When I was an art student at the Seattle Art Institute, I was introduced to a photography technique called bracketing. I was so intrigued by it that this technique has stayed with me until today.
What is bracketing?
In photography, bracketing is the technique of shooting several shots of the same subject using different camera settings. In short, you will take three photos of the same subject, one at normal exposure, the second darker (underexposed) and the third brighter (overexposed). This technique gives you a better chance to capture a properly exposed shot.
Exposure Bracketing
On traditional SLR cameras, a photographer would have to manually adjust the exposure by directly turning the aperture ring on the lens. Today, most modern DSLR cameras now come with a feature called AEB, Auto Exposure Bracketing. When the AEB function is selected, the camera will automatically take three or more shots. Each shot will have a different exposure.
When to use bracketing?
Whenever the lighting conditions become more complex, make sure to take more shots to ensure the proper exposure.
Why use bracketing?
Bracketing allows you to experiment with different exposure settings. It gives you more contrast options and helps you produce an HDR, High Dynamic Range. It makes for the best quality photo.
How to use the bracketing?
The most simple way to use bracketing is by using the Exposure Compensation setting feature. This function of the camera allows a photographer to shoot multiple shots based on a predefined setting with one single click. You can define the number of the f-stop to use for the underexposure/overexposure while you are bracketing your shots. With a traditional SLR camera, my photography instructor taught me to always use 1/2 f-stop for all my bracketing. Most DSLR cameras now give you more control starting at 1/3 stop intervals with up to 5 stops.
Canon AEB setting
Keep in mind that different cameras have different Auto Exposure Bracketing configurations. While entry-level DSLR cameras allow you to take the maximum of three shots at one time, higher-end models can take up to eleven shots.
Real-life examples.
bracketing
Digital processing for HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo
Learn how to use your graphic editing software. HDR is a technique that combines all three photos to bring details to both the shadows and highlights.
HDR – blended all 3 photos
Conclusion
Bracketing is a very simple and practical method used by most professional photographers. When you hear people talk about bracketing, we all automatically think of exposure bracketing. There are many types of bracketing for you to try such as flash, depth-of-field, focus, and white balance bracketing. The concept is still pretty much the same so go out any try different techniques. Your camera has lots to offer.
Now! Go out and start bracketing your shots. Don’t forget to have fun.
Happy shooting, 🙂
Published by Midnight Spidy
Ton Hanchai, aka Midnight Spidy, is a former Sr. UX Designer and a UX Product Technology Manager at Google. In his spare time, Ton enjoys exploring the world by telling stories through his camera's viewfinder. Ton has a Bachelor degree in Computer Science and an Associated degree in Visual Communication, Animation & Multimedia.
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