Make Money with your Digital Photography

glossary

ambient light

The natural light in a scene.

angle of view

The amount of a scene that a lens can capture.

aperture

An opening inside the lens that can be adjusted to control the amount of light reaching a camera's sensor prior to the image being taken. The aperture diameter is expressed in f-stops; the lower the number, the wider the aperture. The aperture and shutter speed work together to control the total amount of light reaching the sensor. See also f-stop and shutter speed.

backlight

The light coming from behind the subject in a photograph.

ballhead

A type of tripod head. This spherical ball is mounted on the platform of a tripod, and when you attach it to your camera, it allows you to smoothly move the camera in different directions, until you lock it in place to keep it from moving. Protruding from the top part of the ball is a shaft that holds the quick release clamp or platform.

barrel distortion

A lens aberration that causes straight lines near the borders of an image to appear to bend outward.

big glass lens

A very large lens — usually 400mm or 600mm — that has near-perfect optics.

bounce light

The light bounced into a reflective surface (such as a wall, ceiling, or reflector card) to illuminate a subject with softer light, thus reducing harsh shadows. The color of the reflective surface determines the color of the light bounced into the subject.

brightness

The amount of lightness or darkness in an image; the intensity of a light source or color luminance.

card reader

A device that ...