Photo Basics

Question 1

Native ISO

Answer 1

The base setting of your camera that achieves the best detail (least noise) out of your image (usually the lowest ISO)

Question 2

When there is no moving subject, what parts of the exposure triangle should you proritize?

Answer 2

Aperture and ISO
(shutter speed = low priority)

Question 3

When there IS a moving subject, what parts of the exposure triangle should you proritize?

Answer 3

Shutter speed
(still try to lock native ISO)

Question 4

Long exposure

Answer 4

Slower shutter speed

Question 5

Depth of Field =

Answer 5

Aperture

Question 6

Diffraction

Answer 6

Negative effect of a small aperture (like f/22) where other colors are introduced

Question 7

Aperture sweet spot for landscape photography (daytime)

Answer 7

Between f8 and f11

Greatest depth of field + sharpest images

Question 8

Aperture sweet spot for landscape photography (nighttime)

Answer 8

f2.8 to f1.4

Smaller depth of field but allow more light to hit the sensor

Question 9

Aperture Priority

Answer 9

Locks down aperture, and automatically adjusts the other two

Question 10

Histogram

Answer 10

a graph of the tonal values of an image, from black on the left to white on the right

Tells you what’s wrong with your exposure

Make sure nothing is clipping! (peak on right/left side) You can’t recover this in post-production.

Question 11

Exposing to the Right

Answer 11

Expose as far as you can to the right, without clipping. Protect the whites!

Why? You can always recover more information in the blacks/shadows than the highlights/whites.

Question 12

Center-Weighted Metering

Answer 12

Focusing on center of the image to assign the right shutter speed and aperture based on light in that area

Use when the important part of the images stays centered (or portraits)

Question 13

Evaluative/Matrix Metering

Answer 13

Focusing on a large portion of the image to assign the right shutter speed and aperture based on light in that area

Use for evenly lit scenes

Question 14

Spot Metering

Answer 14

Focusing on a narrow spot of the image to assign the right shutter speed and aperture based on light in that area

Use for high-contrast situations (backlit, silhouettes), snowy landscapes

Question 15

Metering Modes

Answer 15

How your camera decides to assign the right shutter speed and aperture based on the amount of light the camera can pick up

Question 16

Exposure Compensation

Answer 16

a camera feature that allows you to manually take control of the brightness of the image and overriding

The camera may show perfect exposure but you want to adjust in either direction