This list includes 38 Photography words that start with O, from “Object removal” to “Oversharpening”. They cover camera parts, exposure and editing techniques, composition ideas, and practical workflow terms.
Photography words that start with O are concise technical and creative terms used across camera operation, editing, and composition. Historically, many of these words trace to optics and darkroom practices, while others like “oversharpening” reflect modern digital editing.
Below you’ll find the table with Term, Definition, Category, Related terms, and Further reading.
Term: The photography word starting with O, which you can scan quickly to find the concept you need.
Definition: A concise one- or two-sentence explanation that helps you understand and apply the term immediately today.
Category: The functional group such as exposure, optics, editing, or composition, helping you find related topics fast.
Related terms: Other words you may want to learn next, so you can explore connected concepts and avoid confusion.
Further reading: Links to deeper articles, tutorials, or manuals that let you expand knowledge on the term.
Photography words that start with O
| Term | Type | Abbreviation / Alternate Spellings | Typical Values / Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optical zoom | Lens attribute | — | e.g., 3×–30× (ratio) or focal mm |
| Optical axis | Lens geometry | — | no units (geometric line) |
| Optical center | Lens geometry | nodal point (informal) | no units |
| Optical distortion | Lens aberration | barrel, pincushion | typical distortion 0–5% |
| Optical low-pass filter | Sensor component / filter | OLPF; anti-aliasing (AA) filter | reduces moiré; varies by camera |
| Optical image stabilization | Stabilization system | OIS | about 1–5 stops of stabilization |
| Optical transfer function | Image quality metric | OTF | measured in cycles/mm |
| Optical density | Film/sensor measurement | OD | typical range 0–4 density units |
| Optical resolution | Image quality metric | — | MP; line pairs/mm |
| Optical magnification | Lens attribute | — | e.g., 1:1, 1:2, 0.5× |
| Optical viewfinder | Viewfinder type | OVF | coverage typically 90–100% |
| Open aperture | Exposure concept | — | f-stops such as f/1.4–f/22 |
| Open-aperture metering | Metering method | TTL open metering | used with TTL exposure systems |
| Open shade | Lighting condition | — | soft diffuse light; variable color temp |
| Open shutter | Technique / exposure | — | shutter speeds seconds to minutes |
| OpenEXR | File format | EXR | 16-bit or 32-bit float per channel |
| Overexposure | Exposure concept | overexposed | +1 EV, +2 EV etc. |
| Oversharpening | Post-processing artifact | — | USM settings: radius/amount |
| Oversaturation | Color artifact | over-saturated | saturation slider 0–100% |
| Out-of-focus | Focus state | OOF | blur radius depends on aperture/focal length |
| Out-of-camera | Workflow term | OOC | RAW or JPEG straight from camera |
| Off-camera flash | Lighting technique / equipment | OCF | guide number e.g., GN 30–60; TTL |
| On-camera flash | Lighting equipment | — | guide number e.g., GN 20–50 |
| One-shot AF | Autofocus mode | single AF; One-Shot | single focus acquisition |
| One-push white balance | White balance technique | one-push; one-touch WB | Kelvin calibration e.g., 2,500–10,000 K |
| Object tracking | Autofocus technique | AF tracking | continuous AF; subject-tracking |
| Object removal | Editing technique | clone, heal, content-aware fill | pixel-based retouching |
| Oblique lighting | Lighting technique | raking light | angle 10–60° |
| Oblique angle | Composition / aerial photography | low oblique, high oblique | angle degrees (low/high) |
| Orientation | Metadata / composition | EXIF orientation | 0°, 90°, 180°, 270° |
| Opacity | Editing parameter | — | 0–100% |
| Overlay | Editing/composition feature | layer overlay | blend modes e.g., Multiply, Overlay |
| Optical compression | Perspective effect | lens compression | telephoto focal lengths e.g., 85–600 mm |
| On-sensor phase detection | Autofocus technology | PDAF (on-sensor) | coverage varies by camera (%) |
| Orthochromatic | Film spectral sensitivity | — | sensitive to blue/green, not red |
| Objective lens | Lens component | objective | focal mm (e.g., 50 mm) |
| Oversampling | Sensor/data processing | — | 2×–5× (sampling ratio) |
| Off-axis aberration | Lens aberration | coma, astigmatism types | visible as comet tails, smearing |
Descriptions
Optical zoom
Zoom provided by lens glass that changes focal length; preserves image detail compared with digital zoom.
Optical axis
Imaginary line through lens elements around which they are designed; important for alignment, framing and minimizing aberrations.
Optical center
The point inside a lens where light appears to converge; used when calculating panoramic rotations and distortion.
Optical distortion
Geometric bending of straight lines by a lens; common types are barrel (bulging) and pincushion (pinched).
Optical low-pass filter
A sensor-mounted filter that slightly blurs fine detail to prevent moiré and aliasing in digital images.
Optical image stabilization
Lens-based stabilization that shifts optical elements to counter camera shake and allow slower shutter speeds for sharper images.
Optical transfer function
Mathematical description of how well a lens reproduces contrast at different spatial frequencies; used to quantify sharpness.
Optical density
Logarithmic measure of how much light a material (film, print) blocks; used in film exposure and printing.
Optical resolution
How much detail a lens/sensor system can resolve, expressed in megapixels or line pairs per millimeter.
Optical magnification
Ratio describing subject size on the sensor compared to real life; important in macro photography.
Optical viewfinder
A glass/optical finder that shows the scene through the lens or a separate optical path; common in DSLRs and rangefinders.
Open aperture
Using the lens at its maximum (widest) aperture for shallow depth of field and more light; often called “wide open.”
Open-aperture metering
Metering that measures light with the lens wide open, then compensates for the chosen aperture when the shot is taken.
Open shade
A shaded area with indirect, even light; favored for portraits to avoid harsh shadows and highlights.
Open shutter
Keeping the shutter open for long periods to capture motion blur, light trails, or long-exposure landscapes.
OpenEXR
High-dynamic-range image file format widely used for high-bit-depth photography and visual effects work.
Overexposure
When too much light reaches the sensor or film, causing loss of highlight detail and washed-out areas.
Oversharpening
Applying too much sharpening that creates visible halos and unnatural edge contrast in images.
Oversaturation
When color intensity is pushed too high in capture or edit, producing unrealistic, clipped colors.
Out-of-focus
Areas not in the lens’s plane of focus; used creatively as bokeh or can indicate missed focus.
Out-of-camera
An image in the state it was produced by the camera, before any external editing or processing.
Off-camera flash
Using a flash separated from the camera body to control light direction, hardness and creativity.
On-camera flash
A flash mounted on the camera (hot shoe) used for fill or direct lighting; convenient but can be harsh.
One-shot AF
Autofocus mode that locks focus once when the shutter is half-pressed, ideal for stationary subjects.
One-push white balance
Custom white-balance method where you sample a neutral target to set accurate color balance.
Object tracking
AF mode that follows a selected subject across the frame to maintain focus during motion.
Object removal
Removing unwanted elements from a photo using tools like cloning, healing or content-aware fills.
Oblique lighting
Lighting from a low, side angle to emphasize texture and surface detail in subjects.
Oblique angle
Shooting from a non-vertical angle, often used in aerial photography to show both ground and horizon.
Orientation
Image rotation metadata and the way a photo is framed vertically or horizontally.
Opacity
Controls transparency of a layer or adjustment in editing software; lower opacity blends effects with the original image.
Overlay
A top layer or graphic placed over an image used for guides, textures, or compositing effects.
Optical compression
Telephoto effect that makes background elements appear larger and closer to the subject, altering perceived distance.
On-sensor phase detection
AF that uses sensor-integrated phase-detection pixels to quickly determine focus, improving speed and tracking.
Orthochromatic
Type of photographic film/emulsion sensitive to blue and green light but not to red; historically important in black-and-white film.
Objective lens
Primary front element or group of elements in a lens that gathers light and determines focal properties.
Oversampling
Capturing or processing at higher resolution than final output to reduce noise and improve image quality after downsampling.
Off-axis aberration
Image defects affecting light rays off the lens center, causing comatic or astigmatic blur toward frame edges.