Exposure and Metering Flashcards
7 cards from real Photography practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Exposure and Metering flashcards as text
What is 'long exposure noise reduction' (LENR) and when is it most useful?
Answer: It captures a dark frame of equal duration after the exposure to subtract thermal noise patterns
LENR takes a dark frame (same duration, shutter closed) immediately after the main exposure and subtracts its thermal noise pattern from the image.
A photographer notices the histogram of their image has a large gap on the right side. What does this indicate?
Answer: The image is underexposed and could be brightened to use more of the dynamic range
A histogram with empty space on the right side means the image is underexposed — there are no bright tonal values being recorded and exposure could be increased.
What is the reciprocity failure phenomenon, and for which type of photography is it most relevant?
Answer: The breakdown of the linear relationship between exposure time and film density at very long exposures; most relevant to long-exposure film photography
Reciprocity failure occurs in film when very long exposures (seconds to minutes) require additional exposure beyond what calculations predict because the film's response becomes nonlinear.
A photographer sets shutter speed to 1/250s and aperture to f/8 at ISO 400. To maintain the same exposure while switching to f/4, which adjustment is needed?
Answer: Change shutter speed to 1/1000s
Going from f/8 to f/4 gains two stops of light, so the shutter speed must be increased by two stops (1/250s → 1/500s → 1/1000s) to compensate.
What is 'exposure bracketing' and why do photographers use it?
Answer: Capturing a series of shots at different exposures to ensure at least one is correct or to merge into HDR
Exposure bracketing shoots the same scene at several exposure values (e.g., -2, 0, +2 EV) to ensure an ideal exposure or to provide frames for HDR merging.
What effect does shooting through a UV-absorbing haze filter have on exposure?
Answer: It has negligible effect on exposure because it is nearly optically clear in visible light
UV filters transmit virtually all visible light, so they have no meaningful impact on metered exposure — unlike ND or polarizing filters.
In what situation would a photographer MOST benefit from using exposure lock (AE-L)?
Answer: When recomposing after metering a specific area that won't be centered in the final image
AE-L locks the metered exposure value so the photographer can meter a specific subject or tone and then reframe without the camera recalculating exposure.