Intermediate Photography Lesson 9 Quiz | Test Your Knowledge

Fog hides distant detail and softens light, so a scene breaks into layers that fade with distance, and subjects stand out against plain gray. Placing a clear subject in front of fading shapes builds depth and mood. Fog also tends to fool the meter into underexposing, so a little positive compensation, not three stops, keeps it bright.

Autofocus needs contrast, and rainy scenes are often gray and flat. Water drops on the front of the lens also blur and scatter the image the autofocus system sees. Keeping the front element dry with a hood and a cloth, and focusing on a high-contrast edge, helps.

Bringing cold gear into warm, humid air makes moisture condense on and inside it. Sealing the camera in a plastic bag before going indoors lets the condensation form on the bag instead, and leaving it sealed until the gear reaches room temperature, often an hour or more, keeps water out of the lens and electronics. Wiping only cleans the outside.

Metering from the sky sets exposure to render that brightness as middle gray, causing the foreground subject to underexpose to near-black. A clean silhouette requires a clearly defined, recognizable outline, so the shape of the subject matters as much as the exposure decision.

Noise can be reduced in editing and is often acceptable, but motion blur cannot be fixed. If raising ISO from 3200 to 6400 gives a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the performer, the sharper, noisier image is the better photo. Raw files still contain noise, and waiting for brighter light can mean missing the moment.

A raw file holds more dynamic range than a JPEG, especially in the shadows. Exposing so the highlights do not clip, then lifting the shadows in raw processing, recovers much of the dark detail from a single frame. Blown highlights cannot be recovered, so protecting them comes first.

Flare depends on where the bright source sits and the angle at which its light hits the lens. Removing the hood, placing the sun at or just past the edge of the frame, and making small changes in angle lets you watch the flare and shape it. A small aperture does not remove flare, and pointing a telephoto at the sun risks your eyes and the sensor.

Reflections in glass come from light on your side of the window bouncing back toward the lens. Placing the lens against or very close to the glass blocks that light, and a soft rubber hood pressed to the window seals it out. Dark clothing and turning off lights behind you also help.

Battery cells generate power through electrochemical reactions that slow significantly in cold temperatures. A battery that reads fully charged in a warm room can deliver only a fraction of its rated capacity when cooled. Keeping a spare battery in an inner pocket maintains its temperature and preserves its available charge.

Fine wind-blown sand gets into zoom and focus rings, seals and the camera body when you change lenses, where it can scratch glass and grind or jam moving parts. Limit lens changes, make them in shelter, and keep the camera covered when not shooting.