The Photographic Glossary | P: from Pack Shot to Pulled and Pushed

Photographers’ gobbledygook can be confusing! This photography dictionary will help you find the real significance behind that jargon.

Pack Photography
Usually called "Pack Shot". A simple studio set-up to photograph numerous boxes and other 'packaged' goods in quick succession for either an advert, brochure or catalogue.
Panchromatic
Term used to describe 'Black & White' emulsions that are sensitive to all visible colours. Most modern films are panchromatic.
(see Orthochromatic)
Panning
Technique for photographing a moving subject. While the shutter is open, the photographer swings the camera following the moving subject. This creates a blurred background, but a sharp subject. The technique works best with slower shutter speeds.
(see Shutter speed)
Panoramic camera
Camera with a special type of scanning lens which rotates. Or a static lens camera with a wide format e.g. 6cm x 17cm.
Paper grade
Numerical and terminological description of paper contrast: numbers 0 -1 soft; number 2 normal; number 3 hard; numbers 4 very hard.
(see Contrast grade paper & Multigrade)
Parallax error
The difference between the image seen by the viewing system and that recorded on the film. Problems occur as the subject moves closer to the taking lens when using TLR cameras. Only through-the-lens viewing systems can avoid parallax error.
(see TLR)
Pentaprism
Optical device, found on SLR cameras, which corrects the image (reversed by the lens), allowing eye-level viewing and focusing via the viewfinder.
(see Finder, Focusing screen, & SLR )
Perspective control lens
(see Shift)
Photoflood
Bright tungsten filament bulb used as an artificial light source. The bulb is over-run and so has a short life.
(see Tungsten light)
Photography
The art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically or chemically. Normally a lens is used to focus the light reflected from an object to form an image inside a camera during a timed exposure. In a Digital camera, an electrical charge at each pixel is processed and stored as a digital image file. In traditional film emulsions an invisible latent image is formed, which is then chemically developed into a visible image. The word photography is based on the Greek words photos meaning 'light' and graphé meaning 'drawing', together meaning drawing with light.
Photomicrography
Sometimes called Microphotography. The technique of taking extreme close-up photos through the lens of a microscope, it is used to achieve magnifications greater than those obtainable using a Macro lens.
(see Macro lens & Macrophotography)
Photoshop
Best known and well used Image manipulation computer program (by Adobe Systems); which has gradually entered the photographers vocabulary with words like: 'Photoshoped' meaning retouched or manipulated. Photoshop 1.0 was released in 1990 for the Macintosh.
(see Retouching)
Pincushion effect
Lens aberration (distortion) causing parallel, straight lines at the edge of the image to curve inwards.
(see Aberration, Distortion & Barrel distortion)
Pinhole Camera
A camera without a lens, just a light tight box with a small hole at one end.
(see Camera obscura)
Pixel
A single picture element of a digital photo. Digital Bitmap images (raster images) use a grid of colours known as pixels to represent images. Each pixel is assigned a specific location and colour value.The whole image would contain millions of individual pixels.
(see Image resolution & File size)
Plenoptic illumination
An idealized function used in computer science to express the image of a scene from all possible viewing positions, viewing angles and time.
(see Light-field camera)
Plug-in
A software module that can be used by Photoshop (and other image editing applications) to provide additional functions including: import of RAW camera files, file format conversions and creative image filters.
(see Photoshop & RAW)
Point and Shoot
A point and shoot camera (or compact camera), is a camera designed for a quick and simple operation. Using either an autofocus or a focus free lens, an automatic exposure system and a built-in flash; you point the camera and simply press the shutter button, and the camera does the exposure and focus calculations for you. Popular with people who want a camera that is both easy to use and also small enough to carry in a jacket pocket or hand bag.
Polaroid back
A pre-digital proofing system. A special camera back loaded with instant film, mostly used with either medium or large formats, it was used by photographers to check the lighting, composition and basic exposure before shooting with traditional film.
(see Film back)
Polycontrast
(see Multigrade)
Post Production
Everything after the photo shoot. Post production includes editing, colour correction, cropping, etc.
(see Colour correction and Cropping)
Printing-in
(see Burning- in)
Prism
Glass block which bends light to varying degrees, depending on wavelength, so separating it into its component colours. Also sometimes the given name to pentaprism finder.
(see Pentaprism & Finder)
Process paid
A pre-digital terminology: Colour Reversal Film processing by the manufacturers own 'Processing Lab' included in the purchase cost. Today this is not offered by any major film manufacturer.
(see Reversal Film)
Processing
The sequence of steps in which the latent photographic image is converted into a visible, permanent image.
(see Dev. & Latent image)
Pulled (Pulling)
Decreasing the development time of a film to slow its effective speed, e.g.50 ISO instead of its recommended 100 ISO.
(see Uprating & ISO)
Pushed (Pushing)
Increasing the development time of a film to increase its effective speed, e.g. 200 ISO instead of its recommended 100 ISO.
(see Uprating & ISO)

Peter Ashby-Hayter, Bristol, U.K. Bristol Photographer
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