This list includes 41 Photography words that start with A, from “ADC” to “Average Metering”. Many entries cover camera hardware, exposure, lenses, and editing basics used by students and creators.
[Photography words that start with A] are concise labels and abbreviations used across camera operation, composition, and editing. Many, like “aperture”, trace back to early optical science and shaped photographic language worldwide.
Below you’ll find the table with Term, Definition, Usage, and Related Links.
Term: Shows the word or abbreviation so you can scan entries and find the exact A-word quickly.
Definition: Gives a concise 1–2 sentence explanation so you understand meaning without reading long technical texts.
Usage: Provides a short example or context so you know how and when to apply the term in practice.
Related Links: Points you to deeper articles, manuals, or tutorials so you can explore topics in more detail.
Photography words that start with A
| Term | Part of speech | Abbreviation/Alternate | Related category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aperture | noun | f-stop | exposure, lens |
| Aperture Priority | noun | A / Av | exposure mode |
| Aperture Value | noun | Av | exposure |
| ASA | abbreviation | American Standards Association | exposure sensitivity |
| Auto ISO | noun | Auto-ISO | exposure |
| Autofocus | noun | AF | focus |
| AF-C | abbreviation | Continuous AF | focus mode |
| AF-S | abbreviation | Single AF | focus mode |
| AF Point | noun | AF point | focus |
| AF Lock | noun | AFL | focus |
| Auto Exposure | noun | AE | exposure |
| AE Lock | noun | AEL | exposure |
| Auto Exposure Bracketing | noun | AEB | technique |
| Ambient Light | noun | Available light | lighting |
| Anamorphic | adjective | anamorphic lens | lens, format |
| Angle of View | noun | AOV | composition |
| Aspect Ratio | noun | AR | composition |
| Aspheric | adjective | Aspherical | lens |
| Anti-Aliasing | noun | AA | image processing |
| Anti-Aliasing Filter | noun | AA filter, OLPF | sensor, optics |
| Alpha Channel | noun | alpha | post-processing |
| Adobe RGB | noun | Adobe RGB (1998) | color space |
| Adobe DNG | noun | DNG | file format |
| ADC | abbreviation | A/D converter | electronics |
| APEX | abbreviation | Additive system of Photographic EXposure | exposure theory |
| APS-C | abbreviation | Advanced Photo System type-C | sensor format |
| APS | abbreviation | Advanced Photo System | format |
| APS-H | abbreviation | APS-H | sensor format |
| Auto White Balance | noun | AWB | color balance |
| Articulated Screen | noun | tilting/swivel LCD | equipment |
| Analog Photography | noun | film photography | technique |
| Action Photography | noun | sports photography | genre |
| Architectural Photography | noun | architecture | genre |
| Anti-Reflection Coating | noun | AR coating | optics |
| Area AF | noun | Area AF | focus mode |
| Average Metering | noun | Average metering | exposure |
| Anti-Blooming | noun | anti-blooming gate | sensor electronics |
| Aperture Blade | noun | diaphragm blade | lens |
| Area Metering | noun | Spot/Partial/Area | exposure |
| Artifact | noun | image artifact | image quality |
| Autofocus Tracking | noun | AF tracking | focus |
Descriptions
Aperture
The opening in a lens that controls how much light reaches the sensor; smaller f-numbers mean wider openings and shallower depth of field.
Aperture Priority
Camera mode where you set the aperture and the camera selects shutter speed for correct exposure, useful for controlling depth of field.
Aperture Value
A numerical representation of aperture used in camera menus and exposure calculations; often shown as “Av” on dials and displays.
ASA
Historic film-speed scale equivalent to ISO; older cameras and film labels often use ASA to indicate light sensitivity.
Auto ISO
Camera setting that automatically raises or lowers ISO based on light and chosen shutter/aperture, helping maintain exposure in changing conditions.
Autofocus
Camera system that automatically adjusts lens focus on a subject; modes and speed vary by lens and camera.
AF-C
Autofocus continuous mode that tracks moving subjects and continuously adjusts focus while the shutter button is half-pressed.
AF-S
Autofocus single mode that locks focus when achieved; best for still subjects.
AF Point
Individual focus target in the camera’s autofocus system; selecting points allows precise focus placement.
AF Lock
Feature that locks focus at a chosen distance so you can recompose without changing the focus point.
Auto Exposure
Camera capability to measure scene brightness and set aperture and/or shutter speed to achieve a target exposure.
AE Lock
Locking the camera’s current exposure settings so you can recompose without changing brightness or metering.
Auto Exposure Bracketing
Shooting multiple frames at different exposures automatically so you can choose the best exposure or blend them for HDR.
Ambient Light
Existing light in a scene (sunlight, room lights) used without flash; mastering it helps create natural-looking photos.
Anamorphic
Describes lenses or footage that squeeze a wide field onto the sensor, producing wide cinematic aspect ratios and characteristic lens flares.
Angle of View
The extent of a scene captured by a lens, usually measured in degrees; wider angles capture more of the scene.
Aspect Ratio
Proportional relationship between image width and height (e.g., 3:2, 16:9); affects framing and printing/cropping choices.
Aspheric
Describes lens elements with non-spherical surfaces that reduce aberrations and allow more compact optical designs.
Anti-Aliasing
Technique to reduce stair-step artifacts (jaggies) in digital images by smoothing high-contrast edges.
Anti-Aliasing Filter
Optical low-pass filter placed before the sensor to reduce moiré and aliasing at the cost of slight softness.
Alpha Channel
Image channel used to store transparency information, commonly used in compositing and video graphics.
Adobe RGB
Wide-gamut color space often used for print workflows, offering more saturated greens and cyans than sRGB.
Adobe DNG
Adobe’s Digital Negative format: an open raw image standard that preserves raw sensor data and metadata in one file.
ADC
Analog-to-digital converter that translates the sensor’s analog voltages into digital image data.
APEX
A legacy exposure-value system that expresses aperture, shutter speed, and sensitivity on a common logarithmic scale.
APS-C
Common sensor size smaller than full-frame, producing a field-of-view crop factor typically around 1.5× or 1.6×.
APS
Film format introduced in the 1990s; legacy term that also informs APS-C and APS-H sensor names.
APS-H
Less common sensor size between APS-C and full-frame, formerly used in some professional DSLRs.
Auto White Balance
Camera mode that automatically adjusts color temperature to render neutral tones under different lighting conditions.
Articulated Screen
Camera LCD that tilts or swivels for composing from high, low, or awkward angles.
Analog Photography
Traditional photography using film and chemical processes rather than digital sensors; valued for aesthetic and workflow differences.
Action Photography
Capturing fast-moving subjects using high shutter speeds, burst shooting, and tracking autofocus techniques.
Architectural Photography
Photographing buildings and interiors with attention to perspective, vertical lines, and controlled lighting.
Anti-Reflection Coating
Coating on lens elements that reduces reflections and flare to improve contrast and color fidelity.
Area AF
Autofocus mode that lets the camera choose focus within a multi-point area, balancing speed and accuracy for general subjects.
Average Metering
Metering mode that calculates exposure based on the average brightness of the entire scene, sometimes called “evaluative” or “matrix” variant.
Anti-Blooming
Sensor feature that prevents bright highlights from bleeding charge into neighboring pixels, reducing streaking and artifacts.
Aperture Blade
Individual metal or composite leaves that form the aperture; their shape affects bokeh and diffraction characteristics.
Area Metering
Metering method that measures light over a defined area of the frame, useful for tricky lighting and subjects away from center.
Artifact
Unwanted visual defects in a photo (noise, banding, chromatic aberration) caused by optics, sensors, compression, or processing.
Autofocus Tracking
Technique and camera feature that follows a moving subject’s position to maintain sharp focus during motion.