Photography Vocabulary Worksheet

Press Print worksheet to match twelve camera terms, from lens and shutter to aperture and tripod, to their meanings.

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NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Photography vocabularylensshutteraperturetripodviewfinderflashzoom lenslens capdigital cameralight meterautofocustelephoto lensa lamp on a camera that lights ascene for an instanta cover that protects the lenswhen it is not in usethe glass eye of a camera, whichbrings a scene into focusa camera's door for light, shutexcept during a shota camera that stores its picturesas computer filesthe hole whose size sets howmuch light gets ina long lens that pulls a distantsubject up closean instrument that reads thebrightness of a scenea lens whose view can be changedfrom wide to closethe eyepiece or screen that showswhat the lens seesa stand on three legs that keeps acamera from movinga camera feature that sharpensthe picture by itself
NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Photography vocabularyAnswer keylensshutteraperturetripodviewfinderflashzoom lenslens capdigital cameralight meterautofocustelephoto lensa lamp on a camera that lights ascene for an instanta cover that protects the lenswhen it is not in usethe glass eye of a camera, whichbrings a scene into focusa camera's door for light, shutexcept during a shota camera that stores its picturesas computer filesthe hole whose size sets howmuch light gets ina long lens that pulls a distantsubject up closean instrument that reads thebrightness of a scenea lens whose view can be changedfrom wide to closethe eyepiece or screen that showswhat the lens seesa stand on three legs that keeps acamera from movinga camera feature that sharpensthe picture by itself
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All 36 terms

The camera 12

  • aperture The hole whose size sets how much light gets in. "She opened the aperture wide for the dim room."
  • autofocus A camera feature that sharpens the picture by itself. "Autofocus locked onto the runner's face."
  • digital camera A camera that stores its pictures as computer files. "A digital camera shows each picture on its screen."
  • flash A lamp on a camera that lights a scene for an instant. "Turn off the flash inside the museum."
  • lens The glass eye of a camera, which brings a scene into focus. "Wipe the lens with a soft cloth."
  • lens cap A cover that protects the lens when it is not in use. "Put the lens cap back on before you pack the camera."
  • light meter An instrument that reads the brightness of a scene. "The light meter showed that the room was too dark."
  • shutter A camera's door for light, shut except during a shot. "The shutter clicks when the picture is taken."
  • telephoto lens A long lens that pulls a distant subject up close. "A telephoto lens brought the far shore close."
  • tripod A stand on three legs that keeps a camera from moving. "She set the camera on a tripod for the night shot."
  • viewfinder The eyepiece or screen that shows what the lens sees. "He put his eye to the viewfinder."
  • zoom lens A lens whose view can be changed from wide to close. "With the zoom lens she filled the frame with the bird."
Show all 36 terms (24 more)

Exposure and focus 12

  • depth of field The zone, near to far, that stays in focus. "A shallow depth of field blurs the trees behind the face."
  • double exposure Two images laid over one another in a single frame. "In the double exposure a face floats over a forest."
  • exposure How much light the film or sensor gets during a shot. "A longer exposure made the dark street look bright."
  • f-number The number that measures how wide a lens opening is. "A small f-number such as f/2 means a wide opening."
  • film speed A rating of how quickly film reacts to light. "Film with a high film speed needs less light."
  • focal length How far behind a lens its light rays come together. "A lens with a long focal length makes far things look big."
  • focus The setting at which a subject appears crisp, not blurry. "The flower is in focus and the fence behind it is not."
  • grain The speckled texture of tiny dots seen in a photo. "The enlarged print shows a lot of grain."
  • motion blur Streaks left in a picture by something that moved. "Motion blur made the bike's wheels a smear."
  • overexposure An excess of light that leaves a picture washed out. "Overexposure turned the sky plain white."
  • red-eye A red glow in a person's eyes caused by the flash. "Red-eye spoiled the photo of the cousins."
  • underexposure A lack of light that leaves a picture dim and murky. "Underexposure hid the faces in shadow."

Pictures and points of view 12

  • bird's-eye view The scene as it appears from far up in the sky. "From the tower we shot a bird's-eye view of the square."
  • black and white Without color, only tones of gray, dark to light. "A black and white photo has no other color in it."
  • close-up A photo taken with the camera right next to its subject. "The close-up shows every vein of the leaf."
  • enlargement A print made bigger than the original picture. "An enlargement of the team photo hangs in the hall."
  • landscape A picture of a wide outdoor scene. "Her landscape shows hills under a stormy sky."
  • photo shoot A session set up for a photographer to take pictures. "The yearbook photo shoot is on Monday."
  • photojournalism Telling news stories mainly through photographs. "Photojournalism put the flood on the front page."
  • portrait An image made to show one person's likeness. "The school portrait shows her head and shoulders."
  • self-portrait A likeness of the artist, made by that same artist. "He took a self-portrait in the mirror."
  • snapshot An informal photo taken quickly, with little planning. "A snapshot from the picnic is on the fridge."
  • still life An artwork showing a group of arranged, unmoving things. "His still life is a bowl of lemons on a table."
  • vantage point A spot that gives a good view of the scene. "The bridge was the best vantage point for the parade."

How this list was compiled: Term list chosen for this site on 2026-10-11. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day against the entry for the term in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, and a second time against the entry in the Cambridge Dictionary (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/). Terms with no entry of their own in the Cambridge Dictionary were checked a second time against an article of the English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/), under the same license: lens cap (Lens cover), autofocus (Autofocus), f-number (F-number), film speed (Film speed), underexposure (Exposure (photography), with the dictionary's entry underexpose), motion blur (Motion blur (media)) and double exposure (Multiple exposure). Exposure, depth of field, red-eye and grain were also read in the articles Exposure (photography), Depth of field, Red-eye effect and Film grain. The sentence after each meaning is our own example of the term in use. Licence: own work

How it works

This photography vocabulary worksheet prints twelve terms down the left and their meanings, mixed up, down the right. It opens on the camera, from lens to telephoto lens. Two more sets cover exposure and focus, and kinds of pictures.

Read the full guide

Photography worksheet vocabulary, camera first

Set opens on The camera: lens, shutter, aperture, tripod, viewfinder, flash, zoom lens, lens cap, digital camera, light meter, autofocus and telephoto lens. Exposure and focus has exposure, focus, focal length, f-number, film speed, depth of field, overexposure, underexposure, motion blur, red-eye, double exposure and grain.

Pictures and points of view

The third set prints portrait, self-portrait, landscape, close-up, still life, snapshot, black and white, bird's-eye view, enlargement, photojournalism, vantage point and photo shoot. Printed one after another, the three sets are photography vocabulary worksheets for a whole unit, each with its own key.

  • Aperture is in the first set and f-number, the number that measures it, in the second.

Questions and answers

What is depth of field in photography?

The zone of a picture that looks sharp, from the nearest sharp object to the farthest. A wide aperture makes it shallow, so the background blurs; a narrow one keeps more of the scene sharp.

What is the difference between a zoom lens and a telephoto lens?

A zoom lens can change its focal length, so its view moves between wide and close. A telephoto lens has a long focal length and makes distant things look large.

What causes red-eye in photos?

The flash. Its light goes into the eye and bounces off the back of it, so the pupils come out red in a color photo. It happens when a flash is used in dim light or at night.

What is the difference between overexposure and underexposure?

An overexposed picture got too much light, and its bright parts are washed out to white. An underexposed picture got too little, and its dark parts merge into black.

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