Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) Practice Exam

What does each individual photosite on a sensor represent?

1. Dot

2. Grid

3. Pixel

4. Frame

The correct answer is: Pixel

Each individual photosite on a sensor corresponds to a pixel. In digital imaging, a pixel (short for "picture element") is the smallest unit of a digital image or display. When light hits a photosite on a camera sensor, it generates an electrical charge that is proportional to the amount of light it received. Each of these charges is then processed and converted into a pixel in the final image. In the context of photography, the resolution of an image is determined by the number of pixels it contains, which directly relates to the number of photosites on the sensor. Thus, understanding that each photosite correlates directly with a pixel is crucial for comprehending how digital images are formed and displayed. The other options do not accurately reflect this relationship. For example, while a dot could loosely describe a point of light, it doesn't convey the same meaning as a pixel in the context of image resolution and processing. A grid might refer to the arrangement of photosites but does not signify what a photosite actually represents in terms of image capture. Finally, a frame refers to the entire image or the physical boundary that encases a photograph, not to the individual components that contribute to creating the image itself.