THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EYE

Focusing Ring The ring on a lens
which moves the lens forward and
back, causing objects to go in and out
of focus at the film plane.
Ground-Glass Focusing Screen A
piece of glass with a matte finish onto
which the camera projects the
same image as it is projecting at the
film plane, permitting the photographer
to compose and focus.
Highlights Bright areas of a
photograph or subject.
Interchangeable Lens Any lens that
may be removed from the camera
body and, therefore, exchanged for
another.
Mass The apparent weight of an object
in a photograph, as indicated by
its size, tone (dark objects generally
appear more massive), position and
shadow.
Negative Space The space between
one object and the frame of a photograph,
or between two or more objects
within the frame.
Objective (adjective) Factual; not
influenced by a person's feelings or
opinions.
Point of Interest The object in a
photograph that attracts the most attention.
Ideally the point of interest
is also the primary subject (what the
photograph is "about"), but this is
not always the case.
Positioning Placing an object
within the frame of a photograph.
Generally this is done by moving the
camera rather than by moving the
object.
Positive Space The space filled by
an object.
280 The Photographic Eye
Proportion The relative sizes of two
or more objects within the frame of
a photograph. (Proportion may also
refer to the contours of a single subject
which, if distorted, may appear
to be "out of proportion.")
Relation Anything that links two or
more objects together, such as a
similarity, contrast or contact between
them.
Shutter A mechanical device which
uncovers a single frame of film for
a specified period of time so light
traveling through a lens can produce
an image.
Shutter Release A mechanical or
electrical button which causes the
shutter to open.
Shutter Speed The time that a shutter
remains open, expressed in fractions
of a second (i.e. 1/125 of a second,
commonly referred to simply as
125).
Split-Image Focusing Screen A
piece of glass (generally a small circle
in the viewfinder) onto which two
fragments of an image are projected
by the camera's lens (or lenses). When
the two fragments are aligned, the
image is in focus.
Static Balance A composition in
which the visual elements are
arranged to produce a sense of harmony
with no suggestion of motion.
Subjective (adjective) Dependent
on a person's values, tastes or
opinions.
Telephoto Lens Any lens that
reproduces a smaller than normal
portion of a given scene, so objects
seem closer and larger than they actually
are.
Value The range of dark and light
tones in a photograph.
Viewfinder The camera's "window,"
which shows the photographer
the image that will appear on the
film. Many viewfinders also indicate
the amount of light entering the lens,
the shutter speed and other technical
data.
Visual Elements All the basic components
of an image. An element is
a fundamental unit, such as line,
which cannot be broken down into
smaller parts.
Visual Harmony Any repeating
visual element, such as a line or circle
or a larger pattern of shapes and
values. Visual harmonies are used to
add interest and structure to
photographs.
Weighting Positioning key subjects
toward one side or the top or bottom
of a photograph.
Zoom Lens Any lens of variable
focal length, i.e. with an adjustable
angle-of-view. A 35-150mm zoom
lens, for example, provides the same
focal-lengths as a 35mm, a 50mm and
a 150mm lens, plus all the focal
lengths in between.