Photography Exposure Triangle Mastery 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You're shooting a waterfall and want silky smooth water. Which shutter speed is most appropriate?
- 1/500s
- 1/60s
- 1/4s (Correct answer)
- 1/1000s
Correct answer: 1/4s
A slow shutter speed like 1/4s allows water to blur into a smooth, silky appearance over the exposure duration.
Question 2: 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?
- 1 stop
- 2 stops
- 3 stops (Correct answer)
- 4 stops
Correct answer: 3 stops
f/2.8 → f/4 → f/5.6 → f/8 is three stops, each stop halving the light entering the lens.
Question 3: Which ISO setting will produce the most dynamic range on a modern digital camera?
- ISO 6400
- ISO 3200
- ISO 800
- ISO 100 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: ISO 100
Base ISO (typically ISO 100) maximizes sensor dynamic range and produces the cleanest image with the most shadow and highlight detail.
Question 4: A photographer uses 1/250s at f/4 and ISO 400. To use f/11 instead while keeping the same brightness, what must change?
- Decrease ISO to 100
- Increase ISO to 3200
- Use 1/1000s shutter speed
- Use 1/30s shutter speed (Correct answer)
Correct 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.
Question 5: What is the primary visual effect of using a very wide aperture like f/1.4?
- Increased motion blur
- Very shallow depth of field (Correct answer)
- Reduced noise
- Higher shutter speed requirement
Correct 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.
Question 6: Your image is one stop underexposed. Which of the following changes alone would correct this?
- Halve the ISO
- Double the shutter speed
- Open aperture by one stop (Correct answer)
- Close aperture by one stop
Correct answer: Open aperture by one stop
Opening the aperture by one stop doubles the light hitting the sensor, correcting a one-stop underexposure.
Question 7: 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?
- Use a higher ISO
- Use a wider aperture
- Add a neutral density filter (Correct answer)
- Switch to a longer focal length
Correct answer: Add a neutral density filter
A neutral density (ND) filter reduces light entering the lens, allowing wide apertures in bright conditions without overexposure.
Photography Exposure Triangle Mastery 2
You're shooting a waterfall and want silky smooth water.
Which shutter speed is most appropriate?