shutterbug

English

WOTD – 12 January 2007

Etymology

shutter +‎ bug, from their tendency to work the camera's shutter frequently.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈʃʌtəbʌɡ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈʃʌtɚbʌɡ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

shutterbug (plural shutterbugs)

1. (informal) A person who makes a hobby of photography.
   • 1992, Popular Mechanics, volume 169, number 11, page 18:

     Aerial photography was coming into its own, and flying shutterbugs pushed the envelope, striving to outsnap each other.

   • 2024 March 11, Mark Landler, “Even Photoshop Can’t Erase Royals’ Latest P.R. Blemish”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     She was contrite, but presented herself as just another frustrated shutterbug with access to Photoshop.

Translations

person who makes a hobby of photography

• Bulgarian: фотограф любител (fotograf ljubitel)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 色友 (zh) (sèyǒu)

• Finnish: valokuvauksen harrastaja, kamerahullu
• German: Amateurfotograf m, Amateurfotografin f, Hobbyfotograf m, Hobbyfotografin f
• Russian: фотолюби́тель (ru) m (fotoljubítelʹ), фотолюби́тельница (ru) f (fotoljubítelʹnica)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: amatörfotograf (sv)