In this episode Oh Shoot! podcast, Cassidy Lynne shares her weekly social media tip & explains common photography terms you might not know!
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In this episode, Cassidy Lynne goes over 23 common photography terms that you guys should know!
Common Photography Terms
Hello everyone, Cassidy Lynn here with another episode of “Oh Shoot!” It’s almost Halloween, and we’ve got a spooky episode coming up next week with your submitted scary stories. Fair warning: if that’s not your thing, you might want to skip it! I’ve got some exciting updates for you. First, I’m reopening two of my photography courses this week. Keep an eye on my Instagram for details. Speaking of Instagram, the Oh Shoot! Instagram account just hit 10K followers! Thanks so much for your support. I recently spoke at Photo Camp in Charleston with Charlie, which was so fun. It got me thinking about hosting a retreat. Let me know if you’d be interested by commenting on the YouTube video for this episode. On the business front, I’ve booked some amazing destination weddings for next year, including Cabo and St. Lucia. Can’t wait to share those experiences with you all. Lately, I’ve been loving a more cinematic style in my photography. It’s been great for reigniting my creativity, especially when shooting with models or couples where there’s no client pressure! Lastly, a quick social media tip: on TikTok, I’ve found success with carousel posts showing my editing process. It’s a great way to showcase your style and connect with potential clients. Now let’s get to our episode!
Common Photography Terms
Today we’re talking about common photography terms. I’ll give you guys a little bit of backstory as to why I wanted to talk about this. So, when I was at photo Camp like a week and a half ago, I was noticing that a lot of people are so creative and have a creative eye which is so essential but when it comes to some of those like technical details, I feel like some people just don’t know. And that’s okay like literally there’s some stuff that we’re going to talk about that I didn’t know until I looked it up. But there are some vocab terms or things that people say that like just doesn’t really make sense or it’s hard to know what it even means. But I want to really sit down and explain to you guys what these words are so then when you’re opening the settings menu on your camera you know what certain things are or maybe if you’re experiencing an issue, you’re going to know how to fix it based on just some of these vocab terms. I do want to warn you guys we’ve got a lot of vocab terms to cover! But we’re going to get through it, this is kind of like one of those episodes that I think is going to be a staple. Probably an episode that you might want to listen back to because there’s going to be a lot of terms. I do feel like if you’re a note taker I know a lot of you guys listen while you edit or drive so maybe just take mental notes but if you are a note taker this might be a good episode to take some notes on. Especially with the terms that maybe you don’t know!
Common Photography Terms
Bokeh: Means ‘blur’ Bokeh comes from the Japanese word boke (暈け or ボケ), which means ‘haze’ or ‘blur’. The ‘h’ was introduced to help English speakers pronounce the word correctly [BO – KEH]. The official definition translates as: “the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light.”. This usually means soft circles in the background.
Ambient light: Lighting that is already present in a scene (aka no flash) Ambient lighting, also known as general lighting or mood lighting, is the primary source of light in a room that creates an overall glow and a comfortable level of brightness. You can achieve soft lighting by using a variety of light fixtures, such as Ceiling lights, Wall sconces, Floor lamps, Table lamps, and Recessed ceiling lights. Ambient lighting can also come from natural sources like windows and skylights!
Common Photography Terms
Aperture priority mode: Aperture priority mode is a camera setting that lets you choose an aperture (f-number) and the camera selects the shutter speed to match. The camera’s light meter measures the lighting conditions and automatically chooses the shutter speed for proper exposure.
Manual mode: Manual mode on a camera gives the photographer full control over the camera’s settings, including aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance. In this mode, the camera does not automatically adjust settings. Photographers consider manual mode the most basic and powerful way to use a camera. It allows for more creative freedom and customization, which is essential for specific types of photography.
Common Photography Terms
Drive mode: Drive mode is a camera setting that controls how and when a camera takes pictures:
- Single shot: Takes one picture each time the shutter button is pressed
- Continuous: Takes multiple pictures in quick succession while the shutter button is held down
- Self-timer: Takes a picture after a set amount of time has passed since the shutter button was pressed
- Remote shutter: Uses a remote control accessory to trigger the camera
- Intervalometer: Takes pictures for time-lapse photography
- Automatic exposure bracketing: Takes multiple pictures with different exposure settings
Different camera brands may use different names for drive modes, but the concept is the same.
Dynamic range: Dynamic range describes the ratio between the brightest and darkest parts of an image, from pure black to brightest white. The best digital cameras capture only half as much range as the human eye. most common comes into play for sunset or sunrise If you’ve ever had to take a photograph on a bright sunny day, chances are pretty high that you would have lost detail, possibly in the shadows or in the highlights, perhaps even both. This is not an exposure problem on your part. It’s more likely a limitation of the dynamic range of your camera. Almost all cameras will come up against this problem at some time.
Common Photography Terms
Hot shoe: A hot shoe is a metal bracket on top of a camera that allows you to attach and communicate with accessories like flashes, microphones, and LED lights. It’s an electrical contact point that completes a connection between the camera and the accessory. DSLR or digital cameras commonly feature hot shoes. They’re different from cold shoes, which are purely mechanical connections without electrical communication.
Light meter: A light meter, also known as an exposure meter, is a device that measures the amount of light and helps photographers determine the correct shutter speed and f-number for a given scene. Light meters are useful in photography because they help photographers capture the right image tone and avoid over or under-exposure. They can be especially helpful in situations with difficult lighting or subject matter, such as scenes with high-contrast areas or white snow. The meter will range from -2 to +2, and ideally I put my images between -.75 and -.5
Common Photography Terms
Back button focus: Back button focus is a camera feature that allows photographers to reassign the autofocus function from the shutter button to a different button on the back of the camera. Usually, call this button AF-ON and locate it on the camera’s side near the shutter release button. The photographer can use their thumb to autofocus with back button focus while keeping their index finger on the shutter release button to take the photo.
Kelvin: Photographers use the Kelvin scale to measure light color temperature and adjust their camera’s white balance. The Kelvin scale measures the temperature of light in degrees Kelvin (K). The color of burning carbon at a given temperature corresponds to the Kelvin temperature. Lower Kelvin values represent warmer colors, like orange and yellow, while higher values represent cooler colors, like blue and white. Different light sources, like indoor lighting, the sun, or shade, have different color temperatures. This can cause color casts in photos, like a blue tint on a cloudy day or a warm glow at sunrise or sunset. Photographers use Kelvin to adjust the white balance of their camera to match the color temperature of the room and achieve more natural-looking photos.
Common Photography Terms
Meta data: A photograph stores photo metadata, which is a set of data that describes the image.. It can include information such as:
- Technical data: The camera and lens used, shooting settings, and the image’s size, weight, and compression type
- Descriptive data: The image’s content, including a title, caption, keywords, and themes
- Rights data: The image’s copyright information, creator, and usage rights
- Location data: The date, time, and location the photo was taken, or GPS coordinates
- This data can be edited in Lightroom Classic in the Library tab
- Metadata is useful for photographers because it helps them organize, search, and protect their images. It can also help buyers find photos easily by using keywords they’re likely to use.
APS-C : This is a cropped sensor camera -Because APS-C sensors are smaller than the 35 mm standard film format, devices with APS-C sensors are known as “cropped frame -these are usually cheaper -APS-C is cropped more, so you’d have to stand further back to get the same shot as someone shooting on full frame.
Continuous focus (AF-C): a mode that allows your camera to continuously track and adjust the focus of the lens based on the movement of the subject or the area you select. It is useful when you want to capture a dynamic or unpredictable subject, such as a sports event, a wildlife scene, or a child playing.
Single shot focus (AF-S): You press the shutter button halfway down to activate autofocus. Once the camera focuses on the subject, it locks the focus. It is suitable for shooting motionless subjects such as landscapes or snapshots.
Common Photography Terms
EVF (electronic viewfinder): An electronic viewfinder (EVF) is a feature on mirrorless cameras that displays an image on a small screen for the photographer to look through while composing a shot. Here are some advantages of using an EVF:
- See the effects of camera settings: You can see how your image will look before taking the shot by adjusting the ISO, exposure, and white balance.
- Look the shot after it’s taken: You can review the shot without moving your eye away from the viewfinder.
- See in low light: EVFs can help you focus and preview the exposure in low light conditions.
- Watch the image in real time: The preview on the EVF updates in real time as you move the camera or adjust settings.
- See the image from the sensor: What you see through the EVF is exactly what the camera’s sensor is seeing.
TTL mode: TTL mode, or “through the lens” mode, is a camera setting that automatically adjusts the flash power based on the amount of light coming through the lens. It’s the “auto” setting for flash. -useful when your subject is moving / constantly changing.
Common Photography Terms
Macro lens: A macro lens is a camera lens designed for close-up photography that can take sharp images of small subjects: these lenses typically have a focus distance of 12 inches or less.
Prime lens: A photographer cannot change the focal length of a prime lens. Prime lenses are often smaller and lighter than zoom lenses, and they can be faster because they have wide apertures. They are suitable for many different types of photography, including portraits, landscapes, and low-light photography.
Telephoto lens: A telephoto lens magnifies distant subjects and makes them appear closer in camera shots. Photographers use telephoto lenses for many types of photography, including sports, wildlife, and landscapes, often employing zoom capabilities.
Common Photography Terms
Tilt shift lens: A tilt-shift lens is a camera lens that can change the position of the lens in relation to the camera’s image sensor, allowing photographers to control the perspective and depth of field of their images. A tilt-shift lens (also called a perspective control lens) changes the position of a lens in relation to a camera’s image sensor. When the lens tilts so that it is no longer parallel to the camera’s image sensor, it shifts the plane of focus and alters the depth of field.
Noise: In photography can be defined as a random variation in the image signal. This can be caused by a number of factors, including poor lighting conditions. High ISO settings, long exposure times, and heat. Noise can also be introduced into an image during the editing process. There are two types of noise in photography: luminance noise and color noise. Luminance noise appears as grainy black and white spots in an image. Color noise appears as colorful dots or pixels. Both types of noise can be distracting and make an image appear unclean.
Tether: Tethering in photography refers to the process of connecting a camera to a computer or another device in real time. By shooting tethered, photographers can streamline their workflow by instantly reviewing images on a larger screen, making adjustments on the fly, and sharing previews with clients or teammates. This is usually popular in studio or fashion photography.
Common Photography Terms
Banding: Banding, also known as posterization, is a common issue in digital images that occurs when colors transition abruptly instead of gradually. It can appear as harsh lines or stripes in photos, especially in areas with large, solid colors like the sky.
Here are some reasons why banding might occur:
- Insufficient information When there isn’t enough information to display the tonal values in a photo, the gradient can appear less smooth.
- Low bit depth Images taken or displayed in a low bit depth don’t have enough resources to show the number of shades of color needed for a smooth transition.
- Compression When an image is compressed to reduce its size, some colors are removed, which can affect the gradual transition of color.
- LED lighting and electronic shutter When using mirrorless cameras with LED lighting and an electronic shutter, the difference between the frequency of the LED lights and the shutter’s reading speed can cause banding
To fix banding, you can try:
- Slowing down your shutter speed so the sensor is exposed for a longer period of time.
- Switching to a mechanical shutter.
- Adjusting your shutter speed because certain artificial lights work better with certain shutter speeds.
- Taking a test shot
Show Notes:
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