Photography Word Search

A camera vocabulary puzzle with its answer key, from Lens and Shutter to Bokeh and Daguerreotype.

Name Date

Find every word hidden in the grid. Words go across and down.

0 of 16 words found

QSRKHBFRAMELZTA

UDLONISLENSUKAY

YSANGLEAGPKRFSN

SNFFSGTQIHSCOHA

NWTXUBYUTFBAOUD

RPBIBTWAGTLMNTW

BIEEJTSAARAECTG

LXRUENRAAINREEY

EEBPCYOLLPDAYRI

FLTETGEXPOSUREU

OSYATACHMDCOFLO

CEPFDOENEGATIVE

USOOFLASHGPKLOL

SRYAPERTUREYMCA

WGLHPORTRAITPAH

This grid is wider and taller than its box. Slide it to see every letter.To drag, hold the first letter for a moment, then slide.Keyboard: Tab to the grid, arrow keys to move, Enter on the first and last letter.

LensLENS
ShutterSHUTTER
ApertureAPERTURE
ExposureEXPOSURE
TripodTRIPOD
FocusFOCUS
PortraitPORTRAIT
CameraCAMERA
FlashFLASH
FilmFILM
FrameFRAME
AngleANGLE
SubjectSUBJECT
LandscapeLANDSCAPE
NegativeNEGATIVE
PixelPIXEL

16 of 20 words from the Photography Key Terms list.

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Word list

Large print Lower-case letters Name and date line on paper

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Answer key: Photography Word Search

QSRKHBFRAMELZTA

UDLONISLENSUKAY

YSANGLEAGPKRFSN

SNFFSGTQIHSCOHA

NWTXUBYUTFBAOUD

RPBIBTWAGTLMNTW

BIEEJTSAARAECTG

LXRUENRAAINREEY

EEBPCYOLLPDAYRI

FLTETGEXPOSUREU

OSYATACHMDCOFLO

CEPFDOENEGATIVE

USOOFLASHGPKLOL

SRYAPERTUREYMCA

WGLHPORTRAITPAH

LENS, SHUTTER, APERTURE, EXPOSURE, TRIPOD, FOCUS, PORTRAIT, CAMERA, FLASH, FILM, FRAME, ANGLE, SUBJECT, LANDSCAPE, NEGATIVE, PIXEL

Next step Type in the terms from your own photo unit

All 176 words

The Camera 26

Aperture The opening in a lens that lets light through; it can be made wider or narrower.
Battery The part that stores the electric power a camera runs on.
Camera A device that records pictures by letting light fall on film or a sensor.
Dial A wheel turned to choose a setting.
Diaphragm The ring of thin blades inside a lens that sets the size of the opening.
Film A strip of coated plastic that records pictures when light strikes it.
Filter A piece of glass or plastic put over a lens to change the light.
Fisheye A lens with so wide a view that straight lines bend into curves.
Flash A burst of bright light fired as the picture is taken.
Hot shoe The slot on top of a camera where a separate flash slides on.
Lens The curved glass that gathers light and brings the picture into focus.
Megapixel One million of the tiny dots that make up a digital picture.
Memory card A small removable device that stores digital pictures.
Mirror In a reflex camera, the part that bounces the view up toward the eye.
Monopod A one-legged pole that helps hold a camera steady.

Show all 176 words (161 more)

The Camera, continued

Pinhole A tiny opening that stands in for a lens in the simplest kind of camera.
Prism A block of glass in a reflex camera that sends the view to the eyepiece.
Self-timer A device that delays the shutter for a few seconds after the button is pressed.
Sensor The chip in a digital camera that turns light into a picture.
Shutter The part that opens for a moment to let light reach the film or sensor.
Strap A band that hangs a camera from the neck or shoulder.
Telephoto A long lens that makes far-off things look near.
Tripod A three-legged stand that holds a camera steady.
Viewfinder The small window you look through to line up a shot.
Wide angle A lens that takes in a broad sweep of the scene.
Zoom A lens that can make the subject look larger or smaller without being swapped.

Light and Exposure 24

Ambient Describes the light already in a scene, with nothing added.
Backlight Light that comes from behind the subject.
Blur Fuzziness caused by movement or by missing the focus.
Bokeh The soft, blurry look of the out-of-focus parts of a picture.
Bracketing Taking several shots of the same subject at different settings.
Contrast The difference between the light and dark parts of a picture.
Daylight Natural light from the sun.
Depth of field How much of the scene, from near to far, looks sharp.
Exposure The amount of light that reaches the film or sensor for one picture.
F-stop A number such as f/8 that names the size of the lens opening.
Flare An unwanted reflection inside a lens, seen as haze or bright spots in the picture.
Focus The point at which the subject looks clear and sharp.
Glare Harsh, bright light that bounces off a shiny surface.
Golden hour The time just after sunrise or before sunset, when daylight is redder and softer.
Highlight The brightest part of a picture.
Histogram A graph that shows how many of a picture's pixels are dark, middling or bright.
ISO A number that tells how sensitive the film or sensor is to light.
Meter A tool that measures how much light is in a scene.
Overexposed Too bright, because too much light got in.
Shadow A dark area where something blocks the light.
Shutter speed How long the camera lets light in for one picture, such as 1/250 of a second.
Silhouette A dark shape seen against a bright background.
Underexposed Too dark, because too little light got in.
White balance An adjustment of the colors so that white and gray things look white and gray.

Composition 26

Angle The direction from which the camera looks at the subject.
Background The part of a scene farthest away, behind the subject.
Balance An even feel, with no side of the picture too heavy.
Close-up A picture taken very near the subject.
Composition The way the parts of a picture are arranged.
Crop To trim the edges of a picture.
Depth A feeling of distance from the front of a picture to the back.
Detail A small part of a scene that is worth a close look.
Diagonal A slanted line that gives a picture a feeling of movement.
Focal point The spot in a picture that the eye goes to first.
Foreground The part of a scene nearest the camera.
Frame To choose what falls inside the edges of a picture.
Horizon The line where the land or sea seems to meet the sky.
Leading lines Things in a picture, such as a road or a fence, that draw the eye to the main subject.
Mood The feeling a picture gives.
Negative space The empty area around the subject.
Orientation Whether a picture is turned tall or wide.
Pattern Shapes or colors that repeat.
Perspective The way distance and viewpoint make things look larger or smaller.
Repetition The same shape or color used again and again in one picture.
Rule of thirds A guide that places the subject on lines dividing the picture into three each way.
Scale How big something looks next to the things around it.
Subject The main person or thing a picture is about.
Symmetry A match between the two halves of a picture.
Texture The look of how a surface would feel, rough or smooth.
Viewpoint The place the photographer stands, kneels or climbs to take the picture.

Kinds of Photographs 23

Abstract A picture of shapes, colors and lines, not of a thing you can name.
Action Pictures that freeze fast movement, as in sports.
Aerial Taken from the air, as from a plane or a drone.
Architecture Pictures of buildings.
Candid Taken when the subject is not posing.
Collage One picture made by joining many.
Documentary Pictures made to record real events and everyday life.
Headshot A photograph of a person's head and face.
Landscape A picture of outdoor scenery, such as hills, fields or coast.
Monochrome Made in shades of one color, most often black, white and gray.
Nature Pictures of plants, animals and wild places.
Panorama A very wide picture of a broad view.
Photo essay A set of pictures that tells one story.
Portrait A picture of a person, most often of the face.
Selfie A picture you take of yourself.
Snapshot A quick, casual picture.
Still life A picture of objects arranged on a table, such as fruit or flowers.
Street Pictures of everyday life in public places.
Time lapse Pictures taken at set gaps and played back fast, so slow changes speed up.
Travel Pictures of the places and people met on a trip.
Underwater Taken below the surface of a pool, lake or sea.
Wildlife Pictures of animals living free.
Yearbook A school's book of the year, filled with pictures of students and clubs.

Film and the Darkroom 30

Burn To give part of a picture extra light on the paper, so that part comes out darker.
Camera obscura A dark room or box where light through a small hole casts an upside-down picture.
Canister The small light-tight can that a roll of film comes in.
Contact sheet A page of small pictures made by laying strips of film straight onto photo paper.
Cyanotype A blue picture made by exposing coated paper to sunlight.
Daguerreotype An early kind of photograph made on a silver-coated copper plate.
Darkroom A room kept dark for turning exposed film into pictures on paper.
Develop To treat exposed film with chemicals so the picture appears.
Dodge To shade part of a picture while the paper is exposed, so that part comes out lighter.
Emulsion The light-sensitive coating on film or photo paper.
Enlarger A machine that makes a bigger picture from a small negative.
Fixer The chemical that makes a developed picture last in the light.
Glossy A shiny finish on photo paper.
Loupe A small magnifier for looking closely at negatives.
Matte A flat finish on photo paper that does not shine.
Negative Film on which light areas show dark and dark areas show light.
Photogram A picture made without a camera by laying objects on photo paper in the light.
Plate A coated sheet of glass or metal used to record pictures before roll film.
Positive A picture with light and dark the right way round.
Print A photograph made on paper.
Proof A test copy made to check a picture before the final one.
Reel The spiral holder that film is wound onto for developing.
Safelight A dim lamp, often red, that does not spoil photo paper.
Sepia A warm brown tone seen in many old photographs.
Slide A small see-through picture in a mount, shown with a projector.
Spool The small cylinder that film is wound around.
Stop bath The chemical step that halts developing.
Tintype An old kind of photograph made on a thin sheet of metal.
Tongs A tool for lifting wet paper out of the chemicals.
Tray A shallow dish that holds chemicals.

Digital and Editing 27

Album A book or folder that keeps pictures together.
Backup A spare copy of your pictures, kept in case the first is lost.
Brightness How light or dark a picture looks overall.
Caption A line of words that explains a picture.
Copyright The legal right of the person who made a picture to decide who may copy it.
Delete To erase a picture from the card or the computer.
Edit To change a picture after it is taken.
Export To send a finished picture out of one program as a new file.
Gallery A place, or a web page, where pictures are shown.
Image A picture, especially one stored as a computer file.
Metadata Facts saved inside a picture file, such as the date and the camera settings.
Pixel One of the tiny dots that make up a digital picture.
Portfolio A collection of a person's best work.
Preset A saved group of editing settings applied in one step.
Raw A file that keeps all the data from the sensor, before the camera processes it.
Resolution The amount of fine detail a picture holds.
Retouch To fix small flaws in a picture, such as dust spots.
Rotate To turn a picture, for example from sideways to upright.
Saturation How strong and rich the colors in a picture are.
Scan To copy a paper photograph into a computer file.
Screen The display on the back of a digital camera.
Sharpen To make the edges in a picture look crisper.
Slideshow Pictures shown one after another on a screen.
Tag A label; a word attached to a picture so it can be found later.
Thumbnail A very small copy of a picture, used for browsing.
Upload To send pictures from a camera or phone to a computer or website.
Watermark A faint name or mark placed over a picture to show whose it is.

In the Studio 20

Assistant A helper who moves lights and gear.
Backdrop A plain cloth or paper sheet hung behind the subject.
Clamp A grip that holds a sheet or a lamp in place.
Client A person who hires someone to take pictures.
Diffuser A sheet or cover that spreads light out and makes it softer.
Lighting The way lamps are arranged around a subject.
Model A person who poses for pictures.
Photographer A person who takes pictures.
Pose To hold the body still in a chosen position.
Prop An object placed in a picture to add interest.
Reflector A white or shiny panel used to bounce light onto a subject.
Session One appointment for taking a set of pictures.
Shoot To take a picture or record on film.
Smile The expression a sitter is most often asked for.
Softbox A box around a lamp with a cloth front that scatters the light and makes it soft.
Spotlight A lamp that throws a narrow, strong beam.
Stool A seat without a back, handy for posing.
Strobe A flash unit that fires a short, powerful burst of light.
Studio A room set up for taking pictures.
Wardrobe The clothes chosen for a sitter to wear.

How this list was compiled: Own work: the word list and every clue were written for this page. Spellings and meanings were checked on 2026-10-09 against The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, https://www.ahdictionary.com/. Photography terms were also checked on 2026-10-09 against English Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/, in the articles Rule of thirds, Exposure, Aperture, Shutter speed, Film speed, Hot shoe, Self-timer, Golden hour, Depth of field, Bokeh, Color balance, Leading lines, Bracketing, Fisheye lens, Diaphragm, Single-lens reflex camera, Pinhole camera, Daguerreotype, Tintype, Cyanotype, Camera obscura, Photogram, Safelight, Stop bath, Photographic fixer, Dodging and burning, Contact print, Raw image format, Softbox, Slide show and Image histogram. Licence: own work

How it works

This photography word search opens on 16 key terms: Lens, Shutter, Aperture, Exposure, Tripod, Focus and Portrait among them. Every word has a one-line meaning, and seven more lists run from the camera to the darkroom.

Read the full guide

Camera, light and composition

Under Start from a list, The Camera has Viewfinder, Diaphragm and Hot shoe. Light and Exposure has ISO, F-stop, Bokeh and Golden hour. Composition has Rule of thirds, Leading lines and Negative space. Kinds of Photographs runs from Candid and Headshot to Time lapse.

Film, files and the studio

Film and the Darkroom has Enlarger, Fixer, Safelight and Daguerreotype for a film unit. Digital and Editing has Pixel, Raw, Metadata and Watermark. In the Studio has Backdrop, Softbox and Reflector. Each list makes its own photography word search printable on Letter or A4, with the answer key on a second page.

Rule of thirds, Depth of field and Camera obscura hide closed up: RULEOFTHIRDS.
Short Photography Words has 48 words of three to five letters, such as Lens, Film, Zoom, Blur and Crop.
Under More options, tick Show clues, not words and Tripod prints as "A three-legged stand that holds a camera steady."

Questions and answers

What is the rule of thirds in photography?

A guide for composing a picture. Imagine it divided into nine equal parts by two horizontal and two vertical lines, then place the important parts of the scene along those lines or where they cross.

What is exposure in photography?

The amount of light that reaches the film or the image sensor. It depends on how long the shutter stays open, how wide the lens opening is, and how bright the scene is.

What is the difference between aperture and shutter speed?

Aperture is the size of the opening that light passes through, often written as an f-number. Shutter speed is the length of time the film or sensor is exposed to light. Both decide how much light gets in.

What does ISO mean on a camera?

A number for sensitivity to light. The ISO system was introduced in 1974 as a measure of film speed, and digital cameras use a closely related scale that links exposure to how light the picture comes out.

All 176 words

The Camera 26

The Camera, continued

Light and Exposure 24

Composition 26

Kinds of Photographs 23

Film and the Darkroom 30

Digital and Editing 27

In the Studio 20

How it works

Camera, light and composition

Film, files and the studio

Questions and answers

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