On this page I will explain some keyterms in photography.


Aperture: The opening in the lens. One of the factors that control the exposure. It also controls depth of field. Measured in f/stops.

Blur/freeze: Controlled by the shutterspeed. A slower shutterspeed gives the subject more time to move during the time the photograph is taken, thus blurring the picture. A faster shutterspeed will not give the subject time to move in the time the picture is taken thus freezing the action.

Depth of field: How much of the picture that will be in focus. Controlled by the aperture.

Exposure: The amount of light that hits the film when taking a picture. Determined by the combination of shutterspeed and aperture.

Focal-length: The distance from the lens to the focused image (the film plane) when the lens is set at infinity.

F/stop: The way the camera denotes the aperture. Derived by dividing the focal-length of the lens by the current opening of the lens. Exists so that the same exposure can be obtained when using lenses with different focal-lengths.

ISO: The light-sensitivity of the film. Measured from 25 to 3200, where 25 is the least light-sensitive and 3200 is the most light-sensitive.

SLR: Single Lens Reflex. This system allows you to see through the lens, thus seeing exactly what will appear in the photograph.

Shutterspeed: The amount of time the shutter of the camera is open when taking a photograph.

35mm: The format of the film used in a 35mm camera.

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