Photography Expressions
Ta kort, motljus, den gyllene timmen — talking about pictures in Swedish.
Photography as it's actually lived: säg omelett, golden hour, thousands of unprinted pictures — and the wisdom to put the camera away, print ten, and hang one on the wall.
- 1
ta ett kort
to take a photo
Tip: lit. 'take a card' — the everyday phrase, not 'fotografera'.
- 2
ta ett kort på någon
to take a picture of someone
Tip: lit. the same — note 'på', not 'av'.
- 3
säg omelett
say cheese
Tip: lit. 'say omelette' — the Swedish equivalent.
- 4
vara fotogenisk
to be photogenic
Tip: lit. the same.
- 5
hata att bli fotograferad
to hate having your picture taken
Tip: lit. the same.
- 6
motljus
backlight
Tip: lit. 'against-light'.
- 7
den gyllene timmen
the golden hour
Tip: lit. the same — long and generous in a Swedish summer.
- 8
den blå timmen
the blue hour
Tip: lit. the same — the winter compensation.
- 9
ljuset är perfekt just nu
the light is perfect right now
Tip: lit. the same.
- 10
det är för mörkt
it's too dark
Tip: lit. the same — for six months a year.
- 11
vara oskarp
to be out of focus
Tip: lit. 'be unsharp'.
- 12
knivskarp
pin sharp
Tip: lit. 'knife-sharp'.
- 13
beskära bilden
to crop the picture
Tip: lit. the same.
- 14
redigera
to edit
Tip: lit. the same.
- 15
ta i för mycket med filtret
to overdo the filter
Tip: lit. 'take too much with the filter'.
- 16
en spontan bild
a candid shot
Tip: lit. 'a spontaneous picture'.
- 17
en arrangerad bild
a posed photo
Tip: lit. the same.
- 18
blunda på varje kort
to blink in every photo
Tip: lit. 'close the eyes in every photo'.
- 19
ett till, för säkerhets skull
one more, just in case
Tip: lit. the same.
- 20
tusentals bilder och inga utskrivna
thousands of photos and none printed
Tip: lit. the same.
- 21
minnet är fullt
the phone is full
Tip: lit. 'the memory is full'.
- 22
säkerhetskopiera bilderna
to back up the pictures
Tip: lit. the same.
- 23
ett fotoalbum
a photo album
Tip: lit. the same — increasingly nostalgic.
- 24
bläddra i gamla kort
to look back at old photos
Tip: lit. 'leaf through old photos'.
- 25
en bild säger mer än tusen ord
a picture says more than a thousand words
Tip: lit. the same.
- 26
lägga undan kameran och bara vara med
to put the camera away and just be present
Tip: lit. the same.
- 27
skicka de bra bilderna
send me the good ones
Tip: lit. the same.
- 28
tredjedelsregeln
the rule of thirds
Tip: lit. the same.
- 29
fylla bildrutan
to fill the frame
Tip: lit. the same.
- 30
en ledande linje
a leading line
Tip: lit. the same.
- 31
en rörig bakgrund
a busy background
Tip: lit. the same — the commonest mistake.
- 32
ta två steg åt vänster
to move two steps left
Tip: lit. the same — usually fixes it.
- 33
fotografera underifrån
to shoot from below
Tip: lit. the same.
- 34
gå ner på deras nivå
to get down to their level
Tip: lit. the same — for photographing children.
- 35
ett naturligt uttryck
a natural expression
Tip: lit. the same.
- 36
få folk att skratta först
to make people laugh first
Tip: lit. the same — the real trick.
- 37
ett gruppfoto där alla blundar
a group photo with everyone blinking
Tip: lit. the same.
- 38
ta fem och välja en
to take five and pick one
Tip: lit. the same.
- 39
självutlösaren
the self-timer
Tip: lit. the same.
- 40
springa in i bilden
to run back into the picture
Tip: lit. the same.
- 41
överexponerad
overexposed
Tip: lit. the same — burnt-out highlights.
- 42
underexponerad
underexposed
Tip: lit. the same.
- 43
fotografera i raw
to shoot in raw
Tip: lit. the same.
- 44
redigera mindre, inte mer
to edit less, not more
Tip: lit. the same.
- 45
skriva ut de tio bästa
to print the best ten
Tip: lit. the same — a resolution nobody keeps.
- 46
en fotobok om året
a photo book once a year
Tip: lit. the same — the compromise that works.
- 47
en bild på väggen slår en telefon
a picture on the wall beats a phone
Tip: lit. the same.