You take a photograph, look closely at the finished image, and notice that the corners appear darker than the center. Sometimes the effect is barely visible. In another photograph, the edges may look noticeably shaded, almost as though someone placed…
What Is Camera Shutter Count
If you have ever looked at a used camera listing and seen a number like 12,000, 48,000, or 150,000 next to the words shutter count, you may have wondered what that number actually means. Camera shutter count is essentially a record…
What Is Rolling Shutter in Photography
You photograph a cyclist speeding past, a bird taking flight, a car racing down the street, or someone swinging a baseball bat. The shutter speed is fast enough to freeze the movement, yet something looks wrong. The wheels appear slightly…
What Does IBIS Mean in Photography
If you have been comparing cameras, reading specifications, or watching photography reviews, you have probably seen the letters IBIS beside a camera’s features. What does IBIS mean in photography? IBIS stands for In-Body Image Stabilization. It is a stabilization system…
What Is Barrel Distortion in Photography
You photograph a building, doorway, tiled wall, bookshelf, or city street, then notice something strange when you look at the image. Lines that should be straight appear to curve outward. The middle of the photograph seems to bulge toward you,…
What Is Lens Flare in Photography
You point your camera toward a bright sunset and suddenly see pale circles, colorful shapes, streaks of light, or a washed-out haze across the frame. Sometimes the result looks magical. Other times, contrast disappears, and the photograph feels flat. That…
What Does a Fast Lens Mean in Photography
Photography has plenty of terminology that sounds more complicated than it really is, and a fast lens is a perfect example. A fast lens does not take photographs more quickly. It doesn’t necessarily autofocus faster, capture more frames per second,…
What Is Focus Breathing in Photography
You frame a photograph carefully, leave the zoom ring completely alone, adjust focus from something close to the camera to something farther away, and suddenly the composition seems to shift. The edges of the frame move. Your subject may appear…
What Is Field of View in Photography
Every photograph begins with a boundary. Before you choose aperture, shutter speed, ISO, or even where to focus, your camera has already made one important decision visible through the viewfinder: how much of the scene fits in the frame. That…
What Is Lens Compression in Photography
Lens compression is one of those photography terms that sounds more technical than it really is. You may have seen a portrait where enormous mountains seem to rise directly behind a person. Perhaps you have noticed city photographs where buildings…
Full Frame vs APS-C Cameras: What’s the Difference
Camera shopping becomes confusing quickly when two models look similar but one says “full frame” and the other uses an APS-C sensor. Both formats can produce excellent photographs. Sensor size changes how lenses frame a scene, how easily you can…
What Is a Stop of Light in Photography
Photography becomes much easier once you stop thinking of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO as three unrelated sets of numbers. One measurement connects them all: the stop. A stop of light in photography describes a change in exposure. Increase exposure…
What Is Crop Factor in Photography
Put a 50mm lens on one camera, and the photograph may look fairly natural and spacious. Mount that same 50mm lens on another camera, stand in the same place, and suddenly the composition looks much tighter. The lens didn’t secretly…
What Does f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4 Mean on a Camera
If you have ever looked at a camera lens and wondered why it says f/1.8, f/2.8, f/4, or another seemingly random number, you are looking at one of the most important controls in photography: aperture. Those numbers tell much more…
Focal Length in Photography: What 18mm, 35mm and 50mm Mean
Look at almost any camera lens, and you will find numbers such as 18mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, or perhaps a range like 18-55mm. Those millimeter numbers are among the most useful pieces of information printed on a lens, yet they…
How to Photograph Autumn in the City
Autumn photography does not require a mountain covered in red trees or a quiet woodland glowing at sunrise. Cities experience fall differently. Yellow branches stretch across brick apartment buildings. Red leaves collect beside stone steps. A row of trees softens…
How to Photograph Fall in Your Backyard
Fall photography can make it seem as though you need mountains covered in red maples, a misty forest, an apple orchard, or a road winding through brilliant foliage. You may already have something equally useful a few steps from your…
How to Photograph Fall Colors in Your Neighborhood
Some of the most interesting fall photographs may be waiting a few blocks from your front door. A tree you barely noticed in July can turn brilliant yellow in October. Fallen leaves can collect against a familiar stoop. A neighborhood…
