/ ˈfəʊtəgrɑːf; NAmE ˈfoʊtəgræf/ noun , verb
■ noun
(also photo ) a picture that is made by using a camera that has a film sensitive to light inside it :
aerial / satellite photographs
colour photographs
Please enclose a recent passport-sized photograph of yourself.
I spent the day taking photographs of the city.
HELP NOTE : The usual phrase in NAmE is take pictures .
■ verb
1.
to take a photograph of sb/sth :
[ vn ]
He has photographed some of the world's most beautiful women.
a beautifully photographed book (= with good photographs in it)
[ vn - adj ]
She refused to be photographed nude.
[ vn -ing ]
They were photographed playing with their children.
2.
[ v ] photograph well, badly, etc. to look or not look attractive in photographs :
Some people just don't photograph well.
••
SYNONYMS
photograph
photo ♦ picture ♦ shot ♦ snapshot / snap ♦ portrait
These are all words for a picture that has been made using a camera.
photograph
any picture that has been made using a camera:
a photograph of the house
•
Can I take a photograph ?
photo
short form of photograph:
passport photo
•
We took some photos of the city.
photo or photograph?
These two words have the same meaning and are used in the same way, but photo is more informal and more common in spoken language.
picture
a photograph:
We had our picture taken in front of the hotel.
NOTE
Picture is generally only used with this meaning if it cannot be confused with another type of picture, for example a drawing or painting.
shot
a photograph; this word focuses more on the process of producing the photograph, rather than the finished item:
I tried to get a shot of him in the water.
snapshot / snap
an informal photograph that is taken quickly, and not by a professional photographer:
holiday snaps
portrait
a painting, drawing or photograph of a person, especially of the head and shoulders. A portrait photograph is usually done by a professional photographer in a formal way.