photograph
Other forms: photographs; photographed; photographing
When you take a picture with a camera, the result is a photograph, a picture of your subject created by a special medium’s exposure to light. The first photographs were created on metal plates coated with a special chemical.
Although photography as we know it did not emerge until the 19th century, the word photograph evolved from the ancient Greek words phot-, "light," and graph-, "writing," which were combined to create the word for taking pictures — "light writing." Nowadays we take our photographs with electronic cameras, recording, transferring, and storing the pictures digitally. Times change, and while many people still enjoy using film cameras, they are becoming increasingly rare, and certain types of films are no longer produced.
Definitions of photograph
-
a representation of a person or scene in the form of a print or transparent slide; recorded by a camera on light-sensitive material
-
types:
- show 40 types...
- hide 40 types...
-
beefcake
a photograph of a muscular man in minimal attire
-
black and white, monochrome
a black-and-white photograph or slide
-
blueprint
photographic print of plans or technical drawings etc.
-
cheesecake
a photograph of an attractive woman in minimal attire
-
closeup
a photograph or video taken at close range
-
daguerreotype
a photograph made by an early photographic process; the image was produced on a silver plate sensitized to iodine and developed in mercury vapor
-
blowup, enlargement, magnification
a photographic print that has been enlarged
-
frame
a single one of a series of still transparent pictures forming a cinema, television or video film
-
glossy
a photograph that is printed on smooth shiny paper
-
headshot
a photograph of a person's head
-
hologram, holograph
the intermediate photograph (or photographic record) that contains information for reproducing a three-dimensional image by holography
-
longshot
a photograph taken from a distance
-
microdot
photograph reduced to the size of a dot (usually for purposes of security)
-
arial mosaic, mosaic, photomosaic
arrangement of aerial photographs forming a composite picture
-
mug shot, mugshot
a photograph of someone's face (especially one made for police records)
-
photocopy
a photographic copy of written or printed or graphic work
-
photographic print, print
a printed picture produced from a photographic negative
-
photomicrograph
a photograph taken with the help of a microscope
-
radiogram, radiograph, shadowgraph, skiagram, skiagraph
a photographic image produced on a radiosensitive surface by radiation other than visible light (especially by X-rays or gamma rays)
-
shot, snap, snapshot
an informal photograph; usually made with a small hand-held camera
-
spectrogram, spectrograph
a photographic record of a spectrum
-
stereo, stereoscopic photograph, stereoscopic picture
two photographs taken from slightly different angles that appear three-dimensional when viewed together
-
still
a static photograph (especially one taken from a movie and used for advertising purposes)
-
telephoto, telephotograph
a photograph made with a telephoto lens
-
telephotograph
a photograph transmitted and reproduced over a distance
-
time exposure
a photograph produced with a relatively long exposure time
-
vignette
a photograph whose edges shade off gradually
-
wedding picture
photographs of bride and groom and their friends taken at their wedding
-
scene, shot
a consecutive series of pictures that constitutes a unit of action in a film
-
selfie
a photograph that you take of yourself, typically with a digital camera
-
anaglyph
moving or still pictures in contrasting colors that appear three-dimensional when superimposed
-
autoradiograph
a radiogram produced by radiation emitted by the specimen being photographed
-
cutout
a photograph from which the background has been cut away
-
photostat
a photocopy made on a Photostat machine
-
proof
a trial photographic print from a negative
-
radiophoto, radiophotograph
a photograph transmitted by radio waves
-
X ray, X-ray, X-ray photograph, X-ray picture, roentgenogram, x-ray
a radiogram made by exposing photographic film to X rays; used in medical diagnosis
-
visible speech
spectrogram of speech; speech displayed spectrographically
-
outtake
a scene that is filmed but is not used in the final editing of the film
-
vignette
a short evocative scene, as in a film or play
-
type of:
-
representation
a creation that is a visual or tangible rendering of someone or something
-
record on photographic film
-
undergo being photographed in a certain way“Children photograph well”
Pronunciation
US
/ˌfoʊdəˈgræf/
UK
/ˈfəʊtəgrɑf/
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘photograph'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Look up photograph for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
