GLOSSARY GLOSSARY
tripod A device with three legs that is used to
hold a camera steady.
tungsten light A light source that produces
light with a color temperature of approximately
3200K. See also Kelvin.
underexposure A condition that allows less
than the recommended amount of light to reach
the sensor, causing the image to appear too dark
and a loss of detail in the shadows.
variable-aperture lens A lens that changes the
maximum aperture, depending on the focal
length.
warm A descriptive term for an image or scene
that has an orange or red cast.
white balance An adjustment to the colors that
the camera records to match the lighting of the
scene.
wide-angle lens A lens description that refers to
lenses with shorter-than-normal focal lengths.
zoom lens A lens that has a range of focal
lengths.sRGB A color space created by Hewlett
Packard and Microsoft to more closely match dis-
play devices. See also Adobe RGB and color space.
stop A term of measurement in photography
that refers to any adjustment in the exposure.
When stop is used to describe shutter speed, a
one-stop increase doubles the shutter speed, and
a one-stop decrease halves the shutter speed.
When stop is used to describe aperture, a one-
stop increase doubles the amount of light reach-
ing the sensor, and a one-stop decrease halves
the light reaching the sensor.
telephoto lens A lens with a focal length longer
than that of a normal lens.
TIFF Tagged Image File Format. A lossless file
format for images that is universally acceptable by
image-editing software. See also lossless.
tonal range The shades of gray that exist
between solid black and solid white.
top lighting A method of lighting where the
main light is placed above the subject.