Glossary

First, I will define some photography terms that will probably be used often in this blog. Don't worry about memorizing them now, we will mention them so much that it should become second nature to you at some point.

Disclaimer: I am trying to keep things simple, so if you want a more technical definition, this is not the place. I don't think that at this point it really adds to the discussion to get very technical.

Aperture - Basically, the size of the opening in the lens. This can be controlled(up to the lens' maximum and minimum apertures). It is written down as a fraction, such as f/1.4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, etc. Since it is a division, the larger the f-number, the smaller the aperture(opening) and the less light it lets in(and the more DOF). So try to remember the smaller the f-number, the bigger the aperture. It is an inverse relationship.

Depth of Field(DOF) - In the photograph, the distance range that is in focus. Aperture and focal length have dramatic effects on DOF.

Exposure - A term for the amount of light that you allow to hit the film or sensor of the camera.

ISO - The level of sensitivity to light of the image sensor or the film. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive it is. Fun Fact: The initials come from the International Organization for Standardization, but they aren't really initials, and come from the Greek word for equal.

Focal Length - This has a somewhat complicated technical definition. For our purposes, suffice it to say that it is the number on your lens that is measured in millimeters(mm). Not the filter size, but the main specification of your lens. 18-55mm, or 50mm, or 70-300mm. That would the focal length. The smaller/shorter it is, the wider the angle of view. The longer the focal length, the more "zoomed in" it is. Most dSLRs come with what is known as a "crop sensor", or APS-C size sensor, meaning it is slightly smaller than the 35mm full frame sensors of the higher end "pro" cameras. This means that in some lenses, such as the very common(and awesome) nifty 50, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II are actually about 1.6 times the focal length they say on there. So this lens would be 80mm on these cameras.

Live view - A feature on many dSLRs that allows you to see the image BEFORE you take it on the LCD display. Very useful for certain types of photos. If you had a point and shoot previously, or even saw one, you should be familiar with this as this is the ONLY way you can see what you are taking in most point and shoots, since they don't have an optical viewfinder(some have a digital one, which is kind of strange).

Shutter Speed(exposure time) - The amount of time that you let light hit the sensor or film. Measured in seconds. Usually denoted as a fraction when it is less than 1 second(1/500, 1/50, 1/6, etc.) and with a quotation mark when more than 1 second(1", 10", 30", etc.).

Viewfinder - Where you put your eye to see what the picture will look like. On dSLRs, it is optical, and what you see is what you get(for the most part).

White Balance(Color Temperature) -  Refers to the the adjustment of color mapping in order to render color tones correctly under artificial or different lighting(such as incandescent or fluorescent lighting). It can be done by choosing a preset(such as daylight, cloudy, color temperature, fluorescent, etc.) in camera or in post processing software(such as DPP, Aperture, Lightroom, Photoshop, etc.).

As I remember more terms, I will add them to this entry so you can reference it as needed as well as define them as they come up. Again, don't worry if this seems daunting or overwhelming, it will all fall into place.