Photo Glossary
The most important photography terms for beginners – explained clearly, sorted alphabetically.
Here you will find an alphabetically sorted glossary on the topic of photography. Whether you are a beginner or advanced: If you come across a term, look it up here.
📋 Table of Contents
AF Selection
AF stands for Autofocus. There are four operating modes:
- Automatic Autofocus (AF-A): The camera switches automatically as soon as the subject begins to move.
- Single Autofocus (AF-S): For stationary subjects. When you press the shutter button halfway, the camera focuses once. Once focused, the AF focus point briefly flashes red. You can then change the image section – the sharpness remains stored.
- Continuous Autofocus (AF-C): For moving objects – e.g. sports photography. The focus distance is continuously adjusted.
- Manual Focus (M): The image is focused manually by rotating the focus ring of the lens.
Exposure Compensation
With exposure compensation, you can readjust brightness: At Minus (–) the image becomes darker, at Plus (+) it becomes brighter.
💡 Tip: Reset exposure compensation after each shot! Otherwise, you quickly get incorrectly exposed images, because two days later you won't remember what you changed.
Shutter Speed
Shutter speed is given in seconds – mostly in fractions of a second. Typical values: 1, 0.5, ¼, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125 seconds.
Two criteria are important: What should be conveyed in the image? And: How long can you hold the camera steady?
Aperture
The aperture controls the depth of field. Possible settings: 1, 1.4, 2.0, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32.
The blur affects both foreground and background. The larger the number, the larger the area that is sharply depicted.
Focal Length
Now it gets a bit more complicated: Focal length describes the distance from the lens to the focal point – given in millimeters. The effect depends on the size of the sensor. The smaller the value, the larger the image section.
Three focal length categories (based on 35mm full-frame):
- < 40 mm: Wide-angle
- 40–60 mm: Standard focal length
- > 60 mm: Telephoto focal length / Zoom
The specifications are often combined, e.g. "20 mm wide-angle".
ISO
Typical ISO values: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400.
Principle: The higher the number, the less light the camera needs for a correctly exposed image. But: Higher values degrade image quality – image noise occurs. A low ISO number provides the best image quality.
💡 Tip: Every camera has its own limits for good image quality. Try out which ISO value is the limit for your camera.
Calibration
For colors on your monitor to look truly "real", calibration is necessary. If your photos look different on your monitor than on the printed image, you should urgently calibrate your monitor – i.e., adjust the colors correctly.
💡 Recommendation: Calibrate your monitor about once a month. There are affordable calibration solutions for monitors.
Focus Area Selection
Through focus area selection, you determine which area of an image is brought into sharp focus.
As a standard, it usually makes sense to activate the central focus field. But of course, it depends on what you intend to do 😊
Modes
A camera usually has several program presets. At least these three:
- Av (A) – Aperture Priority: You select the aperture, the camera determines the shutter speed. Large aperture values = large depth of field, small values = shallow depth of field.
- P – Program Auto: Camera automatically sets aperture and shutter speed. You select the ISO yourself – depending on the lighting situation and application.
- Tv (S) – Shutter Priority: You select the shutter speed, the camera determines the aperture. Fast shutter speeds freeze movement, slow shutter speeds blur it.
White Balance
What is white balance? Not all light is white, even if we perceive it as such. The color of light or color temperature is measured in Kelvin and helps to represent colors correctly.
White balance is so named because it's about depicting a white surface as a white surface – e.g., a wall. Even if the light on it is yellow. Other influences such as reflections can also affect the color temperature.
Interplay of the Three Values
What you should always keep in mind: A proper exposure results from the interplay of:
- Shutter Speed
- Aperture
- ISO Sensitivity
If one of these three elements changes, the other two values must always be adjusted!
📋 Remember the 3 Fundamental Values
Anyone who understands these three values has half the photography battle won:
- Shutter Speed – how long light is on the sensor
- Aperture – how much light passes through
- ISO – how sensitive the sensor is
Fancy image editing?
With Photomizer 3, you automatically improve your photos – brightness, colors, sharpness. Ideal after shooting with the right settings.
View Photomizer 3 →