At what point did a photo become a "capture"

steveo_mcg said:
Have you ever seen the Plain English Campaign? The idea is to avoid using unnecessarily complex language when dealing with the public.
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Yes and it is a good idea. However, "Capture" is not a jargon and it is not unnecessarily complex. Strangely, you seem to be making this matter more complex that it actually is.
 
I can't prove this absolutely, but I believe that the modern use of 'capture' is intertwined with the rise of digital imaging.

In the early days of electronic imaging, the term 'image capture' was coined

You can find it in use on page 9 of this US military document from 1976

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a031455.pdf

This in its turn derived from Computer Science term 'data capture' - which relates to converting information into a form that can be handled by a computer.

"Image capture" covers imaging data inputs though both (digital) photographic and scanning techniques. It's certainly not uncommon to refer to individual "image capture events" or "captures" in this context and probably predates the use of digital imaging in, for want of a better term, everyday photography.

I suspect the "capture" has thus migrated into wider use as a noun by photographers who are now using digital cameras - the language accompanied the technology, in the same way that we happily speak of 'post processing' and 'dynamic range' (both of which are borrowed from other disciplines for use in relation to digital photography).

If you don't want to use it, then I suggest a return to using film. ;)
 
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Steelmagnet said:
Is there some difference or is the word "capture" just pretentious twaddle?
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It is a little pretentious, but if I had to define it, I would 'see' a photography through the viewfinder (i.e. compose) and I would 'capture' it with the shutter button - which means I have to be able to control the settings.

A 'point and shoot' more or less allows the user to do the process in one hit. For those of use who prefer to control the technology, it involved a bit more skill.
 
ernesto said:
Yes and it is a good idea. However, "Capture" is not a jargon and it is not unnecessarily complex. Strangely, you seem to be making this matter more complex that it actually is.
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And you seem to been selectively quoting..


steveo_mcg said:
Have you ever seen the Plain English Campaign? The idea is to avoid using unnecessarily complex language when dealing with the public. Some jargon is necessary, precipitation from the wiki example, F-Stop describes a complex mathematical formula in a simple manner. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with capture I wouldn't really even call it jargon, as has been pointed out above, its been in common usage since before photography.
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To me it's a photo because I photographed it. If someone calls their lens glass then just point out a glass is a resepticle for drinks and a lens is attached to a camera. So when some says GOOD GLASS say thank you for them commenting on your crystal then ask what they think of your lens.
 
steveo_mcg said:
And you seem to been selectively quoting..
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Not at all. You just seme to making a big point out of it even though you don't even think it is jargon. You may have a point about jargon and unclear use of english generally but that is not relevant to this thread which is abotu a word that is clear and not jargon!
 
"Nice capture" - Kurt
 
ernesto said:
Not at all. You just seme to making a big point out of it even though you don't even think it is jargon. You may have a point about jargon and unclear use of english generally but that is not relevant to this thread which is abotu a word that is clear and not jargon!
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If you were following above my comment was related to

tonester said:
Other professions and trades have their own words that specifically relate to their trade. A spark ( electrician) may call a bulb a lamp!! A joiner calling his drill a gun!! Does that phrase then apply to them?
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Not particularly "Capture" or even "Glass"...
 
paulbroad1965 said:
To me it's a photo because I photographed it. If someone calls their lens glass then just point out a glass is a resepticle for drinks and a lens is attached to a camera. So when some says GOOD GLASS say thank you for them commenting on your crystal then ask what they think of your lens.
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I think you'll find that 'glass' (on its own) is also a common synonym for

  • Spy glass (telescope)
  • Magnifying Glass
  • Looking Glass (mirror)

Indeed, two of the above are lenses.
 
Musicman said:
I think you'll find that 'glass' (on its own) is also a common synonym for

  • Spy glass (telescope)
  • Magnifying Glass
  • Looking Glass (mirror)

Indeed, two of the above are lenses.
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I agree glass has many uses but most commonly when someone refers to glass being nice they are on about the glass itself not about the component part of a lens.

Unless of course they are only interested in the glass component and not the lens itself.

So maybe a correct reply to the phrase nice glass should be thanks but what about the rest of the lens?
 
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