What Is... Exposure Bracketing
Exposure bracketing is a simple technique professional photographers use to ensure they properly expose their pictures, especially in challenging lighting situations.
When you expose for a scene, your camera's light meter will select an aperture / shutter speed combination that it believes will give a properly exposed picture.
Exposure bracketing means that you take two more pictures: one slightly under-exposed (usually by dialing in a negative exposure compensation, say -1/3EV), and the second one slightly over-exposed (usually by dialing in a positive exposure compensation, say +1/3EV), again according to your camera's light meter.
The reason you do this is because the camera might have been 'deceived' by the light (too much or too little) available and your main subject may be over- or under-exposed. By taking these three shots, you are making sure that if this were ever the case, then you would have properly compensated for it.
As an example, say you are taking a scene where there is an abundance of light around your main subject (for example, at the beach on a sunny day, or surrounded by snow). In this case, using Weighted-Average metering, your camera might be 'deceived' by the abundance of light and expose for it by closing down the aperture and/or using a faster shuter speed (assuming ISO is constant), with the result that the main subject might be under-exposed. By taking an extra shot at a slight over-exposure, you would in fact be over-exposing the surroundings, but properly exposing the main subject.
Another example would be the case where the surrounding might be too dark, and the camera exposes for the lack of light by either opening up the aperture and/or using a slower shutter speed (assuming ISO is constant), then the main subject might be over-exposed. By taking an extra shot at a slight under-exposure, you would in fact be under-exposing the surroundings, but properly exposing the main subject.
Now, most digital cameras have auto exposure bracketing, meaning that if you select that option before taking your shot, the camera will automatically take three shots for you: one which it thinks it has perfectly exposed; a second one sightly under-exposed; and the third one slightly over-exposed.
When should you use exposure bracketing? Anytime you feel the scene is a challenging one (too much highlights or shadows) as far as lighting is concerned, e.g. sunsets are usually better taken slightly under-exposed so use exposure bracketing there, or whenever you want to be sure you don't improperly expose a fabulous shot.
Remember, you are not using film anymore, so there are really no wasted shots (unless you are severely constrained by the size of your storage media).
Digital Dodging & Burning
Should you delete the extra shots right away? No, if storage permits, keep all three shots until you get home and upload them to your PC and into an image editing software, such as Photoshop. By using the layers functionality of Photoshop (or similar functionality of another image editing software), you can load all three shots into different layers and then carefully erase the under-exposed or over-exposed part of one or more layers to end up with a final shot where both the main subject and the surroundings are properly exposed!
This Photoshop functionality allows you to shoot in very extreme lighting situations where there are many parts in different intensity of light and shadows such that you are losing details in the highlights and shadows. In this case, you might need more than two extra shots to obtain details in the different parts. Without moving the camera (a tripod is essential here), take as many shots as you need, exposing for the different parts you want details to be visible. Then you would load them all up into Photoshop, each into its own layer, and by erasing the under- and over-exposed parts in each layer (granted, this equivalent of film 'dodging' and 'burning' can be a very tedious and challenging task in itself, but done properly it can be well worth the effort), you can end up with an 'impossible' shot where every part of the cave is properly exposed.
Used judiciously, exposure bracketing is a simple technique that can ensure proper exposure of a difficult lighting situation. Make sure you get a camera with good manual Bracketing control
Canon PowerShot S70 - Bracketing control
limousine chicago serviceIt's hard to find sometimes but it's making a resurgence,... Read More
Shopping for a new digital camera can be quite frustrating... Read More
A common problem with old photos is that they often... Read More
Elephants in the Sky[1980s, Lee Evens in Mali, Timbuktu/Africa]Advance: Lee... Read More
Ordinary photos of dull subjects do actually sell, but the... Read More
Photography with the aid of a digital camera is beyond... Read More
The path to picking a digital camera usually leads to... Read More
The business of stock photography has drastically changed over the... Read More
By now I'm sure you've used Either a digital or... Read More
The digital camera is not meant only for capturing images... Read More
So you have this great new camera. Now you're standing... Read More
Here's the challenge. You have to photograph small items for... Read More
One of the main reasons people buy digital cameras is... Read More
Before you rush into buying your digital camera this holiday... Read More
What have you done with the photos you've taken with... Read More
Gone are the days when you would need to employ... Read More
Are you buying your first digital camera? Well, you must... Read More
Photography is a diversified field of creating a spectral variety... Read More
You may have joined the photo-sharing craze to share your... Read More
Panasonic is a world-renowned consumer electronics company today. Its digital... Read More
When you're driving through the mountains somewhere, and you... Read More
Infrared photography is sometimes placed on the outside edge of... Read More
Disposable Cameras (also called single-use cameras) first came on the... Read More
PrefaceIn order to understand color management, it is important to... Read More
Nature is all around us, and its beauties are unlimited.... Read More
street lights video led light manufacturers in usa Pete's produce ..You arrive at your photo shoot excited about the images... Read More
Have you read the manual that came with your digital... Read More
Pre-Production:It's all got to start somewhere, so before you even... Read More
Quality digital cameras are becoming affordable for just about everyone... Read More
PrefaceIn order to understand color management, it is important to... Read More
Why is a 3 megapixel camera better than a 1... Read More
So you have bought a camcorder and have shot some... Read More
Underwater digital cameras are fun and easy to use under... Read More
You will need an underwater camera housing to keep your... Read More
There are two types of underwater camera systems: an ""amphibious""... Read More
Good wildlife safari photography is not only about composition and... Read More
Night photographs express a special something that cannot be seen... Read More
Gone are the days when you would need to employ... Read More
So you are a small business person or web designer... Read More
There are also some excellent online courses available and some... Read More
Demystifying Digital Camera JargonWant to buy a digital camera but... Read More
The photos you took of the party are really great... Read More
There's so much you can do with an underwater video... Read More
By now I'm sure you've used Either a digital or... Read More
The business of stock photography has drastically changed over the... Read More
Infrared photography is sometimes placed on the outside edge of... Read More
Almost any shot will look better if you take two... Read More
The world of photography is an amazing one. It's been... Read More
Ordinary photos of dull subjects do actually sell, but the... Read More
Digital photography has taken off like wildfire these days, primarily... Read More
Photography Photography |