APPENDIX A
PHOTOGRAPHY TERMS

Photographers often refer to three terms they call the Three Pillars of Photography. Understanding these ideas will give you far greater flexibility when generating your own images.

SHUTTER SPEED

Refers to the length of time that a camera’s shutter stays open to detect light. This length of time is measured in fractions of a second. Short shutter speeds stop motion, while longer camera speeds blur motion.

ISO

Refers to the camera’s level of sensitivity to available light. Higher sensitivity settings allow you to capture images in low-light conditions, but they may lead to more “noise” in the image.

APERTURE

Refers to how wide the camera’s lens is opened, which is measured in F-stops. Aperture settings control the depth of field in your image. A small f-stop number indicates a large aperture opening, with a short the depth of field, thus more of the background is blurred.