Camera Vocabulary

“The photographer chooses the most suitable lens and sets the camera up on a tripod – hoping to capture the scene perfectly!”

Related Vocabulary:

• Selfie (slang)
• Wedding Photographer

More Vocabulary:

• aperture – noun – an opening or open space – in photography the aperture is the opening in the lens that admits light
• bokeh – noun – the blurred quality or effect of a portion of a photographic image
• depth of field – noun phrase – the zone within a photo that appears in focus
• DSLR – abbreviation of Digital Single-Lens Reflex – relating to a camera that combines the optics and mechanisms of a single-lens reflex camera with a digital imaging sensor
• exposure – noun –  the amount of light reaching a frame of photographic film or the surface of an electronic image sensor
• flash – noun – a device for providing light for taking photographs
• focus – noun/verb – the area (of a photo) that can be resolved into a clear area / to bring (a camera) into focus
• ISO – acronym of International Organization for Standardization – sensitivity to light (of a camera)
• macro lens – noun – a lens used to take photos extremely close to the subject
• shoot – verb – to photograph or film (something)
• shutter speed – noun – the length of time when the film or digital sensor inside the camera is exposed to light
• shutterbug – noun (slang) – An amateur photography enthusiast.
• telephoto lens – noun –  a lens that allows you to photograph a subject that is far away or magnify the subject of the photograph
• viewfinder – noun – the device on a camera showing the field of view (the area to be photographed) of the lens
• wide-angle lens – noun – a lens that allows you to fit more into the frame

Talking About Photos: Useful Phrases

• “Can you take a photo of us, please?”
• “Say cheese!” (what we say to make people smile for a photo)
• “Zoom in / zoom out.” (make the subject bigger or smaller)
• “This photo is blurry.” / “It’s out of focus.”
• “Hold the camera in portrait / landscape.” (tall or wide)
• “Let me take a selfie!” (a photo of yourself)

Common mistake: in English we take a photo, not make a photo. Say: I took a photo of the sunset. Not: I made a photo of the sunset.

See also: Selfie and Wedding Vocabulary.

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