/ Archives - Page 6 of 7

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 …

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 …

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 …

Scene Modes

What Are Scene Modes and How Are It Used in Photography? When talking about photography the term ‘scene modes’ describes a collection of pre-set exposure modes on a camera, with each mode tuned to capture a particular type of scene. Scene modes are predominantly found on beginner level or point and shoot cameras and are designed to allow inexperienced photographers to capture accurate exposures in a variety of circumstances. ‘Snow shot’ mode for example fine tunes the cameras white balance to ensure snow looks white, rather than grey and minimises ISO sensitivity to capture the highest amount of possible highlight …

Selective Focus

What Does Selective Focus Mean When Talking About Photography? In photography the term ‘selective focus’ refers to a technique where the photographer selectively focuses on the subject of an image, essentially ignoring all other aspects of the scene. Using a shallow depth of field the subject can be rendered in sharp focus with the rest of the image blurring into the image foreground and background. This technique isolates the subject within the image, drawing the eye of the viewer to the exact point which the photographer wishes to be observed. The contrast of the sharp subject against the soft image …

Sensitivity

What Does Sensitivity Mean When Talking About Cameras and Photography In photography sensitivity refers to a film or digital camera sensor’s sensitivity to light. In photography sensitivity is often referred to as ISO, or ‘International Standards Organization’ an organization who ensure that manufacturers adhere to global standards. In this case all camera and film manufacturers use the same standard to describe the light sensitivity of their products. a Low ISO denotes low sensitivity, for example ISO 100, whereas a high ISO denotes a high sensitivity, for example ISO 6400. Like shutter speed and exposure time, ISO is measured in ‘Stops’, …

Sepia

What Does Sepia Mean When Talking About Photography? The term Sepia, when used in the context of photography refers to a monochrome image rendered in brown tones rather than the greyscale tones used in a traditional black and white image. Sepia images were originally produced by adding a pigment to a positive print while exposing an image captured on film. Sepia gets it’s name from the Sepia cuttlefish, Ink from the fish was used to create the brown dye used to alter the tone of Sepia images. In digital photography an image can be transformed into a Sepia image using …

Slow Sync

What Is Slow Sync and How Is Is Used When Taking Photographs? In photography ‘slow sync’ refers to a specific flash mode that allows slower than norman shutter speeds to be used when using flash to provide supplemental light to an image. Slow sync mode is used in low ambient light conditions where a photographer wants to capture a well lit subject against a well exposed, low lit background. In this situation the flash lights the subject in the foreground of the image, the shutter then remains open to correctly expose the low ambient light levels in the image background. …

Stock Photography

What Is Stock Photography and How Is It Used in the Photography Industry? In the photography industry the term ‘stock photography’ refers to capturing of images which are to be managed by a stock photography agency. These photographs are then supplied under licence from the agency to third party outlets who can then use the images in their own products. Stock images are often licensed for specific uses, and depending on the quality of the image the rights to use a specific image can cost a third-party anywhere from 25 Cents to tens -of-thousands of dollars. Stock photographs can be …

Stop

What to We Mean by a Stop When Talking About Photography When talking about photography a ‘Stop’ is a unit of measurement used to describe each step of opening or closing a lens’ aperture. On lens’ with an aperture ring a stop can be thought of as one physical click of the aperture ring. One stop is equal to one EV and they relate to the following values: 1.8, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32, 64. A lower number refers to a wider aperture, great for shooting in low light conditions but prone to a loss of …