Theory Concepts

Question 1

What is aperture priority mode?

Answer 1

If you change the aperture, the camera changes the shutter speed for you

Question 2

What is exposure compensation?

Answer 2

Let’s you change the shutter speed whilst staying at the same aperture

Question 3

What is shutter priority mode?

Answer 3

You set the shutter speed and the camera sets the aperture

Question 4

What is aperture?

Answer 4

The adjustable opening that controls the amount of light that reaches the sensor

Question 5

What does a large F-number mean?

Answer 5

Smaller aperture, larger depth of field. Entire image is in focus

Question 6

What does a small F-number mean?

Answer 6

Greater aperture, shorter depth of field. Background is blurry whilst subject is in focus

Question 7

What happens when you adjust shutter speed?

Answer 7

The larger the number in the fraction, the faster the photo is taken

Question 8

What is ISO

Answer 8

The sensitivity of the image sensor to light

Question 9

What happens when you increase the ISO number

Answer 9

More exposure, brighter image, noisier/grainier image

Question 10

What happens when you decrease the ISO number

Answer 10

Less exposure, darker image, cleaner/less grainy image

Question 11

How do you read a histogram

Answer 11

To the left - Underexposed
To the right- Overexposed
In the middle- Neutral photo

Question 12

What are RAW photos

Answer 12

uncompressed file format, large file size, has to be post processed to get best results, preserves most amount of information about the image

Question 13

What are JPEG photos

Answer 13

Standard file format, process by camera so can be viewed immediately, smaller file size, compressed to information may be lost, smaller loss in quality over time

Question 14

What is tungsten lighting?

Answer 14

Adds cool tones to balance indoor colours, image may look blue if used in other settings

Question 15

What is fluorescent lighting?

Answer 15

Used under fluorescent lighting, adds warm-red tones to help balance images that may look green

Question 16

What is daylight lighting?

Answer 16

Adds warm tones to image to produce neutral coloured photo, used when shooting in direct sunlight

Question 17

What is cloudy lighting?

Answer 17

Cloudy days cast neutral tones, this adds warmer tones to the image

Question 18

What is shade lighting

Answer 18

Designed for open shade, adds warm orange and gives natural looking skin tone

Question 19

What is flash white balance

Answer 19

Adds warm tones, prevents skin tones from looking too cold/blue

Question 20

What is sports mode?

Answer 20

Camera sets fast shutter speed to freeze action

Question 21

What is portrait mode?

Answer 21

Camera sets wide aperture to blur background

Question 22

What is landscape mode

Answer 22

Camera sets all exposure triangle values and built in flash is turned off

Question 23

What does diffusing do to a photo?

Answer 23

Increases the size of the light source, therefore softening it

Question 24

What does fill in flash do to a photo

Answer 24

Helps lighten dark shadows, brighten colours and creates depth

Question 25

What does using a reflector do to a photo?

Answer 25

Used to bounce light back into shadows if a light source is too direct

Question 26

What does a neutral density filter do to a photo?

Answer 26

Allows a photo to be darker so long exposure photos can be taken, like sunglasses, smoother water effect

Question 27

What does panning look like in a photo?

Answer 27

Slow shutter speed combined with camera motion to create a sense of speed around an object. Blurry background + still object.

Question 28

What does tilting do to a photo?

Answer 28

tilting the camera to allow shallow depth of field, creates miniature or stylised effect

Question 29

What is a polarising filter?

Answer 29

A filter placed in front of the camera to darken skies, manage reflections

Question 30

What is high key lighting?

Answer 30

When an image is made up of predominantly light tones, very little shadows

Question 31

What is low key lighting

Answer 31

When an image is predominantly dark tones, mainly shadows, lots of depth and dimension

Question 32

What is hard lighting

Answer 32

Lots of defined shadows, very direct light source eg the sun

Question 33

What is soft lighting

Answer 33

More diffused lights, no hard defined lines

Question 34

What is rim lighting

Answer 34

Illuminating the edge of a subject to create a halo effect

Question 35

What is contre jour lighting

Answer 35

Camera is pointing directly at a light source, silhouette effect

Question 36

What is DPI

Answer 36

Dots Per Inch the higher the DPI number, the more detail in the image

Question 37

What is zooming

Answer 37

Adjusting the focal lens to make a subject appear larger or smaller without moving the camera closer or further away

Question 38

What is colour cast

Answer 38

A tint of a particular colour, usually unwanted, that evenly affects a photograph

Question 39

What is resolution?

Answer 39

The level of detail contained in an image. The higher the resolution and pixel count, the more detail and definition

Question 40

What is auto-bracketing?

Answer 40

Takes multiple shots of the same scene with varying exposure settings. Typically one underexposed, one over exposed and one correctly exposed

Question 41

What is S-curve

Answer 41

Curved lines representing the letter “S” and are used to guide the viewer’s eyes

Question 42

What is bokeh?

Answer 42

Used for street photography to create an effect of blurred colours and out of focus.

Question 43

What is the EV Number

Answer 43

Number that represents a combination of the camera’s shutter speed and F number