Question 1
Explain any five of the following photographic terms:
(a) exposure;
(b) perspective;
(c) printing;
(d) cropping;
(e) light;
(f) background.
Observation
This question was very clear and precise. Candidates were expected to provide the following answers to the question:
(a) (i) a frame in a roll of film/A single shot.
(ii) an exposure refers to a single shutter cycle.
(iii) it is the amount of light per unit area reaching a photographic film or sensor as determined by shutter speed, ISO, aperture and light.
(iv) over exposure occurs when too much light reaches the film/sensor.
(v) under exposure occurs when insufficient light reaches the film/sensor.
(b) (i) is the way in which objects appear to the eye based on their spatial
attributes/their dimension and the position of the eye relative to the image.
(ii) perspective refers to the sense of width, height and depth
which creates three dimensional illusion in a photograph.
(iii) it creates the illusion of reality in a photograph.
(iv) perspective relates to visual clues that create a feeling of the three
dimensionality and depth in the picture. This clues relate to common visual experiences.
(v) it creates a situation where closer images appear bigger and sharper in relation to the far distant images.
(vi) it is an element of composition in photography.
(c) (i) is the process of producing an image on a photographic paper for
viewing purposes.
(ii) process of exposing a negative on a photographic paper using an enlarger or a digital image using a printer.
(iii) printing can also be done on various surfaces such as fabric, wood,
metal, flex, stickers etc.
(d) (i) it is the removal of the unwanted areas in the picture for better
composition/framing.
(ii) cropping can be done in the camera using the view finder.
(iii) cropping can be done digitally using the cropping tool in an image
editing software.
(iv) it can be used to make the subject matter prominent.
(e) (i) it is an essential element in photography that makes image recording
possible.
(ii) the quality of light determine the outcome of recorded image.
(iii) electromagnetic radiation/ultra violet radiation visible to the eye.
(iv) source of light can be natural (e.g. moon and sun) or artificial (e.g. a lamp, flash/studio strobe etc.).
(v) it is used in creating mood and other visual effects.
(f) (i) it is the space behind the main subject in a photograph.
(ii) it can be blurry or highly detailed/sharp.
(iii) the background provides valuable information on how to interpret the
photograph because it sets the context.