reaches the film.

• Shutter Speed- The camera's shutter speed is a measurement of how long its shutter remains open as the picture is taken.

• Appiture- Lens opening. The opening in a camera lens through which light passes to expose the film. The size of aperture is either fixed or adjustable. Aperture size is usually calibrated in f-numbers-the larger the number, the smaller the lens opening.

• Lens- One or more pieces of optical glass or similar material designed to collect and focus rays of light to form a sharp image on the film, paper, or projection screen.

• "Glass"
• SLR- Single-Lens-Reflex A camera in which you view the scene through the same lens that takes the picture.

• Tri-Pod- A three-legged supporting stand used to hold the camera steady. Especially useful when using slow shutter speeds and/or telephoto lenses.

• Mono-Pod- A single-legged supporting stand used to hold the camera steady. Especially useful when using slow shutter speeds and/or telephoto lenses.

• Appiture Priority Mode- An exposure mode on an automatic or auto focus camera that lets you set the aperture while the camera sets the shutter speed for proper exposure. If you change the aperture, or the light level changes, the shutter speed changes automatically.

• Shutter priority mode- An exposure mode on an automatic or autofocus camera that lets you select the desired shutter speed; the camera sets the aperture for proper exposure. If you change the shutter speed, or the light level changes, the camera adjusts the aperture automatically.

• Auto Mode- A camera with a built-in exposure meter that automatically adjusts the lens opening, shutter speed, or both for proper exposure.

• Flash- A brief, intense burst of light from a flashbulb or an electronic flash unit, usually used where the lighting on the scene is inadequate for picture-taking.

• Flash Card- A memory card that works with the flash memory, allowing the camera to retain data after the system has been turned off.

• USB- Universal Serial Bus: a protocol for transferring data to and from digital devices.

• Photo Printer- A device that connects to your camera that is used to print photos.

• Printer- A device that is capable of translating digital data into hardcopy output.

• Photo Paper- Special paper used to print photos.

• Time to First Shot
• Continuous Shooting- A feature found on more expensive digital cameras that enables you to take several images in quick succession; the images are saved to the memory card after the multiple exposures have been taken.

• Time Delay- A comparatively long exposure made in seconds or minutes.

• Anti-Shock mode
• Mirror Lock
• Noise- An unwanted grain pattern in an image often caused by slow shutter speeds and high ISO settings.

• jpeg- A standard for compressing image data developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group, hence the name JPEG.

• RAW-The RAW image format is the data as it comes directly off the CCD, with no in-camera processing is performed.

• Digital Negative- file format is a royalty free RAW image format designed by Adobe Systems.

• TIFF- Stands for Tag Image File Format, a lossless cross-platform (both Windows and Macintosh) bitmap file format.

• Aspect Ratio- The ratio of width to height in photographic prints.

• Background- The part of the scene the appears behind the principal subject of the picture.

• Close-Up- A picture taken with the subject close to the camera-usually less than two or three feet away, but it can be as close as a few inches.

• Color Balance- How a color film reproduces the colors of a scene.

• Depth of Focus- The distance range over which the film could be shifted at the film plane inside the camera and still have the subject appear in sharp focus.

• Exposure- The quantity of light allowed to act on a photographic material.

• Film- A photographic emulsion coated on a flexible, transparent base that records images or scenes.

• Focus- Adjustment of the distance setting on a lens to define the subject sharply.

• Foreground- The area between the camera and the principal subject.

• Frame- One individual picture on a roll of film.

• Lens- One or more pieces of optical glass or similar material designed to collect and focus rays of light to form a sharp image on the film, paper, or projection screen.

• Negative- The developed film that contains a reversed tone image of the original scene.

• Overexposure- A condition in which too much light reaches the film, producing a dense negative or a very light print or slide.

• Processing- Developing, fixing, and washing exposed photographic film or paper to produce either a negative image or a positive image.

• Soft Focus- Produced by use of a special lens that creates soft outlines.

• Tone- The degree of lightness or darkness in any given area of a print.

• Underexposure- A condition in which too little light reaches the film, a dark slide, or a muddy-looking print.

• Zoom Lens- A lens in which you adjust the focal length over a wide range.