Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) Practice Exam

With a rectangular (old-school) lens hood, what can be added to darken or lighten the edges of the photo in camera?

1. Vignettes

2. Gradients

3. Texturing

4. Filters

The correct answer is: Vignettes

The correct choice focuses on the function of vignetting, which is an important technique used in photography to manipulate the exposure around the edges of an image. A rectangular lens hood can enhance this effect by preventing stray light from entering the lens, allowing for a stronger, more defined vignette. When using vignetting, darker edges create a visually pleasing frame that draws the viewer’s eye towards the center of the image, while lightening the edges can help reduce distractions and soften the visual impact of the composition. In this context, vignettes are often used creatively in post-production or can be achieved in-camera using certain techniques or settings. Other options such as gradients and filters do have their own uses in photography, but they do not specifically refer to the process of darkening or lightening the edges as effectively or directly as vignettes in the context of using a lens hood. Gradients can alter exposure across the entire frame but aren’t inherently linked to the edges in the same way vignetting is. Filters can adjust the light and color of the entire image rather than just focusing on the edges, making vignetting the most appropriate answer for this question.