Photography Mastery Practice Exam

Question 1 Photography Mastery

What is ISO?

Light close = bright but dramatic falloff; far = even but less bright. Light from the side; reveals texture and depth. The sensor's sensitivity to light. Slower; often with tripod.

Question 2 Photography Mastery

What is balance in composition?

Visual weight distribution across the frame. Greek "phos" (light) + "graphē" (drawing) — "drawing with light." Lightroom + cloud + external drive. Determines field of view and perspective.

Question 3 Photography Mastery

What is "500px"?

Lower number = larger opening = more light. A photo community emphasizing artistic work. A fixed focal length lens (e.g., 50mm). Affects color, contrast, finish.

Question 4 Photography Mastery

What is the role of reflectors?

Stability for sharp shots, especially long exposures. Bouncing light to fill shadows. f/1.4 to f/4 for subject isolation. Overhead sun creating strong shadows; usually unflattering.

Question 5 Photography Mastery

What is the typical photographer's hard drive?

Filled within months; backup strategy essential. Darkening specific areas. The period before sunrise and after sunset; cool ambient light. Reduces reflections and saturates colors.

Question 6 Photography Mastery

What is the role of having a portfolio?

A curated body of work; tells your visual story. Choosing camera position shapes the story. Press photographer's adage; technique matters less than presence. A light modifier producing soft, directional light.

Question 7 Photography Mastery

What is the role of keywords?

Daily shooting builds rapid skill. 100 (low noise) to 25,600+ (more noise). Searchable tags for finding photos later. Flash power measure; specific to ISO and distance.

Question 8 Photography Mastery

What is the role of grids?

Narrow the beam of light from softbox or flash. Vibrance protects already-saturated colors; saturation is uniform. Layered scenes have depth. More blades create rounder bokeh.

Question 9 Photography Mastery

What is the typical JPEG file size?

5-30 fps for modern cameras. Be respectful; laws vary by jurisdiction. 2-15 MB. Unprocessed sensor data; large files; more editing flexibility.

Question 10 Photography Mastery

What is JPEG?

~5,500 K. A compressed, processed format; smaller files; less editing room. Smoothing digital noise. How the camera evaluates the scene: matrix/evaluative, center-weighted, spot.

Question 11 Photography Mastery

What is hue, saturation, luminance (HSL)?

Mirrorless is replacing DSLRs. Color-specific adjustments. Centered, balanced compositions. More blades create rounder bokeh.

Question 12 Photography Mastery

What is the advantage of prime lenses?

Often sharper, wider aperture, lighter. The hour after sunrise and before sunset; warm directional light. Following a moving subject with shutter speed slower than action. No mirror; uses electronic viewfinder; lighter and increasingly dominant.

Question 13 Photography Mastery

What is the role of focal length on bokeh?

Centered, balanced compositions. 3 copies, 2 different media, 1 offsite. Daily shooting builds rapid skill. Longer focal lengths and wider apertures yield more bokeh.

Question 14 Photography Mastery

What is the role of phone photography?

Emulating analog film looks. Capturing the likeness and character of people. Modern phones produce excellent images; gear matters less. Flash power measure; specific to ISO and distance.

Question 15 Photography Mastery

What is the role of dehaze?

More blades create rounder bokeh. Reduces atmospheric haze. 100 consecutive days of focused practice. A semi-hard light source common in portraits.

Question 16 Photography Mastery

What is the typical workflow tool?

sRGB for web; Adobe RGB or ProPhoto for print. On harsh days, open shade gives softer light. A logarithmic spiral based on phi. Lightroom + cloud + external drive.

Question 17 Photography Mastery

What is the role of curiosity?

Photographers see more by paying attention. Taking multiple exposures for safety or HDR. Mid-tone contrast; texture enhancement. Softens light by spreading it.

Question 18 Photography Mastery

What is the importance of patience?

Import → cull → edit → export. Great photos often require waiting. 300-600mm with extender for distant wildlife. Unposed, natural moments.

Question 19 Photography Mastery

What is "clipping"?

The aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas. The distance setting maximizing DOF from foreground to infinity. Look at master photographers across history. Loss of detail in pure black or pure white.

Question 20 Photography Mastery

What is the role of light meter?

Measures light to suggest exposure settings. A tube focusing light to a small area. Try to imitate a master's style to learn their choices. JPEG (web), TIFF (print), PNG (web/transparency).

Question 21 Photography Mastery

What is the histogram?

Subject in their context (workplace, home). Previewing how a photo will look in print. Graph showing tonal distribution from dark to light. Import → cull → edit → export.

Question 22 Photography Mastery

What is the role of eye focus?

Loss of detail in pure black or pure white. 100 consecutive days of focused practice. Sharp eyes are critical in portraits. Color-specific adjustments.

Question 23 Photography Mastery

What is the role of a color-managed workflow?

The main light source. Adjusting color temperature in post. Centered, balanced compositions. Consistent color across devices.

Question 24 Photography Mastery

What is dynamic range?

Limitations force creative solutions. Longer focal lengths and wider apertures yield more bokeh. Smooth, pleasing background blur. The range of brightness a sensor can capture.

Question 25 Photography Mastery

How is aperture measured?

Calibrate using a gray card. Larger sensor: better low light, shallower DOF, more dynamic range. An 18% gray reference for exposure and color. In f-stops (e.g., f/1.4, f/2.8, f/4, f/8, f/16).

Question 26 Photography Mastery

What is the role of metadata?

Camera settings, time, location, copyright info. Flash off the camera; creative lighting control. Visual weight distribution across the frame. Taking multiple exposures for safety or HDR.

Question 27 Photography Mastery

What is the typical wildlife focal length?

1/focal length or faster (e.g., 1/100s for 100mm). Adobe's photo organization and RAW editor. Longer focal lengths and wider apertures yield more bokeh. 300-600mm with extender for distant wildlife.

Question 28 Photography Mastery

What is the 100-day project?

View images at intended display size. 100 consecutive days of focused practice. Reflection in the eye; gives life to portraits. The main light source.

Question 29 Photography Mastery

What is the role of paper choice?

Equivalent to ~75mm on full-frame. 3 copies, 2 different media, 1 offsite. Affects color, contrast, finish. 1/focal length or faster (e.g., 1/100s for 100mm).

Question 30 Photography Mastery

What is RAW format?

Unprocessed sensor data; large files; more editing flexibility. 2-15 MB. Bouncing light to fill shadows. Greek "phos" (light) + "graphē" (drawing) — "drawing with light."

Question 31 Photography Mastery

What is the typical Lightroom workflow?

Camera estimates and corrects automatically. Loss of detail in pure black or pure white. The range in front and behind the subject in acceptable focus. Import → cull → edit → export.

Question 32 Photography Mastery

What is metering modes?

Adds artificial light; on-camera or off-camera. How the camera evaluates the scene: matrix/evaluative, center-weighted, spot. The technical can be learned; vision is developed. Around 50mm on full-frame; approximates human vision.

Question 33 Photography Mastery

What is the role of focus stacking?

By date, project, or subject. Empty space giving subjects breathing room. Combining multiple focused images for full DOF in macro. Overhead sun creating strong shadows; usually unflattering.

Question 34 Photography Mastery

What is Photoshop?

Wide zone in focus; common in landscapes. 1/1000s or faster. Adobe's pixel editor for advanced manipulation. 300 DPI for high-quality prints.

Question 35 Photography Mastery

What is the typical daylight temperature?

Multiple shots per second for action. Consistent color across devices. Slower; often with tripod. ~5,500 K.

Question 36 Photography Mastery

What is the rule "shoot what you love"?

Flash aimed at ceiling/wall for diffused light. Bouncing light to fill shadows. The main light source. Personal interest drives improvement.

Question 37 Photography Mastery

What is the role of expensive gear?

Helpful but not necessary; vision matters more. Choosing camera position shapes the story. Reduces atmospheric haze. A dominant photo platform; algorithm-driven.

Question 38 Photography Mastery

What is film simulation?

Flash off the camera; creative lighting control. ~3,200 K. Color-accurate display essential for editing. Emulating analog film looks.

Question 39 Photography Mastery

What is non-destructive editing?

Taking multiple exposures for safety or HDR. Softer light filling shadows. Edits don't alter the original file. Light from the side; reveals texture and depth.

Question 40 Photography Mastery

What is fill flash?

Flash filling shadows during daylight. The range in front and behind the subject in acceptable focus. Edge highlight from backlight separating subject from background. The range of brightness a sensor can capture.

Question 41 Photography Mastery

What is "stops" of exposure compensation?

No mirror; uses electronic viewfinder; lighter and increasingly dominant. An 18% gray reference for exposure and color. Typically ±3 stops in 1/3 stop increments. Editing for finishing touches and creative interpretation.

Question 42 Photography Mastery

What is the relationship between ISO and noise?

RAW has more data; JPEG is processed and compressed. Light from behind for separation. Higher ISO = more digital noise (grain). Clean, neutral backgrounds for commercial work.

Question 43 Photography Mastery

What is the exposure triangle?

Aperture, shutter speed, ISO — the three factors controlling exposure. Digital Single-Lens Reflex; has a mirror. Light intensity falls with the square of distance. Lightening specific areas.

Question 44 Photography Mastery

What is the typical guide number?

2-15 MB. Flash power measure; specific to ISO and distance. Adds artificial light; on-camera or off-camera. Flash + wireless trigger + softbox/umbrella.

Question 45 Photography Mastery

What is the role of sensor size?

A dominant photo platform; algorithm-driven. Larger sensor: better low light, shallower DOF, more dynamic range. The sensor's sensitivity to light. A narrow zone in focus; common in portraits.

Question 46 Photography Mastery

What is the rule "be there"?

Through-The-Lens metering for automatic flash. Light from the side; reveals texture and depth. Captures maximum data; allows white balance adjustment in post. Showing up is half of photography.

Question 47 Photography Mastery

What is bounce flash?

Flash aimed at ceiling/wall for diffused light. Capturing outdoor scenes and nature. Set output manually; consistent results. Slower; often with tripod.

Question 48 Photography Mastery

What is photography?

The art and science of capturing light to create images. Be respectful; laws vary by jurisdiction. The distance setting maximizing DOF from foreground to infinity. Stopping motion with fast shutter.

Question 49 Photography Mastery

What is the golden spiral?

A logarithmic spiral based on phi. White, silver, gold, black (for absorbing). Equivalent to ~75mm on full-frame. The distance setting maximizing DOF from foreground to infinity.

Question 50 Photography Mastery

What is the difference between RAW and JPEG?

Flash + wireless trigger + softbox/umbrella. RAW has more data; JPEG is processed and compressed. 3-stop, 6-stop, 10-stop common. Getting close to make the subject dominant.