asa/iso
(american standards association / international standards organization) the system used to rate film speed, the higher the asa number, the faster the speed
aperature
(lens opening) a hole in the lens through which light travels to strike the film or paper, the aperature size is adjustable & measured in f-stops
backlighting
refers to a lighting situation in which the most light is in the back of the subject, creating a silhouette
burning
a printing technique used to darken areas of a print by selectively adding more light the initial exposure
contact print / sheet
a sheet of printing paper that contains a series of contact prints, usually from a single roll of negatives
contrast
the difference between the light & dark tones in a negative (or print)
cropping
printing part of the negative rather than the whole image
darkroom
a room without light used to process photographic materials, safelights are used to illuminate room
depth of field
zone from the points closest to the camera to the points farthest from the camera that are in acceptable focus
developer
chemical that converts exposed silver crystals into black metallic silver, making the image visible
dodging
printing technique used to lighten areas of a print by selectively withholding light during the print exposure
easel
darkroom accessory used to hold printing paper flat & in place under the enlarger
emulsion
light-sensitive layer of the film of paper
exposure
combination of f-stops and shutter speed (or time) used to allow the correct amount of light to reach the film (or printing paper)
f-stop
numerical indication of how large a lens opening (aperature) is, the larger the f-stop number, the smaller the opening (& vice versa)
fixer
chemical used in film & print processing to make the image safe to view under room light
flat
describes a negative or a print with low contrast
fog
non-image light that exposes film or paper, usually by accident
grain
clumps of silver crystals on a negative that appear as tiny, sandlike particles in print
holding (water) bath
tray of water where the prints are kept after the fixer until they are washed
hypo
slang for fixer
leader
curved part of film at the beginning of a roll of 35-mm film
lens
the part that fits on a camera or enlarger to focus light and help control film or print exposure
negative
reversed image; the dark areas of a subject appear light & the light areas appear dark
overdevelopment
developing negatives or prints for more time than recommended
overexposure
exposing film or paper to more light than the meter or test strip recommends
panning
moving a camera in the direction of a moving subject to keep the subject sharp & cause the rest of the picture to blur
resin-coated (rc) paper
printing paper coating with a clear plastic; requires shorter processing
safelight
amber colored light used to illuminate darkrooms
shutter
shield in a camera or lens that protect film from light, when the shutter is opening, the film is exposed
shutter speed
length of time the shutter stays open during exposure; adjustable
single-lens reflex (slr)
camera type with one lens through which the picture is seen, focused, and taken; a mirror swings up when the shutter opens to allow the film to be exposed
stop bath
acidic solution that neutralizes the developing action on film and prints
test strip
section of printing paper, with several different exposures from a single negative, used to determine correct print exposure
underdevelopment
developing negatives or prints for less time than recommended
underexposure
exposing film or prints to less light than the meter or test strip recommends
viewfinder
piece of glass on camera through which the subject is viewed