Lenses and Photography Vocabulary

     I would use a telephoto lens to get pictures of birds that are flying far away. A prime lens would be used to take pictures of small insects or smaller plants and pictures of a party at night, where hardly any light is present. A wide angle lens to would be used take a picture of an entire building that is very wide.

     Depth of field is the range of distance that appears acceptably sharp, where you can manipulate the depth of field using different aperture sizes. This can be used to create an effect of focus. This focus that is used, is to put more emphasis on detail and placement of the subject.

     Light is used in photography as a medium for helping to create a photograph. The intensity of the light can determine the mood and focus of the picture, as well as the angle can help to direct the light on a specific area in the photograph, usually on the subject.

     A shadow is the absence of light that is cast from being blocked by a solid object. Whenever a photographer uses shadows in a composition, he/she can creatively control the way the subject is looked at and where on the subject the photographer wants to be seen, which ties in with the angle of the light.

     Light diffusion when light bounces of a semi-reflective surface and scatters throughout the area that is being photographed. Photographers use light diffusion to create a 'softer light', which uses light that is not as intense and makes the picture easier to look at.

     Exposure is the amount of light that is let in the aperture and is allowed to be exposed to the photographic medium. Exposure can be used to set the mood of a photograph by allowing the desired amount of light into the photo. It can also be used in darker environments, such as at night, to allow an acceptable amount of light in so that the subject(s) can be seen.

     The aperture is the hole in the lens that controls the amount of light let in the camera. It also controls the depth of field, where the smaller the f-stop has a larger depth of filed and the larger the f-stop the smaller the depth of field. It can be used to modify the lighting of a picture and the focus on the subject.

     Shutter speed is the speed in which the shutter opens and closes, allowing in light for a certain amount of time, usually ranging from a few seconds to thousandths of a second. A higher shutter speed can slow something that is moving very quickly. A slower shutter speed can create an effect of blur on something that could either be moving very quickly or not at all.

     ISO is the sensitivity of the photographic medium that determines the sensitivity to absorb light in the photograph. A higher ISO can allow more light in darker situations, but can result in a grainy effect. Lower ISO numbers can reduce the amount of absorbed light and keep the quality of the picture, but can make things difficult whenever you're shooting in areas with less light.