Learning about digital photography doesn’t have to be hard. If you start with the fundamentals, then you are more likely to succeed because you won’t get ahead of yourself and feel intimidated by advanced concepts. Fortunately, where you start within the fundamentals isn’t important so long as you start there. This article will define common digital photography terms first simply because understanding the language makes it easier to discuss digital photography techniques further down the road.

Virtually every hobby or field of study has its own language. This is certainly true of digital photography. The sooner you understand basic digital photography terminology and can comfortably use it, then the quicker you will see results in the quality of your digital photographs. Take all the time you need to get comfortable with the vocabulary. Bookmark this digital photography glossary if you need to and refer back to it until you can explain each one in your own words. Remember, you don’t have to memorize every term but eventually you do have to understand all of them.

Your success at being a digital photographer rests heavily upon your ability to get the right exposure. Exposure is the amount of light allowed to reach a digital camera’s sensor when you take a photograph. The primary ways that you can control exposure are shutter speed and aperture. Shutter speed refers to how long the shutter, or mechanism in your camera that controls when light hits the sensor (formerly film), is open. For this reason, shutter speed is measured in time, such as 1/25th of a second. Meanwhile, aperture refers to the diameter of the lens opening and is measured in f stops (for example, f/2.8) where the smaller the number, the larger the lens opening is. The final piece of the exposure puzzle is the sensitivity of the camera’s sensor, which is called ISO. With ISO, higher numbers mean that the sensor is more sensitive to the light entering the camera and conversely, lower numbers mean that the sensor is less sensitive.

Understanding exposure is critical as a digital photographer because your manipulation of it determines the quality and artistic feel of your photographs. Be sure to study and apply the fundamentals of digital photography so you can move on to master advanced concepts without being overwhelmed. You can also use trial and error to help you remember what each of the above terms means. Seeing the difference it makes in your photograph to decrease the shutter speed or increase your aperture will simultaneously promote your understanding of the basics of digital photography and set you on the right path to becoming an expert digital photographer.