Reflector

What Is A Reflector? When it comes to photographic lingo, a reflector actually refers to two distinct pieces of equipment.  Most of the time when people refer to using a reflector, they are talking about using a piece of reflective material to bounce light in a certain direction.  This piece of material usually contains a frame that keeps it taught enough to angle in a specific direction and therefore control the direction of the bounced light.  It has many uses because bouncing light gives it a much softer look.  That means we can bounce artificial light off a reflector to …

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Reflex Camera

When Talking About Photography What Is a Reflex Camera? When talking about photography, specifically types of camera, the term ‘reflex camera’ refers to a camera which uses a mirror to direct light entering the camera via a lens into a viewfinder or onto a viewing screen. Reflex cameras first appeared in the mid-1800s and the basic design principle remains nearly unchanged today. The advantage of a reflex camera is that the image being viewed by the photographer is the same image being seen by the lens. The mirror must be raised when a photograph is taken to allow light entering …

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Remote Capture

 What Does Remote Capture Means When Talking About Photography? In photography the terms ‘remote capture’ refers to the action of operating the camera’s shutter remotely, i.e. without physically depressing the shutter button on the camera. Remote capture can be achieved using either wired or wireless remote controls. Remotely capturing an image can be useful in a number of situations for example when taking a selfie where you don’t want to obviously reaching for the camera in the final image, or in situations which require a long exposure time; In this situation, with the camera mounted on a tripod operating the …

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Render

What Does Render Mean When Talking About Digital Photography? When talking about photography, specifically post-processing and image editing the term ‘render’ or the process of ‘rendering’  refers to the application of algorithms to a digital image file which convert the image information contained within the file into a viewable format on a viewing device. Rendering is also constantly occurring within digital cameras. In mirrorless cameras with an EVF or electronic view finder the information being received through the image sensor must be rendered in the EVF. Images are also rendered on the LCD screen when viewing them on a camera …

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Resampling

 What Is Resampling and What Does It Mean in Photography? In photography, specifically post-processing and image editing ‘resampling’ is the process of altering an images resolution by either adding or removing extra pixels. Increasing the number of pixels in an image is often referred to as upsampling, reducing the number of pixels is referred to as downsampling. Resampling has two direct effects on an image file, firstly the resolution of the file will be altered depending on the number of pixels either added, or removed, and secondly the image file size will change. The actual process of resampling an image …

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Retouching

What Is Retouching and How Is It Used in Photography? When talking about photography, specifically post-processing and image editing, the term ‘retouching’ refers to any process used to alter an image physically, in the case of film or, digitally in the case of digital images to improve the images appearance. Retouching can be used to remove a variety image defects for example dust or dirt on an lens or image sensor or, as is widely seen in fashion publications the physical defects of a model’s skin. Modern digital retouching is carried out in photo editing software using numerous tools such …

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Rim Light

What Is Rim Light and How Is It Used in Photography? In basic terms ‘rim light’ is a lighting technique where the image subject is backlit and the image is exposed to hide the subject features in shadow. The technique gets its name from the fact that lighting a subject in this way produces a thin line or ‘rim’ of light which appears to cling to the subjects outline. using rim light lifts the subject from the background in images rendered predominantly in shadow. In more complex situations, using extremely technical lighting setups rim light can be applied to one …

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Rule Of Thirds

What is the rule of thirds and how is it used in photography? The rule of thirds is a technique used to achieving a pleasing composition within a photograph or graphic design. Application of the rule involves dividing a scene into three columns both horizontally and vertically, and then composing an image by placing the subject at a point where the lines dividing the columns intersect. An off-centre composition appears more pleasing to the human eye and the rule of thirds is a simple method of achieving such a composition. Most digital cameras feature guide lines which can be turned …

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