Glossary

ambient lighting—extra light, such as the daylight streaming in from a window

aperture ring—the ring that allows you to control the size of the opening that allows light in to the film

automatic camera—a camera that chooses settings, such as the size of the aperture and the shutter speed, on its own

bracket—to take a few photographs of the same image at different exposures to guarantee that you get one that matches your artwork

cable release—a cable that allows the photographer to release the shutter and take a picture without touching and thus perhaps moving the camera

camera shake—movement of the camera at the moment you’re exposing the film, which results in a blurry photo

compact camera—the average snapshot-camera that, unlike a single-lens reflex, has two lenses, one for the viewfinder and one for the film. Most compacts are automatic.

contact sheet—also known as an auto proof, one sheet of photographic paper that shows all of the photographs from a roll of film

digital camera—a camera that records digital images rather than capturing images on film

dpi—dots per inch, a measure of digital resolution

18 percent gray—a uniform standard, based on the average tonal value of most photography scenes, for measuring light levels

80B blue filter—a filter for the camera lens, used with daylight film, that compensates for tungsten light’s yellow-orange color

81B filter—also known as a warm-up filter, a filter that corrects for daylight

50mm lens—the standard lens that will allow you to focus accurately on your artwork

film speed dial—also known as the ASA/ISO dial, a dial that indicates what speed film is in the camera

flare—the result in a photograph when light from the light source reflects off the subject into the camera lens

flash—a light source that emits a neutral color, though it doesn’t shine long enough for the photographer to determine if it’s shining evenly and in the right direction

FL-DAY filter—also known as a weak fluorescent filter, a filter that corrects for small amounts of fluorescent light present in daylight

FL-W filter—also known as a strong fluorescent filter, a filter that corrects for fluorescent lighting

f-stop—a degree of measurement on the aperture ring

gray card—a card made up of the standard 18 percent gray color

light box—any device that projects light through a translucent surface so you can view film

loupe—a kind of magnifying glass for viewing slides or film

manual camera—a camera that allows the photographer to control the settings

negative film—the film photographers use to produce prints

ppi—pixels per inch, a measure of digital resolution

print—a photograph printed on photographic paper like a normal snapshot as opposed to a transparent slide

resolution—the accuracy of a digital image. A digital camera capable of a low resolution will produce a digitized image in which you can see the dots of color that make up the image. High-resolution images look more realistic.

shutter speed—the amount of time the shutter stays open to allow light to hit the film

single-lens reflex—a camera with one lens through which the photographer looks at the image and takes the picture. Other cameras have a viewfinder separate from the lens so the photographer views the scene from a slightly different perspective than the film views it.

slide file—plastic sheet that holds several slides for storage in a binder or filing cabinet

slide mount—a small plastic or paper frame that protects a slide and makes it easier to handle

support—any item, including a tripod, that will balance a camera at the right height and angle

35mm—the size of slide and negative film

TTL—light meter built into the camera