Lenses and Photography Vocabulary

Lenses... 

I would use a telephoto lens to... take close of shots of things like flowers, and nature. The telephoto lens will help the photo to have a 'pop' and not look plain flat.

I would use a prime lens to... take photos in low light, such as a sunset, or an outdoor concert. Since the prime lenses are fixed (don't zoom), and have large apertures, it'll help to let more light into the camera, and not make the photo too dark.

I would use a wide angle lens to... take a photo of a landscape. The wide-angle lenses capture everything in the frame, and then makes them all stand out and become important.


 Vocabulary... 

1) Depth of Field - how deep the photo reaches
Depending on how deep or shallow the depth of field is, the photo could turn out really amazing. The deeper the photo is, the more of the background will be in focus. If your depth of field is shallower, only the closer objects will be in focus, causing the background to be blurry.

2) Light - the brighter areas of the photo
Light in a photo can come from any direction, and can be different rays of intensity. These can all add a different mood to the photo, and can really make it special.

3) Shadows - the dark areas of a photo
Shadows create a calmer part of the photo, and needs to be balanced with the light parts. When this happens, the photo will be much better.

4) Diffusion - the intensity of the light source
If the light is more diffused, the photo will appear softer. However if the light is not diffused, the photo will appear brighter, and sometimes harsh and sharp.

5) Exposure - the brightness of a photo
If you have a high exposure, your photo is going to appear brighter, as if the sun was shining right on the subject or the scene. With a lower exposure, the photo will do the opposite, and appear darker.

6) Aperture - how big or small the hole in the lens, which lets light through, is.
The bigger the aperture, the more light is let into the lens, thus the brighter the photo will be. The smaller the aperture, the less light that can be let into the lens, causing the photo to turn out darker.

7) Shutter Speed - how fast the aperture closes to capture the photo.
Slow shutter speeds will cause the photo to become blurry, while faster shutter speeds will result in a pause in time (less blur).

8) ISO - how sensitive the lens in to light.
The higher the ISO number, the lighter the photo will turn out, because the lens is becoming more sensitive to the light coming in. However, the higher your ISO is, the more grit and fuzz will appear in the photo.