The Ultimate Photography Glossary for Beginners

Film photography is filled with lingos that might even confuse die-hard fans. As a beginner, it can be overwhelming to read different terminologies and understand what they mean. Now instead of bombarding you with a massive-sized photography glossary, here are some of the key terms and terminologies you need to know as a beginner, especially in film photography:

35mm (135 film)

The most common film format. If you are looking for a film roll you'd find that most of them are in this format. As the name suggests, 35mm film rolls are 35mm in width.

120-film

A film format used in various medium format cameras. On contrary beliefs, 120 films are not, in fact, 120mm wide. The term "120 film" simply came about because of the numbering system that Kodak put in place to keep track of all the film formats they manufactured.

Aperture

The pupil of your camera -- it controls how much light enters the lens when you take a photo. The wider the aperture, the more light you let in, resulting in a brighter image, and vice versa. It also affects the depth of field, determining how much of your photo is in focus.

ASA

In photography, ASA and ISO are both measurements of film speed or sensitivity to light. ASA (American Standards Association) is no longer widely used. Most films nowadays are labeled by ISO (International Organization for Standardization). There is no difference in the film itself.

Backlight

Backlighting occurs when the primary light source is positioned behind your subject, resulting in a striking contrast between the subject and the background, often creating a silhouette effect, lens flares, or a warm glow to the scene.

C-41

The most common color film processing created by Kodak. Most modern films are processed in C-41.

Consumer Grade Film

Consumer-grade film stocks, such as the Kodak Gold 200 and Fujicolor c200, are readily available and less expensive than most professional-grade film stocks. They are a great option if you have only recently started with film photography. Consumer-grade film normally has more grain and less saturated color than professional film.

Cross Process

Cross-processing (also known as X-Pro) is the deliberate processing of film in a chemical solution intended for a different type of film. The resulting images typically have deeply saturated colors and high contrast, but they can also be unpredictable.

Darkroom

Literally, a dark room in which normal light is excluded so you can develop film without exposing them.

A resulting image of double-exposure in film photography

Double Exposure

A technique that layers two different exposures on a single image, so to expose a piece of film twice, combining two images into one. Double exposures can result in a surreal feeling in your photos and can be a fun experiment to try with your film camera.

Grain

The sand-like, granular appearance you see on a film photo. The lower the ISO the finer the grain, and vice versa.

ISO

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is a measurement of film speed, just like ASA. Each film roll has a predefined number. The higher the number, the most information will be captured. Higher ISO numbers are used in low-light situations.

Leading Lines

A composition technique where lines within the image direct the viewer's attention towards the main subject. These lines can be straight, curved, diagonal, or even implied, guiding the viewer's eye through the scene and adding depth and interest to your photos.

Medium Format Cameras

Medium format cameras use 120 films. Compared to smaller film, these cameras can capture a higher level of detail, dynamic range, and color depth, therefore producing exceptional image quality.

Yashica-A is a medium format camera

Overexposure

Overexposure occurs when too much light hit the film. Overexposed photos appear too bright, washed out, and have very little detail in their highlights. While it may seem less than ideal, deliberately overexposing a photo can serve as an artistic decision, producing a unique effect.

Point and Shoot

A point-and-shoot camera has a fully automatic setting, allowing the user to simply point, and shoot (hence the name) to take photos, not having to adjust many, if not any, of the settings. A point and shoot's lens are not interchangeable.

Cosina CX 70 is a point and shoot camera

Professional Grade Film

Professional-grade films (Kodak Portra 400, Fujifilm Fujicolor Pro, Kodak Portra 160) are typically more expensive and less readily available than consumer-grade film. In general, professional films have more saturated colors and finer grain than consumer films.

Pulling Film

Pushing and Pulling is a technique of using a different ISO than what the film is designed for. When you pull film you are setting your camera to have a lower ISO rate than your film, therefore overexposing the film. This typically results in reduced contrast.

Pushing Film

Pushing a film means that you are setting your camera to have a higher ISO rate than the film, therefore underexposing the film. The resulting images have higher contrast and more grain.

Rangefinder

A rangefinder camera, like the Ricoh 35 EFS, for instance, is one of the most common types of film camera and is often compared to the SLR camera. A rangefinder does not use mirrors in its mechanics, which causes you to only see an approximation of what your camera will capture. While this may give you less control over what you capture, rangefinder cameras are also often lighter and more compact, making it ideal for travelling and for street photography.

Rule of Thirds

Basic principle in composition where you imagine your frame divided into nine equal sections with two horizontal and two vertical lines. The idea is that you can add depth, interest, and balance to your photos by aligning your subject or important elements with these lines or their intersections.

Saturation

Saturation refers to the color intensity of an image. As saturation increases, colors appear more vibrant. The lower the saturation of an image, the closer it is to grayscale.

A grayscale image has no saturation

SLR (Single-Lens Reflex)

Unlike a rangefinder, an SLR camera uses a series of mirrors that allows the photographer to look through the viewfinder and see exactly what will be captured. This gives optimal accuracy as you better understand the depth of field.

TLR (Twin-Lens Reflex)

In the realm of medium format photography, TLR cameras stand out for having two lenses to work with -- one for viewing your subject through the viewfinder and another for capturing the image onto the film when you press the shutter button.

Underexposure

Underexposure is the result of not having enough light hitting the film strip. Underexposed photos are too dark to produce normal contrast and have very little detail in their shadows.

Wide Exposure Latitude

A film with a wide exposure latitude (such as the Kodak Gold 200) can record detail in a wide range of lighting conditions, from bright light to dark shadow, and still produces an acceptable negative.

Have any other photography terminology you would like to know about? Let us know in the comment section!