13 July 2011

Bracketing

Bracketing
Susan Brannon

Cameras do not see the world the way that we do, and sometimes we find that an image is too dark and you cannot distinguish any detail.  The camera is based on the different hues of gray. You use bracketing when the lighting condition is difficult for your sensor to read, creating under or over exposures.  For example, taking images in the snow, you camera will automatically make things darker.  How do you resolve this problem?  You must tell the camera what exposure you want to use. 

Slide, film and digital work in different ways.  Slide is very sensitive and where you would set your exposure for your digital, will not work for the slide; your image may not even show up!  Film you only see the effect when it is pronounced.

The term bracketing usually refers to exposure bracketing: the photographer chooses to take one picture at a given exposure, one or two brighter, and one or two darker, in order to select the most satisfactory image.  Many digital and film cameras, can automatically shoot a bracketed series of pictures. 

Exposure bracketing is dealing with high-contrast subjects with a limited range or sensor.
Exposure bracketing is using your camera to create a high dynamic range that exposes the portions of the image by different amounts.  (Also see exposure)

You can set your bracketing setting on your camera to different stops,-4 stops -2 stops, +2 stops etc…This is what allows different amount of light into your sensor and changes your exposure. 

Like This:

This is at the automatic setting with zero adjustments for exposure
+2
+4
-2

 
-4
Related lessons:
Aperture and f/16 RuleShutter Speed Basics BracketingDepth of FieldFocused Bracketing or Photo Stacking Exposure  

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