A term that is typically used to describe the types of photographic gear that enable the photographer to go closer to the subject of the photograph than is customary in order to produce a larger image of the subject. Historically speaking, the term "macro" refers to when the recorded image is life-size or larger than life-size, with a magnification ratio that is 1:1 or greater, such as when using macro lenses. This is the definition of a macro photograph.

A picture with a dominance of dark tones.

A method for reducing the size of a digital image file by removing information from the file in order to make it smaller. The visual quality will suffer as a result of this, although the impact might not be immediately apparent. The most widely used file format that makes advantage of lossy compression is JPEG.

The method of reducing the size of a digital image file while maintaining all of the original data in the file. TIFF and PNG are examples of formats that are lossless.

A lens that is designed to magnify distant objects and has a focal length that is greater than the diagonal measurement of the image sensor or film that is being utilized. In terms of the 35mm format, this refers to any lens that has a focal length that is greater than the so-called "standard" 50mm.

A type of exposure in which the shutter of the camera is left open for a considerable amount of time. It is possible to use it during the day to blur the movement of water in a river that is running through a scene, or it can be used during the night to catch movement, such as the lights of cars driving on a highway or star trails. In order to avoid overexposure when taking photos with long exposures during the day, photographers typically employ the use of a neutral density (ND) filter.

Light trails are lines of light that are recorded in a picture by a moving light source while the image is being exposed. Examples of this might include the lights of passing vehicles on a highway at night, the lights on a fairground Ferris wheel, or someone walking around with a hand-held flashlight. They can also be produced by photographing static lights while moving the camera throughout the exposure.

An instrument for determining the appropriate level of exposure to light by measuring the amount of light present. Reflected light meters that are hand-held and those that are incorporated into most cameras are both capable of measuring the amount of light that is reflected from a subject. Readings are obtained from the location of the subject with the incident light meter pointed back towards the camera. Incident light meters are used to measure the amount of light that is falling on the subject.

Also known as a plenoptic camera, this device uses microlens-array technology to record images in a completely different way to a conventional camera. Uniquely, this allows images to be re-focused after they have been shot. The first light-field camera was introduced by Lytro in 2011.

Attaches to the front of the lens to block stray light from entering the lens from areas of the image that are not being captured. The lens hood plays a crucial role in preventing flare and must be custom-made for each lens so that it does not result in a degradation of the image quality.

The primary light that is used on a subject when photographing it in a studio.

A type of file format that can be utilized for digital photographs. The amount of detail that is saved and the size of the file that is produced can both be adjusted through the use of a configurable amount of compression. It is the universally accepted format for digital cameras (although raw or TIFF formats may also be options). Because it is a 'lossy' file format, the quality of the saved file typically decreases with each new save.

This abbreviation refers to the International Organization for Standardization. In the field of photography, it is a method for determining how sensitive digital imaging systems and photographic films are, as well as measuring and specifying that sensitivity. The larger the ISO number, the more sensitive the camera is to the presence of light. Because cameras include a range of ISO settings, users are able to select the ISO value that is most appropriate for the subject matter or environment being captured on film.

Image Stabilization is the optical camera shake-reduction mechanism that's featured in a broad variety of Canon lenses, and IS is the term that's used to refer to it.

This law applies in particular to the employment of studio lights or flash, and it states that an item will get one-fourth of the illumination from a point source of light if it is located twice as far away from that source as the minimum distance specified. For instance, if your subject is two meters away, and you increase the distance to four meters, the ensuing fall-off indicates that you will require four times the quantity of light in order to maintain the same exposure settings. Alternately, you might try increasing the exposure by two stops to achieve the desired effect.

A camera that records images on a specialized instant film that, after being exposed for a few of minutes, develops itself automatically to generate a print of the image.

The name of a line of cameras produced by Kodak that are known for being both affordable and simple to operate. The first Instamatic cameras hit the market in 1963 and used Kodak's cartridge-based 126 film. The business debuted the Pocket Instamatic in 1972, which was the first camera to use the more compact 110 film.

The closest distance at which a lens can be focused so that its depth of field extends to infinity while maintaining the same aperture and focal length as the original photograph. When the camera is focused at the hyperfocal length, the depth of field will go all the way to infinity and exactly half of the hyperfocal distance.

A graph that offers a quick reference to a picture's exposure and contrast settings. It creates a map of the distribution of tones, beginning with the darkest on the left and progressing to the brightest on the right. The scale goes from 0 (complete darkness) all the way up to 255 (complete brightness), and the height of the graph at any one position shows the relative number of pixels in the image that have that brightness level. The general form of the histogram provides an idea of the tonal range of the image as well as the existence of any clipping at a look. You may increase the image's contrast and exposure by adjusting the form of the histogram using tools like Levels, which are available in most image editing programs.

A method of digital imaging that involves taking multiple images of the same scene with varying degrees of exposure and then combining those pictures into a single image. This brings out information in shadow and highlight areas that are typically unable to be recorded in a single exposure, and it is particularly beneficial for capturing high-contrast subjects, such as brightly-lit landscapes, interiors, and night scenes.