T (Time):- shutter speed setting used for timed exposures longer than the numbered settings. The shutter opens when the release is pressed and closes when it is pressed again. Now largely super ceded by B (Bulb).

 

Tacking iron:- heated tool used to stick part of the dry-mounting tissue to a print and its mounting board.

 

Tanks:- containers for holding chemical solutions for processing films and plates.

 

Tanning development:- type of developer used for processes that require a relief image, such as dye transfer.

 

Technical camera:- see View Camera.

 

Teleconverter:- optical system mounted between a camera body and the lens to increase the effective focal length of the lens.

 

Telephoto lens:- compact lens construction which provides a long focal length with a short back focus.

 

Tempering bath:- large tank or deep tray filled with water maintained at the correct temperature for processing. Used to house tanks, drums or trays as well as containers of processing solutions.

 

Tessar lens:- famous German non-symmetrical lens design by Zeiss. It is based on the triplet lens.

 

Test strip:- trial and error method of calculating exposure in photographic printing. A number of exposures are given to a strip of emulsion, over important areas of the image to help judge the correct exposure in the final print.

 

Texture:- broadly defined as the surface character of an object.

 

Texture screen:- transparent film or glass printed with a fine background pattern. They're interposed between the image and the paper to break up large areas of tone or for special effects.

 

T-Grain technology:- name for Kodaks film emulsion technology used in all Kodak APS films. Uniquely shaped grains that align better than conventional silver crystals absorb and transmitting light more effectively to produce sharper images.

 

Thermography:- recording images by means of the heat radiated from the subject.

 

"Thick" negative:- antique term used to describe a dense negative.

 

"Thin" negative:- antique term used to describe a negative lacking in density.

 

Through-the-lens:- see TTL.

 

Thyristor flash gun:- automatic flash gun which cuts off the flash when the exposure is correct. This conserves power, makes recycling quicker, and battery life longer.

 

Time and temperature:- controlling factors of a chemical photographic process.

 

Time exposure:- general term for an exposure longer than can be set using the camera's fixed shutter speeds.

 

Time gamma curve:- see Gamma.

 

Time lapse photography:- method of recording chemical and physical changes in a subject over a period of time by photographing it at regular intervals from the same viewpoint.

 

Timer:- clock used to control processing.

 

Tinting:- application of color tints, usually in the form of dyes or paints, to a photographic image to create or enhance color.

 

Tin-type:- see Ferrotype.

 

Tomography:- radiographic technique used in medial photography.

 

Tone:- refers to the strength of grays between white and black. It relates to the brightness, lightness and darkness of the subject and is determined by illumination.

 

Tone line process:- technique used to reproduce a photographic image so that it resembles a pen and ink drawing.

 

Toners:- used to change the color of the photographic print by chemical baths. Through the system of bleaching and toning, the black metallic silver image is converted to a dye image.

 

Tone separation:- process of reducing the tonal range of a photograph to a very restricted range. The final result has strong highlights and deep shadows with a set number of intermediate tones. Also refereed to as Posterization.

 

Tone values:- various shades of gray between the extremes of black & white in a photographic image.

 

Toning:- method of soaking the print in selenium or similar chemical(s) to help give the print an overall feeling of "richness".

 

Transfer processes:- methods of transferring a photographic image from one surface to another.

 

Transmission:- passage of light through a transparent or translucent material.

 

Transmitted light:- light which is passed through a transparent or translucent medium. The amount of light transmitted depends on the density of the medium through which it is passed and on the brightness of incident light source. Transmitted light is always less than incident light, but the amount of loss depends on the density of the medium.

 

Transparency:- positive image in black and white or color, which is produced on transparent film.

 

Transparent magnetic layer:- information storage layer built into Advanced Photo System film that enables enhanced information exchange capabilities.

 

Transposing frame:- frame used for printing pairs of stereoscopic negatives from a two lens camera.

 

Tray development:- any process carried out in open trays rather than using tanks or similar apparatus.

 

Trichrome Carbro Process:- method of making assembly color prints from separation negatives, using an adaption of the carbro process.

 

Tri-color filters:- filters in deep primarily colors used to expose color prints by the additive method.

 

Trigger:- term used to describe a shutter release.

 

Tripack:- photographic material, used in color photography, consisting of three emulsion layers of different sensitivity each on its own base. It is used to obtain three separation negatives with a single exposure.

 

Triple extension:- camera system in which lens-image distance can be extended by as much as three times its focal length. It is particularly useful for close-up photography.

 

Triplet lens:- lens consisting basically of three elements, a diverging lens sandwiched between two converging lenses.

 

Tripod:- three legged camera support. The legs usually feature sections that permit height adjustments.

 

T setting:- see T (Time).

 

T stops:- more accurate measurement of light entering a lens than "f" numbers. Whereas "f" numbers represent the ratio between measured diameter and focal length, "t" stops are based on actual light transmission at different diameters.

 

TTL:- abbreviation for "through-the-lens" as referring to a metering system in which a suitable light sensitive mechanism within the camera body measures exposure from the image light passing through the lens.

 

Tungsten filament:- artificial light source using a tungsten filament contained within a glass envelope.

 

Tungsten halogen lamp:- improved version of the normal tungsten lamp. It is much smaller and more consistent in color temperature as the glass envelope used is non-blackening.

 

Tungsten light:- light from standard room lamps and ceiling fixtures, not fluorescent.

 

Tungsten light film:- See Type B Film.

 

Twin lens reflex (TLR):- camera having two lenses of the same focal length. One is used for viewing and focusing, the other for exposing the film.

 

Two-bath development:- development of negatives in two stages. Developer without alkali is followed by an alkali bath, which activates development.

 

Two-color photography:- simple method of color photography which analyzes the spectrum into two parts instead of three, forming images which are combined with complementary colors.

 

Type A film:- color film balanced to artificial light sources at a color temperature of 3400K.

 

Type B film:- color film balanced to artificial light sources at a color temperature of 3200K.

 

Type D film:- obsolete term for film balanced for daylight.