Photojournalism Key Terms

Learn more about photography and photojournalism related vocabulary
By Lisa Maloney The most critical element of a photojournalist's toolkit is the camera. In order to understand what newspaper, magazine or even Internet clients are asking for, the photojournalist needs to understand the camera and the terminology associated with it.

While there's a lot to cover in the world of photojournalism-related key terms, this vocabulary will get you started and give you a basis from which you can converse intelligently with clients or photojournalist contractors.

Ambient light

Ambient lighting is the natural lighting already present in a photographer's scene before any lighting or filtering lenses are applied.
Try:  MediaCollege.com explains ambient lighting and how it may work for or against a photographer.

Focal length

The focal length is essentially the distance from the optical center of the lens to the light-sensitive "chip" inside your camera. Combined with angle of view, focal length determines how "far" and how "wide" your camera sees.
Try:  CyberCollege explains how the focal length of a lens affects how the subject is perceived.

F-stop

The aperture, also referred to as the f-stop setting, is how wide the iris of the camera lens opens. How wide the iris opens determines how much light comes through the lens.
Try:  HomePhotog.com gives a tutorial on how to use the aperture and F-stop settings on your camera.

Angle of view

The angle of view on a camera lens is how much of an image is captured by the lens. A larger angle shows more objects, while a smaller angle shows fewer objects but they are bigger and more well-defined.
Try:  KenRockwell.com explains the concept of angle of view and how to calculate it.

JPEG

JPEG, or .jpg as it might appear on file names, stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. It is the standard format for sharing photos on a computer and over the Internet.
Try:  Tech-FAQ explains the JPEG name and how the JPEG format applies to different types of photos and illustrations.

Megapixels and dots per inch

Megapixels and dots per inch are both ways of measuring image quality. The first pertains to digital images and the second to how many dots a printer can squeeze into each inch of a printed image. In both cases, the higher the number, the better resolution of the image.
Try:  wiseGEEK defines megapixels and dots per inch, and their relation to picture quality.