Photography Quiz! Test Your Knowledge.

(image by Craig Havens)

One of the fun things about Extension classes is that there's such a diverse group of students. People from all educational backgrounds, career paths and walks of life show up to learn and make art.

Because our students are so varied in their experiences, some find it difficult to decide which level of study is the right one for them. "I've been shooting on my DSLR for two years, but have never taken a formal class - am I ready for Intermediate Digital Photography?" "I've been shooting headshots for my friends, but have not worked in a professional studio before - which lighting class is right for me?"

It can be a bit confusing, especially since so many of us who own high-end cameras are self-taught. Maybe you know HOW to adjust for nighttime shooting, but aren't exactly sure of the technical term for what you're doing.

To help students find the right level for them, instructor Craig Havens has devised a short quiz that he gives the first night of class. If students are stumped by the questions and unfamiliar with the terms used, they're good candidates for Introduction to Digital Photography. If they get half or more of the questions right, they're probably ready for the Intermediate class.

Here's the quiz - highlight the areas below the questions to see the answers. No cheating!

1. If your camera’s light meter is reading f8 at 125th, what does that mean?
Aperture opening is at or near its mid-point.
Shutter Speed is at 125th of a second.

2. If you want a different setting than f8 with this light reading, say f16, what would you have to set your camera's shutter speed to?
Two light stops down to 1/30th.

3. What is the best ISO when using a digital camera for both speed and picture quality?
640 to 800 depending on the quality of the sensor.

4. What is the highest quality setting for picture quality on a digital camera?
RAW.

(Fill in the Blank - highlight to see answers)

5. When shooting in high contrast situations with film, you should expose for the___shadows_______ and develop for the ____highlights_____.

6. When shooting in high contrast situations with digital, you should be sure that the ____highlights_____ do not "blow out" and that the ____shadows_____ hold as much detail as possible. One way of doing this is to _____bracket_______ multiple frames of the same scene and checking the ______Histogram______during exposure.

7. The practice of allowing a slightly larger space beneath the image area of a final digital print is called "_____weighting______" a print.

8. When working in Photoshop always save your files in the _____TIFF____ format to avoid image loss with repeated saves.

True or False

A client owns your images until you sign a contract together stating otherwise.
False.

You can include all costs for materials, including rental of your own equipment.
True.

You should never ask for the total cost of your estimate up front.
False.

When hiring paid models for any purpose, it is required that they sign a model release.
True.

You should organize and back-up your images archives on two separate hard drives at least once a month.
True.

All clients must sign a contract stating their understanding of licensing fees once the job is completed.
False (before!)

Ambient light refers to any type of lighting that exists upon your arrival at a location.
True.

How did you do?