Bracketing

Bracketing is a photographic technique commonly used by photographers, which consists in quickly taking several shots of the same scene, by varying one or more parameters.

This technique offers the possibility either to choose the best delayed photograph, or to combine the most interesting areas of each of these images. Its use is recommended when it is difficult to obtain a satisfactory image with a single shot, and in particular when a small variation in a parameter has a significant impact on the image.

Applying bracketing means that the objects in the scene are stationary, and the camera is not moving. Use of a tripod is recommended.

In everyday photographic parlance, when we talk about bracketing we often talk about exposure bracketing, which is the most commonly used, especially because the cameras allow it to be used very easily. Subsequently, camera manufacturers gradually adapted it to other shooting parameters (focus, white balance or even flash).

Examples of the most common use of these different bracketing:

  • Exposure bracketing: for landscape or interior photography

  • Focus bracketing: for macrography

  • White balance bracketing: for night or concert photography

Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB)

In some difficult-to-light situations, such as high-contrast images (one part in direct sunlight and part in shade), you may have trouble figuring out how to expose your shot the way you want it to. Despite your knowledge of exposure and tools like brightness metering modes, you might need another barbaric-named tool available on most modern cameras.

When you use this option, your camera chooses the correct exposure, then takes two more shots relative to the first one: one underexposed and the other overexposed.

On entry-level cameras you can usually go from +/-1/3 to +/-2 EV and on more professional cameras this range is usually wider.

This means that the higher the value you are going to define, the more the under and over exposure of the two additional shots will be. We often use values ​​less than or equal to 1.

Then, to take the 3 automatically exposed photos, all you have to do is take a burst. If you are not in burst mode, you will need to press the shutter button 3 times.

Note that this bracketing only works in P, Av or A, Tv or S, and M modes.

You can also do manual bracketing by modifying the desired parameter (s) between each shot.

Make HDR by combining shots

There are many techniques for combining multiple shots, but the best known is HDR (High Dynamic Range).

Many software now allow you to simply combine several bracketed shots, including Adobe Lightroom, which allows you to do it in a few clicks without the hassle of using specialized software.