Angle of incidence.The angle of incidence is the
original axis on which light travels. The angle of reflection
is the secondary angle light takes when reflected off of
some surface. The angle of incidence is equal to the angle
of reflection.
Balance.A state of visual symmetry among elements
in a photograph.
Barebulb flash.A portable flash unit with a vertical
flash tube that fires the flash illumination 360 degrees.
Barn doors.Black, metal folding doors that attach to
a light’s reflector; used to control the width of the beam.
Bleed.A page in a book or album in which the pho-
tograph extends to the edges of the page.
Bounce flash. Bouncing the light of a studio or
portable flash off a surface such as a ceiling or wall to pro-
duce indirect, shadowless lighting.
Box light.A diffused light source housed in a box-
shaped reflector. The bottom of the box is translucent
material; the side pieces of the box are opaque, but they
are coated with a reflective material such as foil on the in-
side to optimize light output.
Broad lighting.One of two basic types of portrait
lighting in which the main light illuminates the side of
the subject’s face turned toward the camera.
Burst Rate.The number of frames per second (fps) a
digital camera can record images and the number of
frames per exposure sequence a camera can record. Typ-
ical burst rates range from 2.5fps up to six shots, all the
way up to 8fps up to forty shots.
Butterfly lighting.One of the basic portrait lighting
patterns, characterized by a high-key light placed directly
in line with the line of the subject’s nose. This lighting
produces a butterfly-like shadow under the nose. Also
called paramount lighting.
Card reader.A device used to connect a memory card
or microdrive to a computer. Card readers are used to
download image files from a capture and/or storage de-
vice to your computer workstation.
Catchlight.The specular highlights that appear in the
iris or pupil of the subject’s eyes reflected from the por-
trait lights.
CCD (Charge-Coupled Device).A type of image
sensor that separates the spectrum of colors into red,
green and blue for digital processing by the camera. A
CCD captures only black & white images. The image is
passed through red, green and blue filters in order to cap-
ture color.
CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semicon-
ductor).A type of semiconductor that has been, until
the Canon EOS D30, widely unavailable for digital cam-
eras. CMOS chips are less energy consuming than other
chips that utilize simply one type of transistor.
Color management. A system of software-based
checks and balances that ensures consistent color,
through a variety of capture, display, editing, and output
device profiles.
Color space.An environment referring to the range
of colors that a particular device is able to produce.
Color temperature.The degrees Kelvin of a light
source. Also refers to a film’s sensitivity. Color films are
balanced for 5500°K (daylight), or 3200°K (tungsten),
or 3400°K (photoflood).
Cross-lighting.Lighting that comes from the side of
the subject, skimming facial surfaces to reveal the maxi-
mum texture in the skin. Also called sidelighting.
Cross shadows.Shadows created by lighting with two
light sources from either side of the camera. These should
be eliminated to restore the “one-light” look.GLOSSARY 115