The available, or existing, light that naturally surrounds a scene.

The size of the opening in the iris of a lens. Apertures are designated by f-numbers. The smaller the f-number, the larger the aperture and the more light that hits the sensor.

Black metal folding doors that attach to a light and are used to control the width of the beam of light.

Circular light modifier with an opaque center that softens light, particularly useful in creating attractive portraits.

To shoot more than one exposure at different exposure settings.

Moody lighting that shows contrasts between shadows and brightness.

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black; the four-color color model used for most offset printing.

A color space—sometimes called a color model—is the mechanism used to display the colors we see in the world in print or on a monitor. CMYK, LAB, and RGB are examples of color spaces.

Multiple images that are combined to create a new composition.

A wood, plastic, or cardboard sheet with cut-outs that can be placed over a light source to create a patterned effect.

The field in front of and behind a subject that is in focus.

Bending of light rays; unwanted diffraction can cause loss of optical sharpness at small apertures.

Digital Single Lens Reflex, a camera in which photos are composed through the lens that will be used to take the actual image.

The difference between the lightest tonal values and the darkest tonal values in a photo.

A spotlight that can vary both the size and focus of the spot, with the focus controlling whether the spot of light has sharp or soft edges.

The amount of light hitting the camera sensor. Also the camera settings used to capture this incoming light.

A bar graph displayed on a camera or computer that shows the distribution of lights and darks in a photo.

A hollow ring that fits between a lens and the DSLR, used to achieve closer focusing.

The size of the aperture, written f/n, where n is the f-number. The smaller the f-number, the larger the opening in the lens; the larger the f-number, the smaller the opening in the lens.

a white or foil-covered card or board used to reflect light back into the shadow areas of a subject.

Roughly, the distance from the end of the lens to the sensor. (The relationship of focal length to sensor size is explained on page 235.)

In a photographic composition, positioning the image in relationship to its edges.

Used to render images in a single color from white to black; in Photoshop a grayscale image has only one channel.

A very useful light modifier that uses a pattern to create a concentrated spot of light comparable—but more diffuse—to the light created using a snoot.

The process of creating a HDR (High Dynamic Range) image from multiple photos at different exposures without using automatic software to combine the photos.

Extending an image's dynamic range by combining more than one capture, either using automated software or by hand.

Brightly lit photos that are predominantly white, often with an intentionally "over exposed" effect.

The closest distance at which a lens at a given aperture can be fo-cused while keeping objects at infinity in focus.

Also called vibration reduction, this is a high-tech system in a lens or camera that attempts tocompensate for, and reduce, camera motion.

The distance from the camera that is far enough away so that any object at that distance or beyond will be in focus when the lens is set to infinity.

Captures made using infrared rather than normal, visible light.

The linear scale used to set sensitivity of a digital sensor.

A compressed file format for photos that have been processed from an original RAW image.

Primary light used with a portrait subject.

Color model that separates luminance from color information.

A special purpose lens with a flexible barrel that allows you to adjust the "sweet spot" (area in focus).

Dimly lit photos that are predominantly black, often with an intentionally "under exposed" effect.

A lens that is specially designed for close focusing; often a macro lens focuses close enough toenable a 1:1 magnification ratio.

A monochrome image is presented as nominally consisting of tones from white to black; however, "black and white"images can be tinted or toned, and so may vary from straight grayscale.

Combining two or more different versions of the same RAW file to extend the dynamic range and create a more pleasing final image.

Static in a digital image that appears as unexpected, and usually unwanted, pixels.

To open up a lens, or to set the lens wide open, means to set the aperture to a large opening, denoted with a small f-number.

See Composite.

Before making an exposure, envisioning how an image will come out after capture and processing.

A digital RAW file is a complete record of the data captured by the sensor. The details of RAW file formats vary among camera makers.

Red, Green, and Blue; the three-color color model used for displaying photos on the web and on computer monitors.

Set using an ISO number; determines the sensitivity of the sensor to light.

The interval of time that the shutter is open.

A tube used as a light modifier to direct a beam of light.

A light modifier that diffuses light; in studio lighting, generally a fairly large rectangular unit.

To stop down a lens means to set the aperture to a small opening; denoted with a large f-number.

The area that is in focus when using a Lensbaby.

In the chemical darkroom, toner such as sepia or selenium was added for visual effect; in the digital darkroom, toning simulates the impact of chemical toning.

A light modifier that can be used to reflect light onto the subject, or light can be directed through an umbrella to create a diffuse lighting source.