Exposure Triangle Mastery Flashcards

You're shooting a waterfall and want silky smooth water. Which shutter speed is most appropriate?

Answer: 1/4s

A slow shutter speed like 1/4s allows water to blur into a smooth, silky appearance over the exposure duration.

At f/2.8 your meter reads a correct exposure. If you switch to f/8, how many stops darker is f/8 compared to f/2.8?

Answer: 3 stops

f/2.8 → f/4 → f/5.6 → f/8 is three stops, each stop halving the light entering the lens.

Which ISO setting will produce the most dynamic range on a modern digital camera?

Answer: ISO 100

Base ISO (typically ISO 100) maximizes sensor dynamic range and produces the cleanest image with the most shadow and highlight detail.

A photographer uses 1/250s at f/4 and ISO 400. To use f/11 instead while keeping the same brightness, what must change?

Answer: Use 1/30s shutter speed

Going from f/4 to f/11 is three stops less light, so shutter speed must slow from 1/250s by three stops to 1/30s to compensate.

What is the primary visual effect of using a very wide aperture like f/1.4?

Answer: Very shallow depth of field

A wide aperture like f/1.4 produces a very shallow depth of field, keeping the subject sharp while blurring the background.

Your image is one stop underexposed. Which of the following changes alone would correct this?

Answer: Open aperture by one stop

Opening the aperture by one stop doubles the light hitting the sensor, correcting a one-stop underexposure.

On a sunny day shooting a portrait, you want f/1.8 to blur the background but your shutter maxes at 1/4000s and the image is overexposed. What is the best solution?

Answer: Add a neutral density filter

A neutral density (ND) filter reduces light entering the lens, allowing wide apertures in bright conditions without overexposure.