This list includes 74 Photography words that start with P, from “PC sync” to “Push processing”. They cover camera gear, shooting techniques, editing processes, and printing terms used across photography workflows. Use this list for study, quick reference, and writing glossary entries.
Photography words that start with P are terms covering people, places, processes, and equipment used across photographic practice. Many, like “portrait” and “panorama”, reflect genres and techniques photographers have used for more than a century.
Below you’ll find the table with Term, Definition, Usage, and Related links.
Term: The word or abbreviation being defined, so you can quickly spot entries you already know or want to learn.
Definition: A concise one- or two-sentence explanation that gives you the core meaning without technical jargon.
Usage: Practical notes on when or why the term matters in shooting, editing, or publishing, helpful for real projects.
Related links: Quick pointers to deeper articles or tutorials so you can explore techniques, examples, or gear details further.
Photography words that start with P
| Term | Category | Units/Values | Abbreviation/Alt spellings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pixel | measurement | n/a | n/a |
| Pixel density | measurement | pixels per inch (PPI) | pixel pitch density |
| Pixel pitch | measurement | 1–10 micrometers (example: 3.9 µm) | pixel size |
| Pixel binning | technique | n/a | n/a |
| Pixel shift | technique | n/a | n/a |
| Pixel aspect ratio | measurement | 1:1 (square) common | PAR |
| Pixelation | technique | n/a | n/a |
| PPI | measurement | pixels per inch | Pixels Per Inch |
| PNG | format | n/a | Portable Network Graphics |
| PSD | format | n/a | Photoshop Document |
| ProPhoto RGB | format | n/a | nPROPHOTO |
| Profile (color profile) | metadata | ICC profile names | color profile, ICC profile |
| Post-processing | technique | n/a | post production |
| Post-production | technique | n/a | post processing |
| format | paper sizes (e.g., 8×10 in) | n/a | |
| Printing resolution | measurement | DPI (e.g., 300 DPI) | n/a |
| Portrait | composition | n/a | portraiture |
| Portrait mode | setting | n/a | phone portrait mode |
| Portrait orientation | composition | n/a | vertical orientation |
| Panorama | technique | format | panoramic photo |
| Panning | technique | n/a | pan |
| Panoramic stitching | technique | n/a | stitching |
| Pancake lens | lens | n/a | flat lens |
| Prime lens | lens | f/1.2–f/5.6 typical | prime |
| Parfocal | lens | n/a | n/a |
| Petzval lens | lens | n/a | Petzval |
| Pinhole camera | equipment | pinhole diameter (mm) | pinhole |
| Photographic plate | format | glass plate sizes vary | glass plate |
| Photogram | technique | n/a | n/a |
| Photogrammetry | technique | n/a | n/a |
| Photometry | measurement | lux, candela, foot‑candles | n/a |
| Photodiode | equipment | n/a | n/a |
| Photosite | measurement | n/a | photodiode, sensor cell |
| Photographic latitude | measurement | stops (e.g., ±3 stops) | latitude |
| Photographic process | technique | n/a | process |
| Photographic film | format | 35 mm, 120, large format | film |
| Phase-detection AF | technique | n/a | PDAF |
| Pentaprism | equipment | n/a | n/a |
| Pentamirror | equipment | n/a | n/a |
| Parallax | measurement | n/a | n/a |
| Parallax error | measurement | n/a | n/a |
| Parallax compensation | technique | n/a | n/a |
| Polarizer | equipment | n/a | polarizing filter, CPL |
| Polarization | lighting | n/a | n/a |
| Panel light | lighting | n/a | LED panel |
| Parabolic reflector | lighting | n/a | beauty dish (variant) |
| Pre-flash | lighting | n/a | n/a |
| Program mode | setting | n/a | P (on dial) |
| Program shift | technique | n/a | n/a |
| Program AE | setting | n/a | Program Auto Exposure |
| Preview | setting | n/a | image preview |
| Presets | metadata | n/a | camera preset, edit preset |
| Push processing | technique | n/a | push |
| Pull processing | technique | n/a | pull |
| PC sync | abbreviation | n/a | Prontor‑Compur sync |
| Practical light | lighting | n/a | practical |
| Perspective | composition | n/a | n/a |
| Perspective distortion | composition | n/a | n/a |
| Perspective control lens | lens | n/a | PC lens |
| Posterization | technique | n/a | posterize |
| Photometer | measurement | lux, foot‑candles | light meter |
| Photographic negative | format | n/a | negative |
| Photomontage | technique | n/a | composite |
| Point-and-shoot | equipment | n/a | compact camera |
| Power zoom | equipment | n/a | pwr zoom |
| Pictorialism | technique | n/a | n/a |
| Previsualization | technique | n/a | previs |
| Photoflood | lighting | n/a | photoflood bulb |
| Point light source | lighting | n/a | n/a |
| Pixel well capacity | measurement | electrons (e−) | full well capacity |
| Power rating | measurement | volts, mAh, watts | n/a |
| PEF | format | n/a | Pentax Electronic File |
| PNG‑8/PNG‑24 | format | n/a | n/a |
| PLA? (unused) | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Descriptions
Pixel
The smallest addressable element in a digital image sensor or display; pixels form the image grid and determine resolution and detail.
Pixel density
How many pixels fit into a linear inch of a sensor or display; higher density usually means finer detail and sharper images on small screens.
Pixel pitch
Distance between the centers of adjacent photosites on a sensor, affecting light-gathering and low‑light performance.
Pixel binning
Combining adjacent sensor pixels into one to improve low-light sensitivity and reduce noise at the cost of resolution.
Pixel shift
A method where the sensor moves slightly between exposures to capture extra color or resolution information, then combines images for higher-quality output.
Pixel aspect ratio
Ratio of a pixel’s width to height; non-square pixels affect image scaling and are common in some video formats.
Pixelation
A blocky image appearance caused by low resolution or heavy upscaling, where individual pixels become noticeable.
PPI
A measurement of image resolution for screens and prints; commonly used to judge display sharpness or print size.
PNG
A lossless image file format that supports transparency, often used for web graphics and screenshots.
PSD
Adobe Photoshop’s layered image format widely used for editable photo files and preserving layers, masks, and adjustments.
ProPhoto RGB
A very large-color‑gamut RGB color space used in photography to preserve colors during editing and wide-gamut printing.
Profile (color profile)
A file that defines how colors should be interpreted between devices, ensuring consistent color across screens and printers.
Post-processing
Editing and adjusting images after capture, including exposure, color correction, retouching, and compositing.
Post-production
Broker term for editing, color grading, and finishing images or video after shooting; often used in professional workflows.
Print
The physical output of an image on paper or other media; print processes include inkjet, darkroom, and professional printing presses.
Printing resolution
Dots per inch measure for printing; higher DPI usually gives smoother transitions and finer detail in prints.
Portrait
A genre focused on capturing people, emphasizing expression, lighting, and the subject’s personality.
Portrait mode
A camera/phone mode that emphasizes subject sharpness and background blur (bokeh), often using depth data or software.
Portrait orientation
Image framing taller than wide, commonly used for people, full-body shots, and vertical subjects.
Panorama
A wide-format image created by stitching multiple shots or using a panoramic camera or mode to capture expansive scenes.
Panning
Moving the camera to follow a moving subject during exposure to keep the subject sharp while creating motion blur in the background.
Panoramic stitching
Combining multiple overlapping photos into a single wide image using software that aligns and merges exposures.
Pancake lens
An unusually thin, compact prime lens that keeps cameras lightweight and portable while maintaining decent image quality.
Prime lens
A fixed-focal-length lens prized for sharpness, wide maximum apertures, and compact size compared with zooms.
Parfocal
A lens design that keeps a subject in focus while changing focal length — useful in cinema and some zoom lenses.
Petzval lens
A classic lens design known for strong field curvature and distinctive swirl bokeh, revived in modern specialty optics.
Pinhole camera
A simple, lensless camera using a tiny aperture to project an image onto film or a sensor; infinite depth of field but low light.
Photographic plate
A historical light-sensitive glass sheet used before film; still used in some specialty and archival practices.
Photogram
A cameraless image made by placing objects directly on light-sensitive material and exposing them to light; an early photographic method.
Photogrammetry
Creating measurements or 3D models from multiple photographs, commonly used in mapping, archaeology, and 3D capture workflows.
Photometry
The science of measuring light; used for exposure calculations and assessing lighting setups in photography and film.
Photodiode
A light-sensitive semiconductor used in camera sensors and light meters to convert photons into an electrical signal.
Photosite
The individual light-sensitive element on a sensor (often called a pixel by users), which collects photons to form an image.
Photographic latitude
The tolerance of a film or sensor to exposure error while still retaining usable detail in shadows and highlights.
Photographic process
Any method to capture or produce images, from darkroom chemistry to digital capture and printing workflows.
Photographic film
Light-sensitive material that records images chemically; comes in various sizes and emulsions for different uses.
Phase-detection AF
An autofocus method that compares light-phase information to quickly determine focus direction and amount, used in many cameras.
Pentaprism
A solid glass prism in optical viewfinders that corrects the image orientation and provides a bright, upright view in SLRs.
Pentamirror
A lightweight, resin-based alternative to a pentaprism used in some entry-level SLRs that reflects the viewfinder image via mirrors.
Parallax
The apparent shift of a subject’s position when viewed from different points; important in viewfinder framing for close-up shots.
Parallax error
A framing mistake caused by the viewfinder and lens viewing the scene from different positions, typical in rangefinder and compact cameras.
Parallax compensation
Adjusting framing or using camera aids to correct parallax error for accurate composition, especially in close-up photography.
Polarizer
A circular or linear filter that reduces reflections, deepens skies, and boosts color saturation when rotated in front of the lens.
Polarization
A property of light waves describing their orientation; exploited by filters to control reflections and enhance contrast in photos.
Panel light
A flat, often LED-based continuous light panel used for portraits, product shots, and video to provide soft, even illumination.
Parabolic reflector
A curved reflector that focuses light into a directional beam, used to create crisp, contrasty lighting with soft falloff.
Pre-flash
A brief flash fired before the main exposure to measure TTL flash exposure or to reduce red-eye; can influence auto-exposure systems.
Program mode
A camera exposure mode where the camera selects shutter speed and aperture automatically while allowing limited user control.
Program shift
A feature that lets photographers change aperture/shutter combinations while keeping the same exposure in Program mode.
Program AE
Another name for Program mode, emphasizing automatic exposure control by the camera.
Preview
A camera function to view captured images on the rear screen or EVF, often with histogram or highlight alerts.
Presets
Saved settings or editing adjustments applied quickly to achieve consistent exposure or a preferred look.
Push processing
Developing film for longer or at higher temperature to increase apparent sensitivity and contrast, often for low-light shooting.
Pull processing
Developing film for shorter time or lower temperature to decrease apparent sensitivity and contrast, used to reduce grain.
PC sync
A standard connector and signal for synchronizing external flashes with a camera’s shutter, often labeled “PC.”
Practical light
A light source visible within a scene (like a lamp or neon), used as part of the set’s lighting and for realism.
Perspective
The apparent spatial relationship and depth in an image, affected by lens choice and camera position.
Perspective distortion
Distortion caused by shooting close with a wide lens, making nearby subjects look exaggerated while distant ones appear small.
Perspective control lens
A specialized lens allowing shift and/or tilt movements to correct converging lines and control perspective, popular in architecture photography.
Posterization
An effect or artifact where smooth tonal gradients are reduced to abrupt bands, often seen after heavy editing or low-bit processing.
Photometer
A device that measures light levels to help set exposures; camera meters and handheld meters are types of photometers.
Photographic negative
A film or image-bearing medium where tones are inverted relative to the final print; negatives are scanned or printed to make positive images.
Photomontage
An image created by combining parts of multiple photos into a single composition for artistic or documentary purposes.
Point-and-shoot
A simple, often fully automatic camera designed for easy use; typically smaller and less configurable than interchangeable-lens cameras.
Power zoom
A motorized zoom mechanism in some lenses or camcorders allowing smooth, controllable focal length changes.
Pictorialism
An early photographic movement valuing artistic, soft-focus images and alternative processes, influential in historical photographic practice.
Previsualization
Planning a shot mentally or via sketches to envision composition, lighting, and mood before shooting.
Photoflood
A continuous, high‑heat incandescent lamp used historically for studio lighting and still used for some continuous-light needs.
Point light source
A small, concentrated light that produces sharp shadows and specular highlights, useful for dramatic or rim lighting.
Pixel well capacity
Maximum number of electrons a photosite can hold before clipping, affecting dynamic range and highlight behavior.
Power rating
Specification for batteries, strobes, or lights indicating energy capacity or output; influences runtime and brightness.
PEF
Pentax’s proprietary RAW image file format used in their DSLR cameras.
PNG‑8/PNG‑24
Variants of PNG files: PNG‑8 uses indexed color; PNG‑24 supports full 24‑bit color and transparency for richer images.
PLA? (unused)
n/a