Bokeh Derived from the Japanese word for ‘blur’, this term is used to describe the aesthetic quality of the blur in out-of-focus areas of a picture, or the lens creating them. Smooth, circular out-of-focus highlights are a…
Blown out Bright areas in a photo that are over-exposed are said to be blown out. They won’t hold any detail and will be bleached white. Sources: Pixabay, Wikipedia, Susan Wingfield Lamar High…
Blending mode Blending modes determine how the pixels in a layer interact with the underlying pixels on other layers instead of simply covering them. Some blending modes are much more useful for photo editing than others.…
The ABC of Photography - Bit Bit The basic unit from which any digital piece of data is made. Each bit has a value of either 0 or 1. The…
Bellows A concertinaed tube made of flexible, light-proof material that separates a lens from the camera body. Bellows were first used on very early cameras in the mid-19th century, and…
Beauty dish A studio lighting device used to give a flattering effect in portrait and fashion photography. It consists of a large circular dish-shaped reflector, usually around 40-50cm in diameter, with a light source in the…
Barrel distortion Barrel distortion is a lens fault or aberration that causes straight, parallel lines in an image to bow outward, and is seen when shooting with wide-angle lenses. The wider the lens, the greater…
Barn doors Four hinged doors fixed on the front of studio lights. The doors are used to modify the shape and the direction of the light. Sources: Pixabay, Wikipedia, Susan Wingfield Lamar High…
Ball head A type of tripod head in which the head mount, which holds the camera, is attached to a ball-and- socket joint. When the socket is tightened using the ball lock knob, it…
Backup A copy of a digital file that’s kept in case of damage to, or loss of, the original digital image Sources: Pixabay, Wikipedia, Susan Wingfield Lamar High School