Involves shooting from below the subject’s eye line, pointing upward. This technique emphasizes scale, making subjects appear larger, more powerful, and imposing, or it can create a sense of wonder by contrasting a small subject against a vast sky or towering architecture.
Low Angle
The process of trimming the outer edges of a photo or video to remove distractions, change the aspect ratio, or adjust the framing. It isolates the main subject and improves visual composition without altering the original resolution of the retained section.
Crop
The arrangement of visual elements (ex. subjects, colors, and lighting) within the frame so that the image feels stable, harmonious, and visually pleasing. It ensures no single part of the photograph overpowers the rest, guiding the viewer’s eye naturally throughout the image.
Balance
A candid, "fly-on-the-wall" style of visual reporting where the photographer documents real events without interfering with the scene. The photographer does not stage, direct, or interact with subjects, acting purely as an impartial witness to history or daily life to tell an authentic story.
Observational
A compositional technique where you intentionally disrupt a repetitive or symmetrical scene. By introducing an anomaly—such as a single object with a different color, shape, or action—photographers create an instant, powerful focal point that anchors the viewer's eye.
Breaking the Pattern
Captures a scene from high above, looking straight down. This angle flattens the image, turning landscapes into geometric patterns and abstract art. It's commonly achieved using drones, tall buildings, bridges, or helicopters, and is ideal for architectural, landscape, and flat-lay photography.
Bird's Eye View
What was the Photo Challenge for Day 7?
Bird's Eye View OR Pattern Repetition
The two-dimensional outline or silhouette of an object within the frame, defined by its height and width. It is a fundamental compositional element that helps guide the viewer's eye, establish mood, and create visual structure using boundaries, contrast, or negative space.
Shape
The honest, unfiltered representation of real events and human experiences. It requires the photographer to document reality as it unfolds without staging, directing, or using heavy digital manipulation to distort facts or context.
Authenticity
The visual and tactile quality of a surface (how rough, smooth, or soft an object appears).
By utilizing directional lighting to cast shadows and highlighting micro-details, photographers use _____ to add depth, establish mood, and create a realistic, immersive experience for the viewer.
Texture
Involves positioning the camera lens at the exact height of the subject's eyes. This creates a natural, direct point of view that replicates everyday human interaction. It fosters a neutral, relatable, and trustworthy connection between the viewer and the subject, avoiding the power dynamics of high or low angles.
Eye Level
The darkest parts of an image. Editing _____ involves adjusting the brightness, color, or shape of these areas Edit ______ to reveal hidden details or enhance realism and depth.
Shadows
The visual layout of your frame. It is generally divided into Positive _____ (the main subject that draws the viewer’s eye) and Negative _____ (the empty or less detailed areas surrounding the subject). Using this _____ effectively dictates the mood, scale, and focus of an image
Space
The surrounding circumstances, background information, and visual cues necessary to accurately interpret a photograph. It ensures images are understood as honest, truthful depictions of real-world events rather than misleading or easily misinterpreted snapshots.
Context
The deliberate positioning of a subject's body, posture, and facial expression. It serves as the visual language of an image, determining the mood, highlighting specific features, and telling a story
Pose - Portrait Photography
A technique where you place your camera flat on the ground and point it directly upward. This low-angle perspective makes your subjects look massive, dramatic, and powerful. It is an excellent way to add visual excitement to everyday objects or monumental architecture.
Worm's eye view
The process of adjusting the difference between the lightest and darkest areas in a photo or video to create depth, separation, and visual impact. Increasing this makes darks darker and brights brighter, whereas decreasing it creates a flatter, softer look.
Contrast
A New York-based British photographer famed for cinematic, patient, and moody street scenes using reflections and neon. Did: Street photography, Portraitist, Fine Art Photography
Phil Penman
The moral principles and professional guidelines that govern the capture, editing, and publication of visual news. They ensure the imagery remains truthful, accurate, and fair, while also protecting the dignity of subjects and the trust of the public.
Ethics
Captures a person in their natural surroundings (a chef in their kitchen or a painter in their studio). The setting acts as a second character, telling the subject’s story through context, location, and atmosphere
Environmental Portrait
A technique where the camera is positioned above eye level and tilted down toward the subject. It is highly effective for establishing environmental scale, emphasizing geometric patterns, and conveying a sense of vulnerability, submission, or emotional smallness in your subjects.
High Angle
The amount of light in your image.
The slider adjusts the entire dynamic range, allowing you to correct photos that are too dark or too bright.
Before you take a photo, adjusting the brightness adjusts the ______, or how much light is let into the camera lens.
Exposure
A compositional technique that strips an image down to its essential elements, eliminating visual clutter. It focuses entirely on a clear, single subject by utilizing clean backgrounds, large areas of negative space, and minimalistic color palettes to make the subject stand out.
Simplicity
Who was the photographer of the day and/or what do they photograph?
Bryan Minear
Landscape/Nature/Environmental Photography
A technique where photographers use reflective surfaces (such as water, glass, mirrors, and metal) to capture an "echo" or symmetrical duplication of a subject. This style allows creators to add volume, create surreal perspectives, and turn ordinary urban or natural scenes into captivating works of art.
Repetition