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Glossary
of terms
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Aperture
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The opening of a camera lens that is expressed
in f numbers.
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Camera Obscura
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Literally means darkroom. A box first used
by the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384 -322 BC) to concentrate
light onto the back of a dark box through a small opening in
the front.
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Composition
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The arrangement of elements in a work of
art that is essential to the structure of the final image. The
composition is the organizing plan used to create a final image
that can be an intuitive process rather than a concrete method.
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Contact Printing
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Before the enlarger was invented, photographers
placed negatives on sensitized paper under glass, and printed
directly onto the paper by exposing it to direct sunlight.
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Electronic Flash
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A separate flash unit that is synchronized
to go off as lens opens; varying degrees of flash duration will
be will be used depending on time and distance from the subject.
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| Exposure |
The
camera is mechanically equipped with two basic means to control
the exposure of light on the film. |
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F stop (number)
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The
size of the lens opening is an F stop; the smaller the opening
(F22, for example), the greater the depth of field. |
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Forms
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Volume
or mass that takes up space. Forms on a flat surface create
the illusion of volume.
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Image
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Usually refers to what is represented, depicted
or shown.
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Landscape
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Refers to images of nature. The word scape
means view of.
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| Luminance |
The
measure of the subject's "brightness". This is usually
in terms of candles-per-square-foot. |
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Patterns
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Repetition of shapes, lines or colors within
a work.
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Photography
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A process by which chemically sensitized
surfaces are exposed to light (photo) and retain an image (graph)
of what is exposed. Methods may be very simple to highly complex.
Camera are usually used with adjustable lenses (apertures) and
controlled light levels on light sensitive film. The film is
then processed (developed) and the image is "fixed"
(made permanent). The image (a negative) is transferred onto
treated papers, enlarged and processed with chemicals in a "dark
room" to make the photographs (also called prints).
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Portrait
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A portrait is an image that strives to capture
the likeness, character, or essence of the sitter.
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Self-Portrait
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The artist seeks to capture his own likeness
or convey an aspect of himself to the viewer.
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| Shutter
speed |
How
long the shutter is open (1/1000 of a second to 1 second or more) |
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Straight Photography
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Although Ansel Adams did not invent straight
photography, he certainly had a hand in reviving it. Departing
from Pictorialism, straight photography eschewed soft-focus
lenses and impressionistic, diffused images for sharp-focus,
documentary style photographs.
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Viewpoint
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The point from which the artist seems to
have been looking in order to depict a scene. With portraits
and landscapes, we are likely to find ourselves viewing the
image from the same point as the artist.
Hume, Helen. The Art
Teacher's Book of Lists. Prentice Hall, 1998
Yenawine, Philip. Key
Art terms For Beginners. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1995.
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Visualization
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A method of photographing advocated by Ansel
Adams. Adams believed that the image must first be created in
the mind's eye and that the photographer should know exactly
what the picture will look like before he ever shoots the picture.
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Zone System
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This
process was developed by Ansel Adams to produce an image that
had beautiful rich black tones, and a large tonal range (grays)
that made these prints stand out.
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