Gallery Exhibition
An organized display of photographs or artwork in a gallery or exhibition space, allowing viewers to appreciate and engage with the images.
Gaffer Tape
A strong and adhesive tape commonly used by photographers to secure equipment, hold backdrops in place, or make temporary repairs.
Gallery Wrap
A method of stretching and wrapping a printed photograph or artwork around a frame, so that the image extends to the edges of the frame, often used for canvas prints.
Gamma
A measure of the brightness and contrast of a monitor or the midtone brightness of digital image. Adjusting the Gamma slider within an image-editing program will adjust the midtones while maintaining detail in the highlight and shadow areas. Adjust the monitor gamma to make the image appear more natural to your eye. A setting of around 18 is right for a Mac monitor while a 2.5 setting is more appropriate for a PC. A measurement used in sensitometry to describe the angle made between the straight-line portion of the characteristic curve of the photograph emulsion and the base of the graph. The gamma is the tangent of the angle so formed.
Gamut
The range of colors or tones that a particular device, such as a camera, display, or printer, can capture, reproduce, or display accurately.
Gel Conversion
The process of using colored gels or filters to modify the color temperature of light sources to match the desired white balance or create specific lighting effects.
Gel Lighting
The use of colored gels or filters on light sources to create specific lighting effects or add color to the scene.
Gel
A colored transparent material placed in front of a light source to modify or add color to the scene being photographed.
Geometric Shapes
Basic shapes such as circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles found within a composition, which can add structure and visual interest to an image.
Geotagging
The process of adding geographical information, such as GPS coordinates, to a photograph, allowing it to be associated with a specific location.
Ghost Town Photography
A genre of photography that focuses on capturing images of abandoned or deserted towns, often exploring themes of decay, nostalgia, and the passage of time.
Ghosting Effect
An intentional creative effect where a transparent or translucent duplicate of the subject or object is intentionally captured, creating a ghost-like appearance.
Ghosting
The phenomenon of faint, transparent duplicate images appearing in a photograph, often caused by lens flare, reflections, or long exposures.
Giclée Print
A high-quality inkjet print commonly used in fine art photography, offering excellent color accuracy and longevity.
GIF (Graphical Interchange Format)
A universal type of image file for use on the Web. A Gif contains only 256 colours so it’s best used for solid color graphics such as logos and buttons, rather than high quality photographic images.
Gimbal Stabilizer
A mechanical device used to stabilize and control the camera’s movements, especially in video recording, allowing for smooth and steady footage.
Gimbal
A device used to stabilize a camera and minimize shaky movements, commonly used in videography and drone photography.
Glamour Photography
A genre of photography that emphasizes the beauty, allure, and attractiveness of the subject, often associated with fashion, beauty, or portrait photography.
Glamour Shot
A photograph that emphasizes the beauty, allure, and attractiveness of the subject, often characterized by a flattering lighting setup and sophisticated styling.
Glare
Unwanted reflections or bright spots caused by direct light sources or reflective surfaces, which can negatively impact image quality.
Glass Lens
A lens element made of glass that is used in camera lenses to refract and focus light, providing sharpness and optical quality to the image.
Glass Plate Negative
A type of negative used in early photography, consisting of a glass plate coated with a light-sensitive emulsion, which was exposed and developed to create the image.
Glass Prism
A transparent prism made of glass that can be used creatively in photography to refract and bend light, producing unique and artistic effects.
Glazing
The process of applying a transparent or translucent coating, such as varnish or gel medium, to a photographic print to enhance its appearance and protect it from damage.
Glitch Art
A style of digital art that incorporates digital or analog glitches, errors, or distortions intentionally created or manipulated in an image to achieve artistic effects.
Global Adjustments
Editing adjustments applied to an entire image rather than specific areas or regions
Global Contrast
The overall contrast level in an image that affects the difference between highlights and shadows throughout the entire frame.
Global Shutter
A type of camera shutter that captures the entire frame simultaneously, as opposed to a rolling shutter which captures the image line by line.
GND (General News Documentary)
Refers to a genre of photography that captures documentary-style images of general news events, often used in photojournalism.
GND (Graduated Neutral Density) filter
A type of filter that helps balance the exposure in a scene with a significant difference in brightness between the sky and the foreground. The filter darkens the bright areas while keeping the darker areas unaffected.
GND (Gray Neutral Density) Filter
Similar to a Graduated Neutral Density filter, it is a filter that reduces the amount of light entering the lens evenly across the frame, without any gradient.
GND (Ground
In a camera’s lens mount, it refers to the electrical contact that connects the lens to the camera body, allowing communication between the two.
Gobo Light
A device or object placed in front of a light source to create patterns or shadows, often used in studio lighting setups to add visual interest to the scene.
Gold Reflector
A reflector with a gold-colored surface used in photography to add warm, golden tones to the subject or scene when reflecting light onto it.
Golden Circle
A compositional guideline where important elements or points of interest are positioned along an imaginary circular path within the frame, creating a visually pleasing and balanced composition.
Golden Hour
The period shortly after sunrise or before sunset when the light is soft, warm, and golden, creating a favorable lighting condition for photography.
Golden Ratio
A compositional principle that suggests dividing the frame into specific proportions, such as a 1:1.618 ratio, believed to create aesthetically pleasing and harmonious compositions.
Golden Spiral
A composition technique based on the Fibonacci spiral, where the subject or key elements of the image are placed along the spiral to create a visually appealing and balanced composition.
GPD
Gallium Photo Diode. Metering cells for measuring exposure, using gallium arsenide-phosphide, just like SPD or Cds cells.
Grab Shot
A spontaneous and quickly captured photograph, often taken without much planning or preparation, capturing a fleeting moment or action.
Gradation Curve
A graphical representation of how tones or colors transition from shadows to highlights in an image, often used in post-processing software to adjust contrast or tonal range.
Gradation
Refers to the smooth transition of tones or colors in an image, particularly noticeable in areas of gradual change, such as a sunset sky or a shaded landscape.
Gradient Filter
A filter that creates a gradual change in exposure or color across the image, typically used to balance the exposure between the sky and the foreground.
Gradient Map
A post-processing technique where a gradient of colors is applied to an image based on the brightness or tonal values, creating interesting color effects and tonal variations.
Grain Clarity
The degree of sharpness and detail present in the grain structure of a photograph, often subjective and dependent on factors like film type, development, or scanning technique.
Grain Size
Refers to the size and texture of the individual particles that make up the film emulsion or digital sensor, affecting the perceived “graininess” of the image.
Grain
Refers to the visible texture or “graininess” in a photograph, particularly noticeable in film photography or high ISO digital images.
Grey card (18% Grey Card)
Tone used as representative of mid-tone of average subject. The standard grey card reflects 18 per cent of the light falling on it.
Gray Market
Refers to the sale of camera equipment outside the manufacturer’s authorized distribution channels, often resulting in lower prices but lacking official warranty or support.
Gray Scale
A range of gray tones from pure black to pure white, often used as a reference to assess tonal values and contrast in an image.
Green Cast
A color shift or tint towards green that can occur in an image due to lighting conditions, white balance settings, or lens characteristics.
Grid
A visual overlay in the viewfinder or on the camera’s LCD screen that divides the frame into a grid pattern, used for composition and aligning elements in the image.
Ground-Level Perspective
A viewpoint or camera position at or near ground level, offering a unique and intimate perspective of the subject or scene.
Group Portrait
A photograph that captures a group of people or subjects together, typically showcasing their relationships and interactions.
Grouping
The arrangement of subjects or elements within the frame to create a visually cohesive and balanced composition.
Grunge Photography
A style of photography that embraces a gritty, rough, and unconventional aesthetic, often characterized by high contrast, distressed textures, and unconventional subject matter.
Guide Mode
A beginner-friendly feature found in some cameras that provides step-by-step guidance and recommendations for different shooting scenarios.
Guide Number (Flash)
A measurement of a flash unit’s power and range, used to determine the appropriate flash-to-subject distance for proper exposure.
Gum Bichromate
A historic alternative photographic printing process that involves coating paper with a light-sensitive mixture of gum Arabic, potassium dichromate, and pigment, resulting in unique handcrafted prints.
Gustatory Photography
The art of photographing food and beverages, often used in culinary magazines, cookbooks, and advertising.
Gyroscopic camera mount
A device employing a gyroscope to help stabilize handheld cameras subject to movement or vibration from outside sources.
Gyroscopic Image Stabilization
A technology that uses gyroscopes to compensate for camera shake and vibrations, providing image stabilization to help capture sharper photos.
Gear
Gear refers to photography equipment such as:
- camera body
- lenses
- tripod
- flash
- filters
- memory cards
Gaussian Blur
Gaussian blur is a blur effect used in editing software to soften an image.
It is commonly used for background blur, skin smoothing, and artistic effects.
GFX (Medium Format Camera Series)
GFX refers to Fujifilm’s medium-format camera series. These cameras offer high resolution and excellent image quality.
Global Positioning System (GPS)
GPS in cameras is used to record the exact location where the photo was taken.
This is useful for travel and wildlife photographers.
