Chapter 5 — Quiz

Twenty-five self-check questions on the quality, direction, and color of light, the times of day, and finding good light. Mix of multiple choice, true/false (with justification), short answer, and "what's wrong here?" seeing questions. Answer the seeing questions in full sentences — naming the problem and the fix is the skill. The answer key, with one-line explanations and a topics-to-review map, is at the end.

Multiple choice

1. The "quality" of light refers to: - A) How bright it is - B) How its shadows render — from hard (crisp edges) to soft (gradual edges) - C) Its color temperature - D) How many sources there are

2. Which produces softer light? - A) A small source, far away - B) A large source, far away - C) A large source, up close - D) A bare bulb

3. Moving a light source closer to the subject makes the light: - A) Harder, because it's more intense - B) Softer, because it becomes larger relative to the subject - C) Warmer in color - D) Unchanged in quality

4. You want to reveal the rough texture of an old stone wall. The best light direction is: - A) Front light (over your shoulder) - B) Side / raking light - C) Backlight - D) Top light

5. "Front light" tends to make a subject look: - A) Three-dimensional and sculpted - B) Flat, because the shadows fall behind the subject where you can't see them - C) Silhouetted - D) Eerie and threatening

6. Backlight (source behind the subject, toward the camera) is best known for: - A) Flattening texture - B) Rim-lighting edges, making translucent things glow, and creating silhouettes - C) Producing raccoon-eye shadows - D) Cool color casts

7. On the kelvin color-temperature scale, a warm/orange light such as a household tungsten bulb has a: - A) High color temperature (~7,000 K) - B) Low color temperature (~2,700–3,000 K) - C) Neutral color temperature (~5,500 K) - D) Negative color temperature

8. Midday "daylight" sun is approximately: - A) 2,800 K (warm) - B) 5,200–5,500 K (neutral) - C) 9,000 K (very cool) - D) 1,800 K

9. Your sunset photos keep coming out a flat, neutral grey instead of gold. The most likely culprit is: - A) The aperture was too small - B) Auto White Balance neutralized the warm color - C) The ISO was too high - D) The shutter was too slow

10. The best white-balance setting to preserve the warmth of a sunset is: - A) Auto - B) Tungsten - C) Daylight (or Cloudy/Shade to warm it more) - D) Fluorescent

11. Golden hour's flattering quality comes from a combination of: - A) Hard, top, neutral light - B) Warm color, softer quality, and low/side direction with long shadows - C) Cool color and shadowless light - D) A small, distant source straight overhead

12. Blue hour is best for: - A) High-contrast graphic shadows - B) Cityscapes — warm artificial lights glowing against a still-deep-blue sky - C) Squint-free noon portraits - D) Maximum texture via raking light

13. An overcast sky is, in lighting terms: - A) A small hard source - B) The largest, softest source available — a planet-sized softbox - C) A warm source - D) A backlight

14. At harsh noon, the single most useful no-gear move to improve a portrait is: - A) Raise the ISO - B) Move the subject into open shade - C) Use the built-in flash - D) Switch to black and white

15. "Mixed lighting" means: - A) Using flash and ambient together - B) Two or more sources of different color temperatures in one scene - C) Hard and soft light combined - D) Front and back light combined

True / False — justify your answer

16. Soft light is always dim light. (T/F — justify)

17. Neither hard nor soft light is inherently "better"; they say different things. (T/F — justify)

18. Changing white balance from Auto to Daylight changes the exposure (brightness) of the image. (T/F — justify)

19. Shadows are the enemy of a good photograph and should be eliminated whenever possible. (T/F — justify)

20. A single white-balance setting can fully neutralize a mixed-light scene that has both warm lamps and a blue window. (T/F — justify)

Short answer

21. In one sentence each, give the direction, quality, and color of golden-hour light.

22. Explain why side (raking) light reveals texture but front light hides it. (Two sentences.)

23. You walk into a dim restaurant to photograph a friend. Describe the single best move to find good light and where in the room it probably is.

24. Name the four properties you read in every scene to "see the light," and give the quick test for each.

What's wrong here? (seeing questions)

25. A described portrait: "Taken at noon in direct overhead sun. The subject is squinting; their eye sockets are two black holes; the forehead and nose are blown out to pure white; the colors look harsh. Auto white balance was on." Identify every lighting problem and prescribe the specific re-shoot that fixes each.

26. A described landscape: "A sunset shot where the sky and golden light look strangely flat, neutral, and grey — none of the warmth the photographer remembers seeing." Name the most likely cause and the one-setting fix.

27. A described product shot: "A photo of a textured leather wallet meant to show off its grain, but the surface looks smooth and flat and you can't feel the texture at all. The light came from right beside the camera." Diagnose the lighting error and prescribe the fix.

Answer Key

1. B — Quality is about shadow edges (hard↔soft), not brightness, color, or source count. (§5.1) 2. C — Bigger and nearer both soften; a large source up close is the softest of these. (§5.1) 3. B — Nearness makes the source larger relative to the subject, so the light softens. (§5.1) 4. B — Side/raking light makes every bump cast a texture-revealing micro-shadow. (§5.2) 5. B — With light and viewpoint from the same direction, shadows fall behind the subject, so it looks flat. (§5.2) 6. B — Backlight rims edges, glows translucent things, and can silhouette. (§5.2) 7. B — Warm/orange light is at the low (cooler) end of the kelvin scale (~2,700–3,000 K). (§5.3) 8. B — Midday daylight is roughly neutral, ~5,200–5,500 K. (§5.3) 9. B — Auto White Balance "corrected" the warm cast away, neutralizing the gold. (§5.3) 10. C — Daylight (or Cloudy/Shade) doesn't neutralize warmth, so the gold stays. (§5.3) 11. B — Warm + softer + low/side with long shadows is the golden-hour recipe. (§5.4) 12. B — Blue hour balances warm city lights against a deep-blue sky. (§5.4) 13. B — Overcast turns the whole sky into a giant soft source. (§5.4) 14. B — Open shade swaps the small hard sun for the big soft sky. (§5.1, §5.4, §5.5) 15. B — Mixed lighting = sources of different color temperatures in one scene. (§5.3)

16. False — Quality (hard/soft) is about shadow edges, not brightness. An overcast sky is soft and can be very bright; a candle is hard and dim. (§5.1) 17. True — Soft says gentle/calm/intimate; hard says dramatic/graphic/honest. The right choice depends on what you want to say, not a universal ranking. (§5.1) 18. False — White balance changes color only; exposure (brightness) is set independently by the triangle (aperture, shutter, ISO). (§5.3; recall Ch. 3) 19. False — Shadows are how a flat 2-D photo gains 3-D form; eliminating them (front light) flattens the subject. You place shadows with direction, you don't banish them. (§5.2) 20. False — One WB value can neutralize only one color temperature; the other source is left warm or cool. You choose which to favor (or match/embrace them). (§5.3)

21. Direction: low/side (long shadows). Quality: soft-ish (softer than noon). Color: warm gold. (§5.4) 22. Raking light strikes the surface nearly parallel, so each raised bump blocks it and casts a small visible shadow (texture). Front light hits perpendicular, so bumps cast shadows straight down out of view, and the surface looks smooth. (§5.2) 23. Move to a window — seat your friend at or a few feet back from a window, in the soft zone where the light is bright but wraps. Window light is almost always the best natural light indoors. (§5.5) 24. Direction (read it off any shadow — it points away from the source); Quality (look at a shadow edge — crisp or graded?); Color (look at a white/neutral surface — warm, neutral, or cool?); Number of sources (one clean direction, or several crossing shadows / mixed colors?). (§5.5, recall Ch. 1)

25. Problems: hard light (small noon sun) → harsh; top direction → eyes in shadow ("raccoon eyes") and blown forehead/nose; squinting from facing the sun; harsh cool color. Re-shoot: move the subject into open shade (soft, even light from the sky → no raccoon eyes, no squinting, even exposure), or return at golden hour for warm low side light; set white balance to Daylight (or warm it) so skin looks healthy; optionally bounce a little fill. (§5.1, §5.2, §5.4, §5.5) 26. Cause: Auto White Balance neutralized the warm sunset. Fix: set white balance to Daylight (or Cloudy/Shade) — or warm it in editing if shot RAW. (§5.3) 27. Error: the light came from beside the camera = front light, which flattens texture (shadows fall behind, out of view). Fix: move the light to the side so it rakes across the leather, making the grain cast texture-revealing micro-shadows; a soft side source keeps it flattering while still showing texture. (§5.2)

Topics to review by question

  • Quality of light (hard/soft), source size & distance: Q1, Q2, Q3, Q16 → review §5.1
  • Direction of light (front/side/back/top/under), texture, silhouettes: Q4, Q5, Q6, Q19, Q22, Q27 → review §5.2
  • Color temperature & white balance, mixed light: Q7, Q8, Q9, Q10, Q15, Q18, Q20, Q26 → review §5.3
  • Times of day (golden hour, blue hour, noon, overcast): Q11, Q12, Q13, Q21 → review §5.4
  • Finding, predicting & modifying light: Q14, Q23, Q24 → review §5.5
  • Synthesis / seeing diagnosis: Q17, Q25 → review §5.1–5.5 together

If you missed more than two in any one block, re-read that section and redo the matching exercises before moving on — light is the foundation everything after Part I is built on.