MTA 103 – Understanding Photography
Possible test questions
All sections
Dan Wise – Instructor
How many students from advanced photography classes presented their work
in class this semester? _____________________
Both Arthur Tress and Henri Cartier-Bresson have done documentary photography
for much of their lives. However, when a asked what kind of photography they
believed they did, what would their answer be? _________________________
We saw a slide presentation about a documentary photographer, that photographed
a gang in New York, a Circus Clown, and the Civil Rights movement, among other
subjects. What was the photographers name?
a. Bret Weston b. Eugene Smith c. Rudi Dietrich d. Bruce Davidson
We saw a film about a photographer that has photographed children in New
York for the NYC Parks Department, has produced images based on dreams of both
children and adults, and did a story about how a photographer got his lens.
What was this photographers name? __________________________
Where did Ruth Bernard get the idea for her “Nude in the Box” photograph?
a. A book b. Ansal Adams c. The UPS man d. A film
If you over expose your film; will the negative be thinner or denser? _________________
When you burn-in an area in a photograph, do you darken or lighten the area?
____________________________________
We saw a film about a woman, that first came to America with her father
as a young woman, made portraits of dogs and cats, beautiful color photographs
of sea shells, B&W nudes and was introduced to Edward Weston early in her
photographic career (he introduced her to photography as art - and changed
her life): what’s her name?
a. Ruth Bernard b. Diane Arbus c. Dorthea Lange d. Annie Liebowitz
** When photographing a dark blue ball against a deep red background;
* What color filter would one use to make the ball lighter? ______________
* What color filter would make the wall lighter? _______________
Which f stop gives you the most depth of field?
a. 22 b. 1.8 c. 64 d. 16
T-Max, PLUS-X, TRI-X, FP4, HP5 and other general purpose films we use in
MTA 103 are what type of film?
a. Orthochromatic b. Infra-red c. Panchromatic d. None of the above
** Your camera is set at 1/125 of a second at f-8.
* You need to shoot at f-64. What will your shutter speed be? _____________
* You would like to shoot at 1/1000 of a second. What f-stop will you use?
______
When you dodge an area in a photograph; do you darken or lighten that area?
___________________
Which f-stop give you the least depth of field?
a. 16 b. 1.8 c. 22 d. 64
To freeze action in a photograph, which shutter speed would work best?
a. 1/4 b. 1/60 c. 1/250 d. 1/2000
If you want to make a print smaller; do you raise or lower the enlarger head?
_________
If you are using fiber base paper, instead of RC; your developer/fixer/wash
times are?
a. Longer b. Shorter c. The same d. It doesn’t matter
What film would be the best choice, if I wanted as much grain as possible
in a photograph?
a. 400 b. 100 c. 25 d. 3200
What developer do we use for paper, in the 103 lab?
a. Dektol b. T Max c. D-76 d. DK-50
Why do you pre-soak film before development?
a. To shorten the development time b. For more even development
c. To darken shadows d. None of the above
If you under expose and over develop your film, will you get more or less
contrast in your negatives? __________________
When using a multi/variable grade paper; what filter would add the most contrast?
a. #3 b. #2 c. #5 d. #0
If your camera meter isn’t working, what photographic “rule of
thumb” would you use?
_____________________________
Why does an apple’s skin appear red?
a. It absorbs most of the red waves striking it. b. It reflects all the colors
except red
c. Because it’s red d. It reflects the red waves striking it
If you expose 400 ISO at 100 ISO, is it over or under exposed?
______________________
If you answered question #25 correctly and were using ISO 25 film, what would
your shutter speed be if you were shooting at f-8? _________________
When using a 50mm lens, what is the slowest “safe” shutter
speed to use, when hand holding your camera (as a rule of thumb)? ___________________
If you are shooting in low light or need to use the highest shutter speeds
possible, what ISO film would work best?
a. 100 b. 25 c. 400 d. 3200
If you are printing; and your print looks pretty good at f-8 at 20 seconds,
but you want to make it 20% lighter, what would you do?
What developer do we use for film, in the 103 lab? _______________
What is the minimum number of “new” prints required in your
final project? _________
You are photographing a red apple and a green apple in a white bowl with
B&W film; You want the red apple to appear lighter and the green one
to appear darker. What color filter would you use?
a. blue b. green c. red d. polarizing
Why would I use a red filter with black and white film?
a. To lighten foliage b. To make skin darker c. To darken skies
b. For greater detail in shadows
If your camera is set at f-8 and you stop down three stops, what f-stop would
you be shooting at? ____________
** We saw a slide presentation about a documentary photographer that is
best known for his instinct to capture the “decisive moment”,
combined with a deep understanding and compassion for human nature. What
was the photographers
name?
a. Eugene Smith b. Rudi Dietrich c. Heri Cartier-Bresson d. Bruce Davidson
* The photographer from the question above; was in reality, what kind of photographer?
a. photo-journalist b. surrealist c. studio d. portrait
Your camera is set at f-16 and you want to open up three (3) stops; what f-stop
will you use? ________
If you make a 5x7 print and want to make the same print enlarged to 8x10;
will you have to use a shorter or longer exposure to get the prints to match?
____________
I showed some of my work in class last week. How many color photographs did
I show?
_______________
We saw a film about a man that did a series of photographs of children’s
dreams, one about adult fantasies and was also working on several installation
projects that he would then photograph and abandon. What was his name?
a. Henry Fox-Talbot b. John Hooton c. Arthur Tress d. Bruce Davidson
My friend Waldo is standing in front of a red barn and wearing a blue shirt;
I want the shirt to appear lighter than the barn in the photo. What color filter
would work best? ____________
The final project for this class is comprised of three (3) parts. What are
they?
1. ___________________ 2. ___________________ 3. ___________________
** Your camera is set at 1/30 of a second at f-8.
* You need to shoot at f-22. What is your shutter speed? ___________
* You need to shoot at 1/250 of a second. What f-stop would you use? _________
If you want to blur and image; to you use a slower or faster shutter speed?
_________
Will a telephoto lens expand or compress spacial relationships in a photograph?
______________
What developer do we use for film, in the 103 lab?
a. D-76 b. Xtol c. DK50 d. T-Max
If you fix your film before you develop it; what can you do to “save” your
negatives?
____________________________
As black and white prints dry, do they get slightly darker or lighter? ___________
Which of the following combinations of shutter speed and f-stop is not an
equivalent exposure?
a. f 4 @ 1/1000 b. f 11 @ 1/125 c. f 22 @ 1/30 d. f 5.6 @ 1/250
** Your camera is set at 1/60 of a second at f8:
* You want to shoot at 1/1000 of a second. What f stop would you use?
a. 2.8 b. 8 c. 22 d. 2
* You need to shoot at f 16. What shutter speed should you use?
a. 1/15 b. 1/30 c. 1/250 d. 1/1000
Which f stop gives you the greatest depth of field?
a. 8 b. 1.8 c. 11 d. 22
ISO/ASA 100 film is ______________than ISO/ASA 400 film.
a. Faster b. The same c. Slower d. None of the above
To freeze action a photograph, what shutter speed would work best?
a. 1/125 b. 1/15 c. 1/1000 d. 1/60
When processed correctly, which film will have the least grain? ISO;
a. 400 b. 100 c. 3200 d. 25
Which lens would you use to expand spacial relationships in a photograph?
a. Telephoto b. Normal c. Wide angle d. Flat field
If you expose ISO 100 film at 400 ISO, is it over or under exposed?
a. Over b. Under
You will get more dramatic (longer) shadows in your photographs if you shoot:
a. Early morning b. Noon c. Late afternoon d. None of the above
As a rule of thumb; what is the slowest shutter speed you should set, when
using a normal lens?(if you are hand holding your camera)
a. 1/15 b. 1/1000 c. 1/125 d. 1/60
What factor do you use to decide your shutter speed: in the sunny sixteen
rule?
a. Time of day b. Shutter speed c. Film speed d. None of the above
Which f stop gives you the least depth of field?
a. 8 b. 32 c. 2.8 d.5.6
What kind of day will give you the most contrast in your image?
a. Cloudy b. Sunny c. Overcast d. Pay day
Photo flo is a ?
a. Fixing agent b. Developer c. Wetting agent d. Stop
. If you are using RC paper instead of Fiber base -- your developer/fix/wash
times are?
a. Longer b. Shorter c. The same
If you are printing and wanted to make your print twice as dark. What could
you do?
a. Open up one stop b. Double the time c. Stop down one stop d.Cut the time
in half
What developer do we use for film in the 103 labs?
a. Dektol b. T max c. D76 d. DK50
If you expose 400 ISO/ASA film at 100 ISO/ASA, is it over or under exposed?
a. Over b. Under
What factors affect depth of field?
a. Aperture b. Lens focal length c. Subject distance from lens c. Film type
When making an enlargement, do you raise or lower the enlarger head to make
the image bigger?
a. Raise the head b. Lower the head
If a print is too dark, how do you make it lighter?
a. Increase exposure time b. Decrease exposure time c. Open up d. Stop down
If you change from f-16 to f-8; did you open up or stop down? ______________
When you burn-in an area in a photograph, do you darken or lighten the area?
____________________________________
What film would be the best choice, if I wanted as much grain as possible
in a photograph?
a. 400 b. 100 c. 25 d. 3200
What developer do we use for paper, in the 103 lab?
a. Dektol b. T Max c. D-76 d. DK-50
Can you shoot ISO 400 speed film at 800, 1600 or even 3200 ISO and get
usable results is you “push process” the film”(yes or no
will sufice)?
If you are printing; and your print looks pretty good at f-8 at 20 seconds,
but you want to make it 20% lighter, what would you do?
What developer do we use for film, in the 103 lab? _______________
What is the minimum number of “new” prints required in your
final project? _________
You are photographing a red apple and a green apple in a white bowl with
B&W film; You want the red apple to appear lighter and the green one
to appear darker. What color filter would you use?
a. blue b. green c. red d. polarizing
Why would I use a red filter with black and white film?
a. To lighten foliage b. To make skin darker c. To darken skies
b. For greater detail in shadows
You have been using a 35mm SLR camera this semester. What do the letters
SLR stand for? ____________ ___________ ___________
The first roll film camera was produced in the late 1800's by Eastman. How
many pictures were on each roll? ___________
What was the “camera obscura”?
a. An early pinhole camera b. A heliograph
c. A “dark chamber” used by artists in the 10th century
d. The first camera with a glass lens
If you over expose your film & develop it normally; will it be more
dense than usual, or less dense? _________________________
What was the biggest obstacle early photographic image makers had to overcome?
a. Forming an image b. Finding a light sensitive material c. Fixing the image
d. Focusing the image
We recently saw a film on a woman who purchase her first camera in 1901 for
$15, what was her name?_________________________________________________
Annie Liebowitz got her start in photograhy working for what magazine?
____________________________________________
What factor do you use to decide your shutter speed, in the Sunny 16 rule?
a.Shutter speed b.Time of day c.ISO d.All of the above
When using a multi/variable grade paper; what filter would add the most contrast?
a. #3 b. #2 c. #5 d. #0
If you are using RC paper instead of Fiber base -- your developer/fix/wash
times are?
a. Longer b. Shorter c. The same
When you “open up” from f-11 to f-8 are you letting in more
or less light? ____________
If you are using RC paper; how long were you instructed to develop your paper?
_______
Why do you agitate your film and paper during development?
a. for more even development b. to “clear” your film c. to
keep the film on the reel from sticking together d. none of the above
What is the recommended temperature for developing your film?
a. 68 degrees b. 70 degrees c. 72 degrees d. huh??
When developing film; what do you do with the fixer after you are finished
with that “step” in the development process?_______________________________
Do you use the fixer straight or mix it 1:1 with water, when developing film?
__________
Why do you use filters when printing with variable contrast papers (multi-grade
- poly max - etc)?
a. make the print darker b. make the print lighter c. contrast control d. none
of the above
What type of meter do you have in your camera?
a. incident b. reflected c. silicon blue d. sunny 16
If you over expose your film; will the negative be thinner or denser? _________________
Why would you “push” your film (under expose & over develop
it)?
a. to make the photograph more grainy b. to shoot at a higher shutter speed
in lower light
c. because you made a mistake and shot your 100 ISO film at ISO 400 and
want to “save” the images d. all of the above
