A Vocabulary Guide to Photography in Spanish
If you want to learn about photography in Spanish, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, I’m introducing you to the amazing art of photography, providing you with some reasons to learn vocabulary about photography in Spanish, and giving you the ultimate guide to this fascinating world.
I’ve created five different vocabulary categories about photography in Spanish for you. This way you can learn all about your camera, important photography equipment, framing your image, effects and post-production, and other photography-related terms in Spanish—in a fun and entertaining way.
Are you ready to learn all there is to learn about photography in Spanish?
The Cool and Amazing Art of Photography
Since its origins in the late 19th century, photography has fascinated the world with its power to capture a moment in time for posterity. Photography has been used to register historic occasions, influence political opinion, sell products, create art, and promote human rights, among many other things. However, its most common use has always been to capture family moments and remind people how happy they were when these happened.
Nowadays, with the advent of digital photography and the ubiquity of camera phones, social media, and photo-editing apps, a new dimension has been added to the already extraordinary world of photography: “the selfie.” One can only wonder what the coming decades will bring to this world and keep changing the way we take the photographs of ourselves and the world around us.
Why Learn Photography Vocabulary in Spanish
I love photography and, as you’re reading this, odds are that you love it too. If you also love languages, then this is the perfect post for you. What other motivation do you need? Mix two of your passions and learn a little bit about both of them at the same time.
But, what if you’re not an eager photography enthusiast and you’re only here because you want to speak Spanish fluently? Well, let me tell you something, you still need to learn about photography in Spanish, because speaking a language implies learning vocabulary about many different areas of life, even if you’re not a fan of them.
For that reason, here at HSA, we’ve been producing a series of vocabulary guides about several of these “areas of life” such as golf, music, and math, so you can go through them and keep growing your Spanish vocabulary.
Photography in Spanish: Vocabulary Guide
Without further ado let’s get straight to the Spanish terms you need to learn about photography. I’ve organized them in 5 different categories to make it easier for you to study them.
All About Your Camera
The invention that changed the world in so many ways. Everything starts at the camera so, let’s start by learning how to say camera in Spanish, what are its parts, synonyms, and technology in Spanish?
Spanish | English |
la cámara | camera |
la cámara digital | digital camera |
la cámara analógica | analogical camera |
el lente, el objetivo | lens |
el visor, la mirilla | viewfinder |
el obturador | shutter |
el botón de obturador, el disparador | shutter button, shutter release |
la pantalla LCD | LCD screen |
el puerto USB | USB port |
la tapa del lente | lens cover |
el fotómetro | Exposure meter |
el tubo del objetivo | barrel |
el flash | flash |
el diafragma | diaphragm |
el botón ON/OFF, el botón de encendido | power switch |
el anillo de zoom | foom ring |
el anillo de enfoque | focus ring |
el estabilizador de imagen | image stabilizer |
la zapata de flash | accessory shoe |
el botón flash | flash button |
el ojal correa | eyelet strap |
la perilla principal | mode dial |
el botón ISO | ISO button |
Important Photography Equipment
Although the camera might be the most important element in photography, there is a series of important equipment that every good photographer should consider.
Spanish | English |
el trípode, el tripie | tripod |
la batería | battery |
la funda de la cámara | camera bag |
la correa de la cámara | camera strap |
el cargador | charger |
el cable USB | USB cable |
la tarjeta de memoria | memory card |
la mochila | backpack |
el lente gran angular | wide angle lens |
el lente macro | macro lens |
el teleobjetivo | telephoto |
los focos LED | LED lights |
la ventana flexible, la lámpara de estudio | softbox |
el paraguas | umbrella |
el equipo de iluminación | lighting kit |
el reflector plegable | folding reflector, folding screen |
el fondo | background |
el histograma | histogram |
el estudio fotográfico | photo studio |
Just remember that sometimes in different Spanish-speaking countries photographers and photography enthusiasts may use different words and synonyms for some pieces of equipment.
Framing Your Image
Now let’s talk about the meaning of all those photography-related words that have something to do with the way you frame your picture in Spanish.
Spanish | English |
el encuadre | framing |
el cuadro | frame |
la toma | shot |
la profundidad de campo | depth of field |
la exposición | exposure |
la composición | composition |
la iluminación | illumination |
la luz | light |
la luz natural | natural light |
la luz artificial | artificial light |
la difusión de la luz | light diffumination |
la dirección de la luz | light direction |
el balance de blancos | white balance |
la velocidad de obturación | shutter speed |
la sensibilidad ISO | ISO sensitivity |
la apertura de diafragma | diaphragm aperture |
el filtro | filter |
Effects and Post-Production
These days photography is so much about the effects and post-production edition we all add to our pictures, as it’s about the original image taken. So let’s learn a few words and their meaning in the world of photography in Spanish.
Spanish | English |
el efecto | effect |
el color | color |
el blanco y negro | black and white |
el sepia | sepia |
la edición | edition |
la post-producción | post-production |
sin filtro | no filter |
la fotografía sin flash | no flash photography |
el efecto barrido | sweep effect |
la larga exposición | long exposure |
el efecto seda | silk effect |
el retrato | portrait |
la foto panorámica | panoramic shot |
la cámara lenta | slow-motion |
la brillantez | brilliance |
las sombras | shadows |
el contraste | contrast |
el brillo | brightness |
la saturación | saturation |
el tinte | tint |
la nitidez | sharpness |
la reducción de ruido | noise reduction |
la viñeta | vignette |
el retoque | retouch |
la rotación | rotation |
el enfoque | focus |
la dispersión | dispersion |
Other Photography-Related Terms in Spanish
I’ve covered most of the different areas of the world of photography in Spanish. However, there are still some other photography-related words that didn’t fit in any of the previous categories, which you can find in the following list.
Spanish | English |
los servicios fotográficos | photography services |
las clases de fotografía | photography class |
la fotografía cinematográfica | film photography |
la fotografía de retrato | portrait photography |
la fotografía de calle | street photography |
el cuarto oscuro | dark room |
la luz infrarroja | Infrared light |
el revelado | developer |
la emulsión | emulsion |
la ampliación | enlargement |
la escala de grises | gray scale |
el monocromático | monochromatic |
el negativo | negative |
el positivo | positive |
la sobreexposición | overexposure |
la subexposición | underexposure |
el punto de vista | viewpoint |
la perspectiva | perspective |
el desenfocado | out of focus |
el fotógrafo | photographer |
Take Your Photos and Practice Your Spanish!
There you have it, those are more than enough words, synonyms, and technical terms about photography in Spanish to start taking your photos and selfies in Spanish-speaking countries! Don’t forget to practice these terms in real-life conversations in order to introduce them to your vocabulary and get used to them.
Sign up for a free class to practice your conversational skills about photography and many other themes with one of our certified, native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala who provide one-on-one Spanish instructions in real-time and teach over 24,000 different students each month. The schedules are flexible and the lessons can be tailored to your needs.
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