Simplifying 4 Photography Jargon

The subject of photography is loaded with terms that are not often used in regular conversation. You might have come across these four photography terms:

Artifacts – these would be unwanted distortions or visible defects in the image caused during image processing, such as when digital data is compressed (lossy conversion). Low light situations and low end cameras also increase the chances of artifacts showing up in the shot. These artifacts can appear as color flaws, an example would be a red area in the image showing unevenness. Line faults are also the result, with edges of objects showing jaggedness instead of clean fine delineations.

Bokeh – from the Japanese word ‘boke’, meaning ‘fuzzy’, this is the appearance of blurry areas in the shot. These out of focus sections can enhance the image and some photographers intentionally create bokeh for creative effect. A shallow depth of field can be used to blur points of light. These will then appear as soft edged discs that can look visually appealing. Bokeh effects can also be created using DIY techniques such as by covering the lens with a black sheet of paper that has a small shape in the center and shooting with a big aperture.

Metadata – this is information that is embedded in the image file such as the file size, the date the shot was taken, exposure settings, what kind of camera was used to take the file, and the like. Metadata can be recorded by the camera or the software when the image is downloaded into the computer, or it may be manually keyed in by the photographer. Adding metadata to your images with keywords will make it easier for you to locate them in your hard drive. This also means they can be retrieved faster by internet search engines if you upload them online.

Vanishing point – when using perspective in composition, this would be the point where parallel lines seem to meet in the distance. It gives the two dimensional photograph the impression of having a three dimensional space. Most obvious subjects would be roads, railroad tracks, tunnels and bridges.