Photo Glossary: Cheat Sheet

Your Quick Reference for Photo Collecting

The photography glossary cheat sheet offers essential tips for beginners and enthusiasts, covering key terms, types of prints, and preservation techniques.

It serves as a comprehensive guide for building, preserving, and understanding a photography collection at a high level.

From understanding the basics of fine art photography to appreciating vintage prints, this photo glossary offers a clear and concise outline in clear and understandable text segments.

Photography Glossary: A-Z

A

• Albumen Print: A 19th-century photographic process using egg whites to bind silver salts to paper, giving prints a glossy finish.

• Ambrotype: An early glass photographic process popular in the 1850s-60s, similar to a daguerreotype but less costly to produce.

• Archival Quality: Materials and processes used in storing or framing that prevent deterioration over time (e.g., acid-free paper).

• Artist Proof (A/P): A preliminary print, often part of a small series separate from the editioned prints, sometimes given to the artist or kept for archival purposes.

B

• Back Print: A print signed, stamped, or labeled on the reverse side with relevant information (photographer, title, date).

• Bromoil Print: An early 20th-century process that allowed photographers to add ink manually, giving prints a painterly effect.

• B&W (Black and White): Photography that lacks color, emphasizing contrast and tone. Gelatin silver prints are common in B&W.

C

• Carbon Print: A high-quality printing process from the 19th century that used carbon pigments, noted for their rich tonal range and longevity.

• Catalog Raisonné: A comprehensive catalog of all known works by a particular photographer, used for reference and authenticity.

• Cibachrome (Ilfochrome): A vibrant color print process known for its high contrast and rich colors, popular in the 1970s-80s.

• Collodion Process: A 19th-century wet plate process used to produce glass negatives, which had to be exposed and developed while still wet.

D

• Daguerreotype: The first publicly available photographic process, introduced in 1839, producing one-of-a-kind images on a silvered copper plate.

• Dry Mounting: A preservation technique using adhesive sheets to secure photos to a backing, ensuring they remain flat.

• Dye Transfer Print: A color printing process where dyes are manually transferred, yielding vibrant images with excellent longevity.

E

• Edition: A set number of prints of a specific photograph. Limited editions increase rarity and, often, value.

• Emulsion: The light-sensitive coating on photographic paper or film that captures the image when exposed to light.

• Exhibition Print: A high-quality print made specifically for display in a gallery or museum.

F

• Fiber-Based Paper: A high-quality photographic paper favored for its durability and tonal depth in black and white prints.

• Focal Length: The distance from the lens to the image sensor or film, affecting perspective and framing in photographs.

• Fresco Print: A type of print made with the aesthetic of traditional frescos, characterized by soft textures.

G

• Gelatin Silver Print: A black-and-white photographic process on gelatin-coated paper, popular from the 1880s onward.

• Giclée Print: A fine art digital print, usually inkjet, known for its high-quality and archival properties.

• Glass Plate Negative: Early photographic negatives made on glass, offering high detail but requiring careful handling.

H

• Halftone: A printing process that reproduces photographs by breaking down images into dots, common in newspapers.

• Hinge Mounting: A non-permanent way of attaching photos to a backing using archival tape, allowing the photo to expand and contract.

• Historical Provenance: Documentation or records verifying the history and ownership of a photograph, crucial for authentication.

I

• Inkjet Print: A modern printing process using ink sprayed onto paper, often used for high-quality, color images.

• Instant Photography: Instant-printing photos, such as those made by Polaroid cameras, valued for their unique, nostalgic quality.

• ISO: A standard for measuring film sensitivity to light, influencing the exposure required to capture an image.

J

• J-Print: A colloquial term sometimes used for high-quality inkjet or giclée prints, though not a standardized term in photography.

K

• Kodachrome: A famous color film type known for its vibrant colors and lasting quality, discontinued in 2009 but highly collectible.

L

• Limited Edition: A predetermined number of prints produced for a specific photograph, increasing its rarity and potential value.

• Lith Print: A high-contrast print with a soft, grainy look, achieved using lithographic printing techniques on photographic paper.

• Luminogram: An image created by exposing light-sensitive materials to light without using a camera, similar to a photogram.

M

• Matte: A non-glossy surface finish on photographic paper, often used to reduce glare.

• Monograph: A book or publication dedicated to a single photographer’s work, often used as reference material.

• Mordançage: A photographic process that alters the surface of silver gelatin prints, creating veils and distress effects.

N

• Negative: The original image captured on film or glass that needs to be printed as a positive image.

• Non-Archival: Materials that can cause deterioration, discoloration, or damage over time (e.g., regular cardboard, acidic adhesives).

O

• Open Edition: Prints with no set limitation on the number produced, making them less rare than limited editions.

• Ortho Film: A black-and-white film sensitive only to blue and green light, often used in scientific and technical applications.

P

• Photogram: An image made without a camera by placing objects on photographic paper and exposing it to light.

• Platinum Print: A process producing rich, stable black-and-white prints with subtle tonal variations, highly valued for their permanence.

• Portfolio: A collection of a photographer’s works, often in a curated set, sometimes accompanied by a protective case or box.

Q

• Quality Grade: Evaluation of the overall quality of a photograph or print, factoring in clarity, tonal range, and print fidelity.

R

• RC Paper (Resin-Coated): Photographic paper with a plastic coating that makes it more durable and less prone to curling than fiber-based paper.

• Reproduction Print: A print made from a reproduction rather than the original negative, typically less valuable than an original print.

S

• Salt Print: One of the first paper-based photographic processes, developed in the 1830s, known for soft tonal qualities.

• Selenium Toning: A process that enhances the tonal range and archival stability of a black-and-white print.

• Silver Print: Another term for gelatin silver print, typically black-and-white, using silver particles to create the image.

T

• Tintype: A durable photograph on a thin iron plate, popular from the mid-19th century, especially in portraiture.

• Transparency: A positive image on film, typically viewed with a light source, as in slides.

U

• UV Protection: A protective coating on glass or acrylic to shield photographs from harmful ultraviolet light, which causes fading.

V

• Vintage Print: A print made close to the time the photograph was taken, often more valuable than prints made later.

• Vignette: A gradual fading at the edges of an image, either intentional or caused by camera limitations.

  W

• Wet Plate Process: A 19th-century process requiring the photographic plate to be exposed and developed while still wet, used for ambrotypes and tintypes.

• Woodburytype: A 19th-century photomechanical printing process, known for high detail and used mainly for portraits.

X

• X-Ray Photography: Imaging technique using X-rays, mostly medical but occasionally employed in artistic photography.

Y

• Yellowing: A common form of deterioration in aged photographs due to exposure to light or poor storage conditions.

Z

• Zone System: A photographic technique developed by Ansel Adams for controlling exposure and tonal detail, primarily in black-and-white photography.

This glossary serves as a comprehensive reference to aid in understanding the nuances of collecting, preserving, and valuing photographs.

Essential Terms: Your Ultimate Photography Cheat Sheet

The photo glossary cheat sheet includes essential terminology, from types of prints (like daguerreotypes, gelatin silver, and albumen prints) to the processes involved in each.

It covers vintage vs. modern prints, explaining the importance of “vintage” for higher value, and highlights essential preservation techniques, like archival storage with acid-free materials to prevent fading or yellowing.

The photography glossary cheat sheet outlines key aspects of photo valuation, such as limited editions, signed prints, and the provenance of photographs.

Collectors are encouraged to familiarize themselves with various photographic processes and materials, as well as understanding auction trends, which can enhance appraisal skills.

Photography Glossary: FAQ

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