This document provides definitions and explanations of common photographic terminology: - Shutter speed determines how long the camera's shutter is open, with faster speeds freezing motion and slower speeds creating blur. For handheld shots, shutter speeds of 1/250 sec or faster are recommended to avoid blur from camera shake. - ISO controls the camera sensor's sensitivity to light. Higher ISO allows faster shutter speeds or use in low light but results in grainier images. Lower ISO gives clearer images but requires more light. - Aperture and depth of field - Aperture refers to the size of the camera lens opening. A wide aperture gives a shallow depth of field, blurring the background/foreground. A narrow aperture gives a

1. Photographic
Terminology
Justin Fox-Rothwell
Unit 57: Photography and Photographic Practice Terminology
P1, P2, M1, M2

2. Shutter Speed
 Shutter speed is measured in
seconds, fast shutter speeds
freeze movement, Slow shutter
speeds tend to blur movement,
and so can be used for creative
effects. The slower the shutter
speed, the more motion blur in
the image you take.
 If you’re photographing
handheld you’ll need a fast
enough shutter speed to make
sure camera shake doesn’t
cause blurred shots, make sure
you shoot at around 1/250 sec or
faster.

3. Shutter Speed
Fast Shutter Speed Slow Shutter Speed

4. Iso
If there is very little light ISO should
be increased so that the image is
clearer and doesn’t blur the image.
Other reasons where you might
want to increase ISO are when you
need to get fast shots, like animals
e.g. the picture on the right
Lower ISO is for when there is
enough light so extra light would
distort the image.

5. ISO
High ISO
Higher ISO settings are generally
used in darker situations to get faster
shutter speeds. For example an
indoor sports event when you want
to freeze the action in lower light.
However the higher the ISO you
choose the noisier shots you will get
Low ISO
The lower the ISO the less light
needed to use By reducing the I.S.O.
to the lowest, I can maybe save a
few shots whilst enhancing the
colours.
Also when shooting images that I
want to be rich in colour such as a
beach scene with blue skies and
deep blue water for a holiday
magazine, you would use the lowest
ISO possible

6. Aperture & Depth of Field
Depth of field
Depth of field (DOF) is the distance
between the nearest and farthest
objects in a scene that appear
acceptably sharp in an image.
Although a lens can precisely focus at
only one distance at a time, the
decrease in sharpness is gradual on
each side of the focused distance, so
within the DOF, the unsharpness is
imperceptible under normal viewing
conditions.

7. Aperture & Depth of Field
Narrow Depth of
Field
In optics, particularly as it relates to film
and photography, depth of field (DOF)
is the distance between the nearest
and farthest objects in a scene that
appear acceptably sharp in an image.
In some cases, it may be desirable to
have the entire image sharp, and a
large DOF is appropriate. In other
cases, a small DOF may be more
effective, emphasizing the subject
while de-emphasizing the foreground
and background. In cinematography,
a large DOF is often called deep focus,
and a small DOF is often called shallow
focus.
Wide Depth of Field

8. Rule of thirds
Perhaps the most well know
principle of photographic
composition is the ‘Rule of Thirds‘.
The “Rule of Thirds” is the basis for
well balanced and interesting
shots.
I will say right up front however
that rules are meant to be broken
and ignoring this one doesn’t
mean your images are necessarily
unbalanced or uninteresting.
However a wise person once told
me that if you intend to break a
rule you should always learn it first
to make sure your breaking of it is
all the more effective!

9. Examples of Rule of thirds
 The rule of thirds is created with a
grid system it’s so that when
taking a picture you can
maximise the space used in an
image. In this image on the left to
persons face is directly in the
middle grid, the aim is to have
the main focus on the face and
nothing else