This document defines key photography terminology including shutter speed, ISO, aperture, depth of field, exposure modes, color balance, composition, the rule of thirds, complementary colors, analogous colors, and macro photography. Shutter speed controls exposure time, ISO controls light sensitivity, and aperture determines depth of field. Composition placement and the rule of thirds guide image design. Color balance and complementary/analogous colors impact mood. Macro photography uses special lenses to capture extremely close-up subjects at life-size or larger in the image.

1. Unit 57: Photography and Photographic Practice Terminology (P1, P2, M1, M2)
Term Explanation of term e.g. what it
is used for / the effect it has on
your images
Examples
Shutter Speed Shutter speed Is how long the camera
shutter stays open changing the
amount of exposure and light the
image will get.
ISO The ISO number is the sensitivity to
light, the lower the number the less
sensitive to light your camera will be
Aperture & Depth of
field (F stop)
The aperture is the Opening on the
camera lens that Determines the
amount of light that goes into the
image. The Depth of field is the
amount of space that an image is
sharpest. A Large depth of field will
leave the entire image sharp where as
if you would like to focus on a certain
part of the image a lower depth of
field would be better.
Automatic Exposure Putting a Camera on Automatic
exposure will Do everything for you
determined on the picture you are
trying to get
Manual Exposure Manual Exposure is the photographer
will have to Choose all settings
themselves allowing them to create
their desired image on their own.
Colour Balance The colour balance is choosing the
intensity of chosen colours for
example you could have Whites more
intense than yellows making that
colour stand out more in the image
changing it dramatically. This can be

2. used to Create pictures that invoke
emotions such as a picture heavily
relying on blue could be used to
portray sadness
Composition Composition is basically where
everything in your photograph is
placed and can alter the final
outcome of your image greatly. If the
background is not an issue you can
use Photoshop to crop and fix any
issues regarding placement of the
central subject.
Rule of thirds The rule of thirds is a guideline where
the image is cut into 9 equal squares
with lines and the most important
features of a photograph must rest or
be on these lines. The rule of thirds is
applied by aligning a subject with the
guide lines and their intersection
points, placing the horizon on the top
or bottom line, or allowing linear
features in the image to flow from
section to section. The main reason for
observing the rule of thirds is to
discourage placement of the subject
at the center, or prevent a horizon
from appearing to divide the picture
in half
Complementary
Colours
Complementary colours are colours
that are opposite to each other on
the colour wheel and can be used to
create striking images
Analogous colours Analogous colours are groups of
colours that are together and blend
from each other on the colour wheel
(orange, orange-yellow, Yellow)

3. Macro Macro photography is extremely close
up to smaller items or creatures
making them larger than life size in the
image itself. Only special lenses are
able to get good quality macro
images