Aspect ratio, depth of field, shutter speed, dynamic range – digital photography can be a fascinating hobby and a wonderful medium for creativity.
However, the vocabulary can be a bit confusing. Especially if English is not your mother tongue.
Today I’m joined on the podcast by professional photographer Niall Benvie who is going to explain some common terms in photography.

Niall is originally from Scotland, but he now lives in the Burgandy area of France. He’s written many books on photography and Niall also runs photographic holidays together with his wife, Charlotte, who is a talented chef and chocolatier. So, if you’re not taking photos on Niall’s courses, you’re enjoying wonderful meals!

We haven’t spoken about photography on the podcast before, so I was really happy when Niall agreed to speak with me and explain some basic, although sometimes confusing, photographic vocabulary.

Vocabulary
Photography / Photographer / Photographic / Photograph – photo
To take a photo / To frame a shot – What’s the difference?
Aperture – hole or gap
Aspect ratio – height to width
Bokeh (like poker) – The Japanese word for haze or blur. Refers to intentional background blur, popular in portraits.
Depth of field – how much is in focus
Dynamic range – range of dark and light
Exposure – light and dark (over/under exposed)
File format – JPG, TIFF, RAW, PNG
Focus – be careful of the pronunciation!
ISO – how sensitive the camera is to light
Shutter speed
Tripod – tri = 3 (triathlon, tricycle)
White balance
To crop

Discussion

Digital camera versus mobile phone camera. What are the pros and cons?

Why do you like photography? What attracted you to it?

What’s your favourite kind of photography?

Tell us about your photography courses.

Don’t forget to have a look at Niall’s beautiful photography books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.es/Niall-Benvie/e/B001KHNYAU?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1667722038&sr=8-3

Also, visit his webpage at niallbenvie.eu for more information about his photographic retreats.

Here are some examples of Niall’s photos: https://niallbenvie.photoshelter.com/

…and now it’s your turn to practise your English.
Send us a voice message. https://www.speakpipe.com/inglespodcast
Send us an email with a comment or question to [email protected] or [email protected]

Visit our online store: https://store.mansioningles.net/

Thank you to all of you who are helping us by supporting this podcast on Patreon. Join our Patreon program for as little as $1.20 per month (including VAT) and you get instant access to recent transcriptions. https://www.patreon.com/inglespodcast

If you enjoyed this podcast, please tell your friends.

The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called ‘See You Later’