Where will your
curiosity take you?
Browse Photography Foundations, or search for an idea you want to understand.
Search SEK's knowledge collections
Photography Foundations.
Exposure
Light exposure is the light collected by the sensor during a photograph.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyAperture
Aperture is the lens opening that regulates how much light passes through.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyShutter speed
Shutter speed describes the time used to record a photograph.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyISO
ISO sets the camera response used to turn captured light into an image.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyStops
A stop is a doubling or halving used to compare exposure settings.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyExposure compensation
Exposure compensation asks automatic exposure to target a brighter or darker result.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyMetering
Metering measures scene light to help the camera choose exposure settings.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyHistogram
A histogram shows how many image pixels fall at different brightness levels.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyDynamic range
Dynamic range describes the span between dark and bright values a system can represent.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyHighlight clipping
Highlight clipping occurs when bright values reach a recording or output limit and lose distinction.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyImage noise
Image noise is unwanted variation in brightness or colour that can obscure detail.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyWhite balance
White balance adjusts colour rendering for the illumination in a scene.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyColour temperature
Colour temperature uses kelvin to describe a light source along a warm-to-cool scale.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyRAW
RAW records sensor data for a later image-rendering step.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyJPEG
JPEG is a widely supported image format commonly used for camera output and sharing.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyFocus
Focusing sets the distance at which a lens renders the subject most sharply.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyAutofocus
Autofocus uses the camera and lens to adjust focus automatically.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyContinuous autofocus
Continuous autofocus keeps adjusting focus as subject distance changes.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyDepth of field
Depth of field is the distance range that appears acceptably sharp around the focused subject.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyBokeh
Bokeh describes the visual character of out-of-focus areas.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyFocal length
Focal length is an optical lens property, normally stated in millimetres.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyField of view
Field of view describes how much of a scene a camera includes.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographySensor size
Sensor size is the physical area of the camera surface that records light.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyCrop factor
Crop factor compares a sensor format with a reference format, usually full frame.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyPrime lens
A prime lens has one fixed focal length.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyZoom lens
A zoom lens lets you vary focal length within a designed range.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyWide-angle lens
A wide-angle lens includes a broad view for the sensor format in use.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyTelephoto lens
In everyday photography, a telephoto lens gives a narrow view and larger distant subject framing.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyPerspective
Perspective is the apparent relationship of objects in depth, size and position.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyMotion blur
Motion blur records a subject moving across the image during an exposure.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyCamera shake
Camera shake is camera movement during capture that can blur the image.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyImage stabilisation
Image stabilisation compensates for some camera movement.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyTripod
A tripod supports a camera in a fixed position.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyPanning
Panning means moving the camera to follow a subject during capture.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyContinuous light
Continuous light illuminates the scene throughout the exposure rather than in a brief flash.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyFlash
Flash adds a short burst of light timed to the photograph.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyHard light
Hard light produces a relatively crisp boundary between light and shadow.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographySoft light
Soft light creates broader transitions at shadow edges.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyReflector
A reflector redirects existing light toward a subject.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyNeutral density filter
A neutral density filter reduces the light entering the lens.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyPolarising filter
A polarising filter can reduce some reflections and change how parts of a scene render.
Explore the idea Concept · PhotographyComposition
Composition is how you arrange subjects and visual elements within a picture.
Explore the ideaCompare the possibilities.
Prime vs zoom lenses
Choose around framing flexibility, aperture and the lenses you would actually carry. There is no universal winner.
Compare ↗Authored comparisonRAW vs JPEG
Compare editing room with a fast sharing workflow. Your capture needs and storage matter more than a format label.
Compare ↗Authored comparisonContinuous light vs flash
Compare illumination timing and how you work with it. Either source can be shaped into hard or soft light.
Compare ↗