Name ______________

Photography Study Questions

Chapter 1 pages 12-25

Answer the following questions using complete sentences:

1. List the four major types of film camera designs and give a brief description of
their viewing system.
a. Single Reflex Cameras – shows the user directly through the lens so
that a person can preview what will be recorded on the film
b. Viewfinder Cameras – lets the user see-through a peephole, that shows
almost, but not quite the whole image.
c. Rangefinder Cameras – are basically viewfinder cameras with a visual
focusing system, that’s allows the user to use it like a viewfinder
camera but with the focusing system.
d. Twin-Lens Reflex Cameras – they contain two lenses, one for viewing
and the other just below that exposes the film.

2. List two differences between a fully manual SLR camera and an automatic
camera.
a. The automatic contains push-button controls, while the manual use
adjustable knobs and rings.
b. The automatic automatically sets shutter speed, focuses the lens and
aperture while you have to only set those requirements on a manual.

3. What is the function of the camera’s built in light meter?

a. This allows you to measure the brightness of the light, to get the right
exposure

4. Briefly describe the function of the following automatic camera controls:

Program or fully automatic (P) – the camera selects both shutter speed and
aperture based on factory specifications.
Shutter Priority mode (S- Nikon & Pentax, Tv-Canon & Minolta) – the user
sets the shutter speed and the camera automatically sets the correct aperture.
Aperture Priority mode (A- Nikon & Pentax, Av-Canon & Minolta) – the
user sets the aperture and the camera automatically sets the shutter speed.
Manual exposure mode – the user sets both the shutter speed and the aperture
and you can use the light meter to help.

5. What are the two parts on all SLR cameras that you use to control the amount
of light that strikes the film?
a. The shutter speed and the aperture size

6. Briefly describe how a particular shutter speed affects the appearance of

moving objects?
a. A fast shutter speed can freeze motion and is fast enough for most
scenes, while a very slow shitter speed will record slow-moving
objects with some blur.
7. Describe the photographic technique called panning.
a. This is when the user moves the camera in the same direction as the
subjects movement during the exposure. This technique shows motion

8. What is the aperture of a camera and what does it control?

a. The aperture of the camera is another way of controlling the light, by
turning the diaphragm, ring of overlapping metal leaves, making it
larger allows more light and making it smaller allows less light.

9. What is the relationship between the size of the aperture and the sharpness of
an image?
a. As aperture increases, depth of field increase and more of the scene
near to far appears sharp and vice versa.

10. What is Depth of Field?

a. This is basically the amount of background you have in your exposure.

11. What is a correctly exposed negative and what is required to obtain one?
a. To get a correctly exposed picture you have to get a combination of
shutter speed and aperture which is neither too light or too dark but the
correct amount of light.

12. Explain the concept of “equivalent exposure”.

a. Basically the concept is that what you do to shutter speed has to equal
the opposite of what you do to the aperture setting, and vice versa.
(increase, decrease)

13. When you increase or decrease an exposure by “stop” what are you doing?
a. Each full setting of the aperture lets half or double the amount of light
as the next full setting, creating a one-stop difference. When the
aperture or the shutter speed has changed then the term stop is used.

14. Besides the available light of a scene what else should determine what shutter
and aperture combination you select for a particular photograph.
a. The sharpness of the image can affect the shutter speed, as well as the
fast or slower shutter speed can cause freeze motion or blur,
respectively. While the aperture size determines the Depth of Field.
But in conclusion you would have to compromise on a moderate
amount of depth of field with a possibility of blur.