The ABC of Photography – JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
A file format used for digital images. A variable amount of compression can be used to vary the amount of detail stored and the resulting file size. It’s the standard…
The ABC of Photography – Joiner
A term coined by the artist David Hockney (born 1937) to describe his photo-collage work in the 1980s. Hockney’s joiners combined overlapping prints, made at slightly different times and from…
The ABC of Photography – Jack
A socket into which a plug is inserted to make a connection, also known as a ‘female’ connector. A jack on a camera is used for connecting an accessory such…
The ABC of Photography – ISO
Stands for International Organisation for Standardisation. In photography, it refers to a system for measuring and specifying the sensitivity of digital imaging systems and photographic films. The higher the ISO…
The ABC of Photography – IS
The abbreviation used for Image Stabilization – the optical camera shake-reduction system found in a wide range of Canon lenses.
The ABC of Photography – Inverse square law
This law particularly relates to the use of studio lights or flash and says that if an object is twice a particular distance from a point source of light, it…
The ABC of Photography – Instamatic
The name of a hugely popular series of low-cost, easy-to-use cameras made by Kodak. First sold in 1963, Instamatics used Kodak’s cartridge-based 126 film. In 1972, the company introduced the…
The ABC of Photography – Infrared photographs
mages recorded on an image sensor or photographic film that’s only sensitive to infrared (IR) light, beyond the spectrum visible to us. Black-and-white IR landscapes have a ‘dreamlike’ quality’; grass and…
The ABC of Photography – Infinity
Optical term to describe objects that are so far away from the lens that light from them reaches the lens as parallel rays. In practice, it’s usually used to mean…