Association of British Scrabble Players

Culture > Arts & Crafts > Photography


Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.


achromat an achromatic lens.
acutance a measure of photographic clarity.
airgraph a letter photographically reduced for sending by air.
ambrotype a picture taken on a plate of prepared glass, in which the lights are represented in silver, and the shades are produced by a dark background visible through the unsilvered portions of the glass.
amidol a colourless chemical used as a photographic developer.
angiogram a photograph made by angiography.
antihalation the prevention of halation, usually by placing a layer of dye on the back of the film to absorb light which has passed through the emulsion on it.
aplanat an aplanatic lens, i.e. one free from spherical aberration.
autoexposure a system for automatically adjusting the aperture and/or shutter speed of a camera according to the lighting conditions.
autofocus a device which automatically focusses a camera.
backlight to illumine a subject from the rear.
bipack a pair of films.
bipod a two-legged stand.
blowup an enlargement eg of a picture.
bokeh the blurred quality of a photograph.
calotype a method of taking photographic pictures, on paper sensitized with iodide of silver.
calotypist one who works with calotypes, an early kind of photograph.
camcord to videotape with a portable camcorder.
camcorder a portable video camera and sound recorder combined in one unit.
cameraphone a combined camera and phone.
camerawork skilful use of a camera.
camphone a combined camera and mobile phone.
candid frank, guileless (noun) an unposed photograph
candidly (Adv.) CANDID, frank, guileless.
chloridate to treat or prepare with a chloride, as a plate with chloride of silver, for the purposes of photography.
chromatype a colored photographic picture taken upon paper made sensitive with potassium bichromate or some other salt of chromium.
chromogram a combination of photographs in different colours.
cibachrome a type of colour print made directly form a colour transparency.
closeup a photograph taken close to the subject.
cokuloris a palette with irregular holes, placed between lighting and camera to prevent glare.
collodion a solution of pyroxylin in ether, used to apply a thin gummy film in photography and surgery.
collodium a solution of pyroxylin in ether, used to apply a thin gummy film in photography and surgery.
contrasty of eg a photograph, showing strong contrasts.
cyanine any of a group of dyes used as sensitisers in photography.
daguerrean relating to photography by daguerreotype.
daguerreotype a method of photography by mercury vapour development of silver iodide; (verb) to develop as a daguerreotype.
daguerreotyper one who develops daguerreotypes.
daguerreotypist one who practises daguerreotyping.
daguerreotypy the art of daguerreotyping.
darkroom a room used for the development of photographic negatives.
dashcam a small video camera situated on the dashboard of a vehicle, used to record the view through the windscreen.
defocus to cause to go out of focus.
densitometer an instrument for measuring optical or photographic density.
diapositive a transparent photographic positive; a slide.
digicam a digital camera.
enprint a size of photographic print.
evaporograph a device giving direct or photographic images of objects in darkness by focusing infrared radiations from them onto an oil-film.
fadein the gradual appearance of an image on film.
fadeout the gradual disappearance of an image on film.
ferrotype an old form of photograph taken using a film on an iron plate; (verb) to take a photograph by ferrotype.
flashbulb an oxygen-filled electric bulb in which aluminium or other foil or filament may be fired to provide a brilliant flash.
flashcube a plastic cube containing four flashbulbs, rotated as the film is wound on.
flashgun a device holding and firing a flashbulb.
flashlight a sudden bright artificial light used in taking photographic pictures.
flashtube a gas discharge tube that produces very brief intense flashes of light and is used esp in photography.
fluorotype (Obs.) photography by means of fluorides.
focuser a device to assist focussing.
fullface a portrait or photograph where the subject faces straight towards the viewer.
goldtone a photographic image printed on a glass-plate with a painted golden backing.
halation the spreading of light, seen as a bright blur at edges in photographs.
headshot a photograph of someone's head (and shoulders) only.
heliochrome a photograph in natural colours.
heliochromic like a heliochrome, a photograph that reproduces the natural colours of the subject.
heliochromy photography in natural colours.
heliogravure photogravure.
heliotype a picture obtained by the process of heliotypy; (verb) to obtain such a picture.
heliotypic relating to, or obtained by, heliotypy.
heliotypy a photomechanical process in which the gelatine relief is itself used to print from.
iconoscope an early form of electron camera.
iodisation the act of iodising.
iodise to treat with iodine.
iodization the act of iodizing.
iodize to treat with iodine.
kallitype a former photographic process in which ferric salts are reduced to ferrous salts.
kalotype a method of taking photographic pictures, on paper sensitized with iodide of silver, aka talbotype.
lenticular lens-shaped (noun) a three-dimensional picture made up of photographs of a scene which have been taken from several angles, split into strips, juxtaposed, and laminated with corrugated plastic
lenticule any of the small corrugations on the base side of a film used in colour processing.
macrograph a photograph, drawing, etc. in which an object appears as large as or several times larger than the original.
macrographic of or like a macrograph, a photograph, drawing, etc. in which an object appears as large as or several times larger than the original.
macrophotograph a larger than lifesize closeup photograph.
metol a coal tar derivative used in developing pictures.
microdot a photograph, esp of printed or written matter, reduced to the size of a dot.
microphotograph a small photograph that is normally magnified for viewing.
microprint a microphotograph of eg printed text; (verb) to make a microprint of.
microprinting the act of making a microprint of.
microprism a tiny prism used as a focusing aid on a single-lens reflex camera.
minette (Fr.) the smallest of regular sizes of portrait photographs.
minicam a small camera.
mountant an adhesive paste for mounting photographs etc.
mugshot a photograph esp of a police suspect's face.
multimode an SLR camera or its light meter with more than one way of setting the exposure.
neg a photographic negative.
nephogram a photograph of clouds.
nephograph an instrument for photographing clouds.
opaline with the lustre of opal; (noun) opal-glass; a photographic print fixed on plate-glass.
orthicon a kind of television camera tube.
ortho (Short for) an orthochromatic plate.
orthochromatic of photographic film, sensitive to all colours except red.
orthochromatism the state of being orthochromatic, of photographic film, sensitive to all colours except red.
overexpose to expose excessively.
overexposure excessive exposure.
palmcorder a small camcorder which can be held in the palm of the hand.
panchromatic of photographic film, sensitive to all colours.
pantoscope a panoramic camera.
pantoscopic of or like a pantoscope, a panoramic camera.
paparazzo (Ital.) a photographer who pursues celebrities.
pentaprism a five-sided prism used in photography.
phonecam a digital camera incorporated in a mobile phone.
photo (Short for) photograph; (verb) to photograph.
photobomb to place oneself in the background of a photograph deliberately and wthout the knowledge of the photographer or subject.
photocall an occasion when people at a formal event are asked to have their photograph taken together.
photochromy a former process of colour photography.
photofit (Tradename) a method of building up a picture of a person by assembling a number of photographs of individual facial features.
photoflash a photographic flash.
photog (Coll.) one who takes photographs.
photogelatin as in photogelatin process, another name for collotype.
photogeny (Obs.) photography.
photoglyph photographic engraving.
photoglyphic of or like a photoglyph, photographic engraving.
photoglyphy photography by photoglyph.
photogram a photograph.
photograph to take a photograph of.
photographer one who practices photography.
photography the process of producing images by the action of radiant energy and esp light on a sensitive surface.
photomachine a machine that prints copies of digital photographs.
photomap a map produced from or drawn on aerial photographs; (verb) to map by means of aerial photography.
photomask a mask used in photography.
photomicrograph a photograph of a microscope image.
photomosaic an image composed of many smaller photographs.
photomural an enlarged photograph, usually several yards long.
photoscan a photographic scan; (verb) to scan photographically.
photoshoot a session in which a photographer takes pictures of a celebrity, etc.
photostat (Tradename) a photographic apparatus for making facsimiles of documents; (verb) to make facsimiles by this means.
phototypy the art or process of producing phototypes.
photozincograph a picture produced by photozincography.
pinup a portrait pinned up on a wall for admiration.
pixelation a video technique in which an image is blurred by being overlaid with a grid of squares, usually to disguise the identity of a person.
platinotype an obsolete method of photography by reducing a compound of platinum.
portapak a small portable combined videotape and camera.
psychograph a photographic image attributed to a supernatural or spiritualistic cause.
psychography the production of images attributed to supernatural causes.
pyro (Short for) pyrogallol, a chemical used in photography.
pyrophotography the production of pyrophotographs.
radiograph a picture produced by the Rontgen rays upon a sensitive surface, photographic or fluorescent, esp a picture of opaque objects traversed by the rays; (verb) to produce a radiograph of.
radiographic relating to radiography.
rephotograph to photograph again.
rotograph a photograph made by laying negative on sensitive paper; (verb) to make such photograph.
safelight a light used in a photographic darkroom etc., which emits light of an intensity and colour which will not damage the materials being processed.
selfie (Aust.) a photograph of oneself taken by oneself.
sensitometer an instrument for measuring the sensitivity of photographic material.
sensitometric relating to measurement by sensitometer.
sensitometry measurement by sensitometer, an instrument for measuring the sensitivity of photographic material.
shutterbug (Coll.) a photography enthusiast.
skiagram a shadow picture or photograph.
skiagraph a shadow picture or photograph, eg an X-ray photograph.
slideshow a show involving photographic slides.
snapshooter one who takes snapshots.
snapshooting the act of taking snapshots.
snapshot a photograph; (verb) to take a snapshot.
solarisation the reversal of an image by overexposure.
solarise to injure by too long exposure to the light of the sun in the camera; to burn.
solarization the reversal of an image by overexposure.
solarize to injure by too long exposure to the light of the sun in the camera; to burn.
spycam a camera set up for hidden surveillance purposes, esp a webcam relaying pictures to a computer.
stannotype a photograph taken upon a tin plate.
stereoscope an instrument for viewing special three-dimensional photographs.
stereoscopist one who uses a stereoscope, an instrument for viewing special three-dimensional photographs.
stereotypy the art or process of making stereotype plates.
superwide very wide; (noun) a very wide camera lens.
synchroflash a mechanism which synchronizes the opening of a camera shutter with the peak of brilliance of a flash bulb.
talbotype a method of taking photographic pictures, on paper sensitized with iodide of silver, aka calotype, kalotype.
teleconverter a supplementary lens system for converting a camera lens to a greater focal length.
telephoto a photo taken through a long-distance lens.
telephotograph a photograph of a distant object taken by a suitable lens.
tintype a colloquial name for ferrotype, a photographic picture taken on an iron plate by a collodion process.
tomogram a radiogram or other visual record produced by tomography.
tomographic relating to tomography.
tomography x-ray photography in which parts of body in front of, or behind, the part under examination are not shown.
trimetrogon a technique of aerial photography using three cameras, which increases the range and detail of the coverage.
undertimed of a photograph, underexposed.
video a videocassette or videocassette recorder; (verb) to record on video.
videocam a camera for taking video.
videography the art of using a video camera.
videotape magnetic tape for recording visual images; (verb) to record on videotape.
viewfinder a device on a camera for showing the area of the subject to be included in the picture.
wirephoto a photograph sent over a wire circuit by electrical means.
workprint an unfinished print of cinema film.
xerographic relating to xerography.
xerographically (Adv.) XEROGRAPHIC, relating to xerography.
xerography a nonchemical photographic process in which the plate is sensitized electrically and developed by dusting with electrically-charged fine powder.
zoomable capable of being viewed at various levels of detail and magnification.