Glossary and Terms of Reference
a.k.a.
Cutting through the gobbledygook!
a.k.a.
Cutting through the gobbledygook!
Camera skills, and all that goes with the art of photography, is littered with acronyms, nicknames, unfamiliar terminology and, to make matters worse, camera clubs tend to make up some of their own! This is fine once you are in the swing of things, and is pretty easy to pick up, but can be alarming if you are new to photography, new to Middleton Camera Club or new to both! Below is a list of the most common things you might hear at MCC and what they mean.
ABS!
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An 'exclamation' you might hear at the club and an 'in' joke. It refers to 'Another Bloomin' Sunset' - that's the polite version! With sunsets being such a popular topic to photograph, they have to be a bit special to get noticed. You may hear the same said for ABB (bird), ABF (flower) etc.
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PDI - Projected Digital Image
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These are images that you submit by email or on a memory stick. They are projected on a screen in much the same was as a slide used to be. There are things you need to do to size and label your image but once you get the hang of it, it is easy. You can download the 'Easy Guide to PDI Preparation' here or from the Tool Box page.
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Mount (for a print)
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A mount is simply a piece of reinforced card with a hole in the middle, which is placed over your photograph to provide a frame. It has a number of roles; you might select a certain style or colour to compliment and enhance the image, it will both protect and support the image during the presentation.
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Backing board
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This is used with a mount (above). Because the mount has a hole through which you photograph is viewed, it needs support. For this you simply stick a piece of card over the hole and secure firmly to the mount. Backing board has to be neither sophisticated nor expensive - an old cardboard box or cereal packet does just fine - few people will ever see it. Stick your label on the backing board.
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Labels (for prints)
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There is some key information you need to put on the back of your prints.
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High key / Low key images
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You might hear this term in relation to projected images. Essentially a high key image makes most use of bright white and light grey colours with a low contrast effect; these stand out well from a dark background. In contrast, a low key image has lots of dark, moody colours, such as large areas of black and dark grey; these images will be 'lost' against a dark background so will benefit from a small border or key line if projected on a screen.
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Key Line (border)
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A key line is a narrow border, often just 2 or 3 pixels wide, which is added to a digital image in order to define the boundaries of the image and separate it from the background. Often used in PDI projection, where a low key (dark) image may be presented against a black background.
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