Photography Lessons: Find the Mistake Quiz

Answer: overexposure

Overexposure can be caused by two things, too much light or having the camera's settings wrong for the situation. A shutter speed that is too slow or an aperture that is too wide can cause overexposure. Overexposure can be difficult to fix in post-processing, or editing.

Answer: crooked horizon

Crooked horizons can be prevented by making sure the camera is held level when taking a picture or by using a tripod. They can be easily straightened in post-processing, but this can lead to cropping off part of the image.

Answer: The focal point is centered.

The rule of thirds is a common guideline when it comes to composing a shot. You have to imagine a grid of nine squares, similar to a tic-tac-toe grid, over the picture. The subject should be on one of the lines or where the lines intersect. A picture where the subject is centered breaks the rule, but that does not necessarily mean the photo is bad.

Answer: high ISO

ISO, short for International Organization for Standardization, is film speed. The higher the ISO, the more noise there will be. A high ISO will also make a picture brighter, which is why it is often used in low light. If there is too much noise in a picture, noise reduction can be used in post-processing.

Answer: incorrect white balance

White balance determines what the colors look like. An incorrect white balance can lead to unnatural colors. The white balance setting should be based on the lighting. Some of the white balance settings are shade, cloudy, sunlight, incandescent, and fluorescent. This picture was taken on "incandescent" when it should have been on "sunlight".

Answer: underexposure

Underexposure is the opposite of overexposure. It can be caused by taking a picture without enough light, too many shadows, or using a shutter speed that is too fast. Like overexposure, it can be difficult to mend in post-processing.

Answer: The ears are cut out of the frame.

It's usually best to not cut major parts of the subject out of the photo. When things are cut out of the frame, it can be distracting and cause the eyes to go to that spot instead of to the real focal point.

Answer: out of focus

A subject will be out of focus if the camera focused on something else. In this picture, it is focused on the ground instead of the flower.

Motion blur would occur if the subject was in focus, but somehow moved when the shutter was pressed.

Answer: too much light from the back

A lot of light coming from behind will cause the front of the subject to appear in shadow. If the light is right, a halo of light, or glow, might appear around the subject as well.

Silhouettes are often used in portraiture.

Answer: lens flare

A lens flare is caused by taking a picture towards the sun or other bright light source. Reflection and refraction affect how they appear. They can be many different shapes, sizes, and colors. In some photos they add a nice element, but the use of them depends on the individual photographer's opinion.