Photography Terminology Explained

Aberration.
The inability of a lens to produce a true image, particularly at the edge of a photograph.
Usually, the more expensive the lens, the better its optical quality and the fewer aberrations.

Angle of View
The area of a scene that a lens can cover. The focal length of the lens determines the angle of view. A wide-angle (short-focal-length) lens includes more of a scene than a standard (normal-focal-length) lens or telephoto (long-focal-length) lens. Angle of view is basically the angle at which light rays can pass through the lens to produce an image on the film.

Aperture
The aperture is the opening formed by the blades of the iris or diaphragm in the lens, through which light passes to expose the film. Aperture size is usually given in f-numbers, the larger the number, the smaller the opening. Aperture size together with shutter speed determine the amount of light falling on the film (exposure). The aperture is sometimes called the "stop".

Aspherical lens
A lens with a curved, non-spherical surface. Used to reduce aberrations and achieve a more compact lens size. With a spherical lens, rays travelling from the lens periphery create the image before the ideal focal point and give a blurred image centre. With an aspherical lens, even the rays travelling from the lens periphery converge at the ideal focal point, thus producing a sharp image.

Chromatic aberration
The inability of a lens to bring all light wavelengths (particularly red & blue) into the same plane of focus, thus causing overall blur. Usually found in regular large-aperture telephoto and super-telephoto lenses. Not improved by reducing aperture size. Can be corrected with low dispersion (ED, LD SD) glass.

Colour temperature
A method of expressing the colour content and quality of light and measured in Kelvin (K). "Photographic daylight" has a colour temperature of about 5500K. Photographic tungsten lights have colour temperatures of 3200K to 3400K depending on their construction.

Depth of Field
The distance between the nearest and furthest objects in a photograph that are considered to be acceptably sharp. Dependant on aperture, focal length and focused distance. The smaller the aperture, the wider the lens and the further the focused distance, giving a greater depth of field and vice versa.

Electronic flash
Designed to provide light where the lighting on the scene is insufficient. Electronic flash requires high voltage, usually obtained through batteries and a voltage-multiplying circuit which discharge a brief, intensive burst. Generally considered to have the same photographic effect as daylight. Modern flash units have multiple TTL exposure control functions and auto focus control.

F-numbers or F-stops
Numbers on the lens aperture ring and the camera's LCD (where applicable) that indicate the size of lens aperture. The lower the number the larger the aperture. As the scale rises, each number is multiplied by a factor of 1.4. Standard numbers are 1.0,1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32, etc., each change resulting in a doubling or halving of the amount of light transmitted by the lens to the film.

Film Speed
ISO stands for International Standards Organization and numbers such as ISO 100 or ISO 400 etc. give the sensitivity of film to light. The higher the number, the more sensitive or faster the film. Basically, the slower the film (low ISO No.) the sharper and clearer the photograph. Grainy effects can be achieved with fast films (high ISO No.).

Flash sync speed
Exposure time with a focal-plane shutter is measured from the moment the first curtain is released until the moment the second curtain is released. The instant the first curtain closes, the electrical contacts for X sync close and instantly fire the flash.

Focal Length
The distance from the film to the optical centre of the lens when the lens is focused on infinity. Focal length on most adjustable cameras is marked in millimetres on the lens mount. On 35mm-format cameras, lenses with a focal length of 50mm are called normal or standard lenses. Lenses of 35mm or less are called wide angle lenses and lenses of 85mm or more are called telephoto lenses. Lenses which allow varying focal lengths without changing focus are called zoom lenses.

Lens
One or more pieces of optical glass or similar material designed to collect and transfer rays of light to form a sharp image on film, paper or a projection screen. In practical photography, compound lenses made of a number of elements of different types of glass are used. This enables the manufacturer to correct most of the faults (aberrations) found in simple lenses and provide images that are sharp across the whole picture.

Lens Speed
The largest aperture(smallest F-stop) at which a lens can be set. Fast lenses transmit more light and have larger openings than slow lenses. Determined by the maximum aperture in relation to focal length. Lens speed is relative: a 400 mm lens with a maximum aperture of F/3.5 is considered extremely fast, while a 28mm F/3.5 lens is considered to be quite slow.

Perspective
Perspective is a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional scene. In photography this can be achieved by viewing 3-D objects from an angle rather than head-on. A photograph is also given perspective if there are objects in the foreground, middle distance and background, giving the whole scene "depth".

Single-Lens-Reflex (SLR) Camera
Light entering the camera through the lens is reflected up by a mirror behind the lens onto a ground glass screen above. This screen is viewed through the viewfinder and a glass pentaprism which turns the image the correct way up. Other camera functions such as light metering and flash control also operate through the camera lens.

Zoom Lens
A lens which can be adjusted to a wide range of focal lengths without a change in focus, thus an alternative for a number of individual lenses of various focal lengths. A difficult type of lens to design and manufacture, but very useful for the photographer who likes to travel light.

My name is Rene Waish, I am a hobbiest Photographer. I have intrest in photography snice my childhood. If you want to know more about me and photography please visit my blog at http://reenez.blogspot.com/

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20 Beginner Tips For Taking Digital Photography

Digital cameras are one of the greatest inventions of modern times. We are so fortunate to have this modern convenience called Digital Photography. To be able to capture a precious moment or beautiful scene at the click of a button, is something we should not take for granted.

Many beginners find digital photography rather challenging and rightly so. Today, more and more digital cameras are being created and it seems like the more digital cameras they make, the more difficult they become to use.

I own a Canon Powershot S3 IS. I purchased this digital camera about a year ago and I still haven’t utilized all of the awesome little features this camera has to offer. Now you may not want or even need a camera with tons of features. It really depends on the type of pictures you plan on taking.

Regardless of the camera you own or are planning to own, you should have a well rounded knowledge of digital photography. I hope the following 20 tips for taking digital photography will prove to be useful in your quest for taking better photographs.

1. Know your camera. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is not taking time to learn about the features of your camera. Don’t be lazy. Read your instruction manual.

2 – When shooting sunny outdoor shots, try adjusting your white balance setting from auto to cloudy. The auto setting will make your shots appear too cold. When you change it to cloudy, it will increase the warmth of your pictures.

3 – If you are looking for superior image quality, the ability to use a variety of lenses and print large high quality photos, then considering a Digital SLR Camera.

4 – Use your flash outdoors. Sometimes, even on a sunny day outdoors, there is still a need for a flash. If the sun is directly over head or behind your subject, this can cause dark shadows to appear on the face. The flash will help lighten the subjects face.

5- Sometimes simply turning your camera and taking vertical shots can make a world of difference. Experiment more with vertical picture taking.

6 – Do not put your subjects directly in the center of your shot. Move your subject off center to inject more life into your photos.

7 – Learn how to hold your digital camera. One of the most common problems beginners face is the shaking of the camera because they are not holding it properly. Of course, the best way to avoid shaking the camera is to use a tripod. If you don’t have a tripod, then you should be holding your camera with two hands. Put one hand on the right hand side of your camera where you actually snap the photo and the other hand will support the weight of your camera. Depending on the camera, your left hand will either be positioned on the bottom or around your lens.

8 – Learn about the “Rule of Thirds”. This is a well known principle of photographic composition that every beginner should become familiar with. Do a search online and you will find many tutorials on this subject.

9 – Look at other photographers work. Just spending time studying the work of other photographers can provide loads of inspiration.

10 – Join online photography communities. Get active and ask questions.

11 – Do not compare your photography to anyone else.

12 – Do not copy the work of other photographers. Try and develop your own unique style.

13 – Do not leave your batteries in your camera if you don’t plan on using your camera for long periods of time. Some batteries run the risk of leaking and this can damage your camera.

14 – Subscribe to a good photography magazine. Read books on photography.

15 – Find experienced photographers to go out on shoots with.

16 – Post your photographs in online forums. Learn to accept criticism.

17 – Try taking your pictures in RAW format. RAW is a powerful option available in today’s digital cameras where no in-camera processing takes place. This allows you to do all processing using your favorite image editing software.

18 – Don’t buy the most expensive photography equipment right away. Practice and learn about photography using cheaper equipment first. After you have been taking pictures for a while, you will then know what kind of equipment you will need.

19 – Invest in a tripod. Some of us have very shaky hands. If you can’t stop the shakes, then get a tripod. It will make a world of difference.

20 – If you are not able to carry your equipment with you everywhere, make sure you have a note pad handy. This way if you find a nice shot, you can write it down and visit that location at a later date.

Ralph Serpe is Webmaster for http://www.creativespotlite.com/, a free arts and photography community for beginners. Click here for more free beginner digital photography tips and tutorials from CreativeSpotlite.Com. Be sure to also check out our Squidoo Lens for more free Digital Photography Tips & Tutorials.

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10 Tips To Tell You How To Start A Photography Business By Finding Your Photography Niche

Sooner or later, most photography enthusiast give some thought to "how to start a photography business." Unfortunately, there are a 'few' challenges that "doom" us to failure. One of the biggest challenges that we bring is our failure to make the distinctions between our love of photography (re: our enjoyment and passion for photography) and the business of photography (understanding buying and spending habits of people that are photography customers).

For example, many of us think that because our photography work is "so good," that we shouldn't have that much trouble selling it. We, sometimes, mistakenly, think that great art and photography "sells itself." Big mistake! Great photography does not sell itself. In the business world, nothing sells itself - nothing! Knowing this is critical to start a photography business.

Our failure to make the distinction between our passion for photography and our desire to be in the photo business is also evident in how we try to tell people about what we do. For example, photography customers don't care what type of equipment we use. They don't care how many mega-pixels we have, nor how much our equipment cost us, nor what brand of camera we use. Photography customers (current and potential) want to know that we can, and will, produce the highest quality photography work for them.

Think about it, the mechanics that repair our cars don't tell us what tools that they use. The chefs in the restaurants that we patronize don't tell us what type of pots, pans or stoves that they use. In those businesses, it is already established what customers want and how best to give it to them. In other words, other businesses do a better job of understanding their 'niche.' In order to start a photography business that is consistently successful and growing, we must be clear on what niche we are offering and how to sell the benefits of our niche to the customers.

Another mistake that we budding photography business owners repeat is failing to "specialize" (know our photography niche) in what we do. As photography enthusiasts, we enjoy shooting any and everything. As photographers, that's just fine. However, when we start a photography business, we, mistakenly, try to be 'all things to all people' - we take every photography job offered us.

One of the obvious problems with this approach is our failure to recognize how it drastically cheapens the value of what we do as skilled photographers, in the eyes of the customers. Mistakenly, we want our customers (current and potential) to know that we can photograph anything - after all, we're very versatile photographers! What the customers actually see is that we're not "versatile photographers," we're just someone with a camera that's available to take pictures when they call us. Serious photography customers (re: those that can afford to spend regularly) want to do business with specialists - photographers that know their photography niche.

Successful wedding photographers are clear on this, as an example of my point. Their 'primary' customer (usually the bride) has dreamed about her wedding day for most of her life. She isn't looking for a vesatile photographer. She wants a "wedding photographer" that can make her 'look' as good, happy and beautiful as she has been in all of her lifelong dreams of 'her day' - her wedding day. There's a special skill to this type of photography service. In fact, this niche has more to do with well developed 'people skills,' in my opinion. Successful wedding photographers that are clear on these nuances are more successful in business.
Do your research.

• Inventory Your Photo Collection - Take a look at your photo collections. Determine what it is that you 1.) shoot the most; 2.) shoot consistently well; and 3.) enjoy shooting. Identify your and categorize the photos into various niches, i.e. portraits, sports, glamor, pets, children, landscape, etc.
• Research The Photography Markets - Do internet searches using the words "photography niche." Also, use the type of niche that you think your photos fit. For example, "event photography niche," "wedding photography niche," etc. Also, a good source to help identify some of the photo markets is "The Photographer's Market." This is a book that is published annually and claims to provide photo buying contacts and information. Online searches are the most useful, in my opinion. Books by author and photographer, Dan Heller are good places to get a better understanding of the vast world of photography, without all the 'artsy-hype,' in my opinion. He also has a very informative website - DanHeller.com
• Identify 'Real' Markets - Find out what type of photography (of your specialties) your customers currently are purchasing. What type of photography is selling? At some point, you'll have to 'balance' the realities of the different niches. There can be some factors that aren't consistent across all photography niches. For example, some niches require longer "workflow" (workflow is the post production process of taking photos) periods and tasks than others. Higher quality portraits normally require photo editing - which is time-consuming. Event photography requires the processing, packaging and delivering (presenting) of photos. True story: I went through my large photo collections and found that I had a very large number of outstandingly beautiful flowers. I can't begin to tell you my disappointment when I found out that there is 'virtually' no market of photos of flowers - it seems that everybody has them already, everybody! Lesson learned - identify 'real' markets.

Ten Tips To Assist You To Identify Your Niche

1. Identify specialties that fit your style:
2. Determine if you have the necessary equipment for the niche
3. Do you have identifiable and specific skills in this niche area - can you articulate them?
4. Who is your target audience
5. What type of photography do they purchase the most
6. Where are they taking their photography business currently - your competition
7. What will be different about your services
8. Does where you live support your preferable niche
9. Is your niche 'stock photography' or 'assignment photography' - do you know the difference
10. What is the future potential and tendencies of your niche

Fortunately, the internet makes this information just a few clicks away. The information isn't difficult to find and learn. Knowing your niche increases your confidence tremendously. Truly know your niche - and your photography business will follow!

Kalem Aquil is a 'semi-burnt-out' photographer that dispenses free, unsolicited (yet, very good and accurate) tips and advice to budding photographers that want to take their photography business to the next level. He dispenses such advice to budding photographers such as "where to start," "what to charge," "how to know if you're really, really ready," etc. etc. etc. He dispenses his free and unsolicited advice here. Subscribe to his free ezine, the "Best Amateur Photography Tips Digest," and receive a Bonus Special Report - "How To Build Your Own Successful Photography Website." Click here to subscribe.

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