Help Hub
This is a resource to explain common words and phrases we use in the photo and video industry.
Explanations are coupled with example photos to show you exactly what we mean.
It allows us all to use the same language … and your project to roll smoothly from start to end!
Cheers
Matt & the Sum Effect team
Deep Etched Pure White
A classic ecommerce product photo for online shopping carts.
Deep etched is a technical term that describes the process of digitally removing the background from a product photo in the post-production phase.
This results in a pure white background and the product appears like it’s floating on a white page.
Despite the simplicity of the image, this style of product photography is one of the more technically difficult photos to master, ensuring the product looks its best once the background is removed.
Minimal Styling
A product photo featuring one or two other elements.
These elements could be props, ingredients or contents.
Complex Styling
A product photo creatively styled featuring numerous elements; props, ingredients, contents, using hand, face or body models.
A lot of time is taken when creating these photos to make sure a sophisticated scene is successful in its communication goals.
Deep Etched Pure White
A classic ecommerce product photo for online shopping carts.
Deep etched is a technical term that describes the process of digitally removing the background from a product photo in the post-production phase.
This results in a pure white background and the product appears like it’s floating on a white page.
Despite the simplicity of the image, this style of product photography is one of the more technically difficult photos to master, ensuring the product looks its best once the background is removed.
White
A photo taken with a white background.
This actually looks like light grey if it’s sitting against a pure white website background.
This is becoming more common in online shopping carts as brands are moving towards softer more realistic feeling photos.
Colour
A photo taken with a colour background selected that’s on-brand to support key messaging.
Minimal Styling
A product photo featuring one or two other elements.
These elements could be props, ingredients or contents.
On Model Body
A photo taken using a model’s skin to give a product context, often showing the product in use.
Ingredients
A photo taken using either the raw contents of a product or featuring ingredients that go into making the product.
On Model Face
A photo taken using a model’s face, neck or head to give a product context, often showing the product in use.
In Model Hands
A photo taken of the product in a model’s hand to introduce the human touch.
Environment
A photo taken of a product in an environmental setting.
The term “environment” in photography typically refers to the product feeling like it’s in a location, the real world, a feeling of a place.
Flatlay
The product laid out flat on a surface, with the photo being taken from directly above – a bird’s eye view.
Hanging
A photo taken looking straight on to a fashion garment in a hanging position.
With or without a hanger.
Invisible Mannequin
A photo taken that allows a customer to view a fashion garment in a 3D environment.
It gives a product dimension and shows parts of the product that would otherwise be obscured when worn by a shop mannequin or model.
This is a more technical photo to create.
It involves photographing the garment on a mannequin, then also photographing the parts that are hidden by the mannequin and then merging the images together in post production to have a perfect 3D representation of the garment with no distractions.
On Model
A photo taken on a model, showing the face, that allows a customer to view a garment being worn.
On Model Unrecognisable
A photo taken on a model, without showing the face, that allows a customer to view a garment being worn.
Creative Studio
A photo taken in studio, on model, with a white background that allows a customer to view a garment being worn.
Often a simple prop can be introduced to add more feeling or emotion to the photo.
Used in Online Stores and Lookbooks.
Creative Location
A photo taken on location, on model, that allows a customer to view a garment being worn in a lifestyle context.
Created to support key messaging in Online Stores, Lookbooks and Campaigns.
These photos are less about being technically colour perfect and more about selling the feeling and lifestyle associated with the brand.
Deep Etched Pure White
A classic ecommerce product photo for online shopping carts.
Deep etched is a technical term that describes the process of digitally removing the background from a product photo in the post-production phase.
This results in a pure white background and the product appears like it’s floating on a white page.
Used to show the product’s intricate details from the front, back, side and close up.
Often multiple exposures are needed to capture the product detail particularly with high-end jewellery.
One of the most technically difficult photos to take due to lighting requirements and image editing involved so is typically priced the highest.
White
A photo taken with a white background.
This is becoming a more popular option than deep etched as the market is moving towards photos feeling as realistic and believable as possible.
Creative
A photo taken with a background created to support key messaging.
On Model Hands
A photo taken that allows a customer to view jewellery being worn on a model’s hand or hands.
On Model Body
A photo taken that allows a customer to view jewellery being worn on part of a model’s body.
Headshot
A tightly cropped photo of a face, from the shoulders up (edges of shoulders seen).
Used mainly by professionals for LinkedIn, Video Conferencing profiles and website “meet the team” pages.
Plain Portrait
A photo of a person showing more than just the face. It can be captured as an upper torso, ¾ length or full body.
Usually photographed on a plain background. See Environmental Portrait for alternative backgrounds.
Environmental Portrait
A photo of a person showing more than just the face. It can be captured as an upper torso, ¾ length or full body.
The term “environment” in photography typically refers to a location, the real world, a feeling of a place. For example an environmental portrait could be a CEO in a boardroom, an engineer in front of a bridge in construction, an artist in their art room.
Environmental portraits are more storytelling and can give good context about what that person does.
Or it can just look like a beautiful or appropriate setting for the purpose of the photo.
Brand Image & Video Library includes all types of imagery, photo and video, to support brand marketing.
In the most practical sense, a brand image library is a folder on your computer or server full of all the right images and videos, at your fingertips, ready to plug-in to your marketing as needed.
Types of imagery can include your people, workplace, activities, projects, products and services. It can also include custom campaign imagery to make your advertising pop. It includes all of the photos and videos you need to communicate well.
Here’s what we make visible through photos and videos:
Your image library can be used for everything – your website, social campaigns, annual reports, presentations, tenders, brochures, billboards and other marketing collateral.
360 Video
A type of video where the product or subject in the video rotates 360 degrees so all sides can be seen.
Animations versus motion graphics
These terms are often used interchangeably, although they mean different things.
Animation is typically a substitute for video footage.
Motion graphics is adding motion to pre-designed graphics.
Aspect Ratio
Refers to a videos ratio of width versus height (always in this order - width first, height second).
It's important to know this before the camera comes out, as it affects the output format.
Knowing this up front allows the creation of well framed, strong imagery.
Common aspect ratios are:
- 1:1 Square: Ecommerce Default
- 2:3 Vertical: Standard Vertical
- 4:5 Vertical: Instagram Feed Post / Fashion
- 9:16 Vertical: Instagram Story / Full Screen Phone
- 3:2 Horizontal: Standard Landscape
- 16:9 Horizontal: Standard Video / TV / YouTube / Full Screen Phone
- Custom Wide / Website Banner
Bumpers
Bumpers refers to messages and logos included at the start, and/or end of a video.
Think bumpers on a car.
Existing footage
Video footage you already have in your marketing image library, or footage we have that you can draw from, for a new video.
Filming time
The actual camera in hand time.
Before shoot day, the production team will determine if this is a one-day shoot, or if filming needs to be spread over multiple session/days.
GIF or Stop Motion
These are terms often used interchangeably to refer to a video made from a series of photos displayed consecutively to see motion.
Lower thirds
A lower third is when a person's name and title appear in text as an overlay in the video.
Typically, you’ll see this in the lower corner of the video although it can be placed anywhere that is visually appealing.
Lower thirds save the person having to introduce themselves which takes up valuable seconds in the video and often doesn’t add any value.
Multiple outputs
If you’re wanting the same video to be used on different platforms, there may be a chance you want the same video edited in different aspect ratios. eg. standard 16:9 for YouTube and 4:5 for your Instagram feed.
Or is what you need just a single video?
Be clear up front on how your plan on using the videos as this can heavily impact what footage will and won’t work for extreme changes in aspect ratio.
Music
Sound is 50% of the video.
It heavily impacts the pace and feeling of a finished video. Saying that, music is not essential.
It’s a tool to use if it improves the experience of the viewer.
The cost of adding music to your video can range from low cost, to a significant investment for a custom piece of music.
Like stock photos and stock video footage, there are stock music websites filled full of music that can be licensed for your video.
We have our favourites.
Script writing
Time allocated in pre-production to develop the written document that will be read by a voiceover artist in a video.
Slow motion
This is when video footage is slowed down to give it that gentle dreamy look.
It's important to know if there's the potential to need slow-motion footage prior to filming as there are technical implications.
Stock footage
Generic footage that can be purchased from stock video websites.
If you need a clip of a busy street in Beijing, this will save you having to fly there.
Storyboard
A storyboard is the roadmap for a video.
This can be in words, pictures or sketches.
It typically outlines each scene or shot in the video.
titles
A title can either introduce a video, or provide messages to an audience throughout the video to reinforce key points.
“To camera” or “off camera”
These terms relate to when someone is in a video talking.
To camera is when that person is looking directly at the camera. This works well for direct messages to the viewer.
Off camera is when the speaker is filmed looking slightly off to one side. This is a nice soft way of the viewer feeling like they are joining in on a conversation that's being had.
video
A film, movie, motion picture, Instagram reel, brand story, product explainer etc.
This term typically relates to the final video that will be used. A video can be simple or complicated.
Often videos are made up from a number of different video clips or video snippets.
Video Clip
A video term which refers to one single video recording, without edits.
Imagine a TV ad - this ad would be one video, however would be made up of a number of different video clips edited together to build the ad.
Video Snippet
A video term which refers to one single video recording, without edits.
Imagine a TV ad - this ad would be one video, however would be made up of a number of different video clips edited together to build the ad.
Voiceover
The voice you hear over the footage you are seeing.
This is when you hear a person talking, while you're watching something relevant to what they are talking about.
Overexposed
If a photo is too bright, it is “overexposed”.
Cameras have a limit where if a photo is taken too bright, detail is lost in the brighter areas (even pro cameras).
In this photo there is a loss of detail in the models skin and outfit.
Underexposed
If a photo is too dark, it is “underexposed”.
Cameras have a limit where if a photo is taken too dark, detail is lost in the darker areas (even pro cameras).
In this photo there is a loss of detail in the models hair and pants.
Aspect Ratio
Refers to a photo or videos ratio of width versus height (always in this order - width first, height second).
It's important to know this before the camera comes out, as it affects the output format. Knowing this up front allows the creation of well framed, strong imagery.
Common aspect ratios are:
- 1:1 Square: Ecommerce Default
- 2:3 Vertical: Standard Vertical
- 4:5 Vertical: Instagram Feed Post / Fashion
- 9:16 Vertical: Instagram Story / Full Screen Phone
- 3:2 Horizontal: Standard Landscape
- 16:9 Horizontal: Standard Video / TV / YouTube / Full Screen Phone
- Custom Wide / Website Banner
Brand assets
Typically you'll be asked for brand assets when a new project is locked in.
Brand assets include your logo, colour palette, typography, graphics, and maybe even musical scores that are associated with your brand.
These get used in video projects to keep the final video on-brand.
Camera Angle
Refers to a creative choice a product photographer will make with the camera.
Common camera angles we use are:
- Straight On
- In To / Angle
- Birds Eye / Flatlay
Classic Ecommerce
A product photo taken with a deep etched pure white background.
Creatively Styled
A stylist creates a scene in the photo or video (composition) using backgrounds, props, ingredients, contents, and hands, face or body models.
Can be minimal styling or complex styling.
Ecommerce
Selling and buying products and services, for personal or business use, online through a website or social channels.
Elevated Ecommerce
A photo taken with product shown using minimal styling and a simple prop or on model in studio context.
GIF
A type of video file.
A short, animated image file format called Graphics Interchange Format (gif) which is used commonly on the internet.
Human Element
A hand, or small part of the body included in the photo to give context or life to the photo.
Imagery
Includes both photos and videos.
Lifestyle
A photo or video taken with the context of use in life.
For example featuring red wine with the setting of cheese by the fire, a suitcase travelling through an airport, swimwear being worn at the beach, a phone charger in a nice home-office environment.
Lighting
The light present in a photo or video.
This can be the light that is already there in the room or location (sun, lamps, light through the window etc) or can be created using photographic lights.
Two basic types of lighting we use in studio are:
Soft light (think nice flattering light on an overcast day)
Hard light (think bright happy sunny days with shadows).
Location scouting
Time allocated in pre-production to find suitable locations (indoor or outdoor), to be used as a location, setting or backdrop for the photo or video shoot.
Location scouting can be done in Google maps, specific scouting websites or by physically visiting locations to see their potential and what they creatively offer.
Mood board
A mood board is a collection of photo or video examples, to use as inspiration, or a style to replicate.
Requiring something quite stylistic gets into very subjective land and is tricky to communicate in words alone.
It helps to get visual alignment on the vision.
Photo
Image, picture, pic, photograph, snap, still or a shot
Product in Use
A photo taken demonstrating a product in use or application.
Prop
When a product in a photo is accompanied by another element to help showcase or compliment the product.
Such as boxes, plinths, water, sand, earth, paint etc.
Prop sourcing
Time allocated in pre-production to source props to be used.
This can include things like food ingredients, accessories, magazines, coloured backdrops, a dog, a dusty old timber box etc.
Shot list
A checklist of all shots to be photographed or filmed.
SKU
Product code in use.
Talent
Refers to models hired to feature in photos and videos.
Typically models are hired on a day rate basis.
As a general rule, the more experienced and talented the model, the easier and more successful the shoot and higher the cost.
Tabletop
A type of setup which is commonly used when taking Straight On or In To / Angle product photos.
It refers to the product being situated on a surface about the height of a table top which makes it easiest to position the camera where it needs to be to take those angles.
Technical Photo
When a photographer makes multiple decisions for one photo to achieve a desired look.
All these decisions need to work together: use of the camera, lenses, filters, and lighting.