You are going to love this tip! I stumbled across exposure bracketing as I was doing my usual research and was blown away by the awesomeness of this feature. Yes I said awesomeness! It was definitely something I wished I had discovered sooner.
Exposure bracketing is also referred to as a AEB (automatic exposure bracketing) it allows you to take a series of shots at different exposure levels to increase the odds of achieving the best exposure for your image. What you'll end up with are three or more photos, (depending on the camera) one that is underexposed, another that's overexposed and one taken at the optimal exposure level. These are your bracketed exposures. Most of today's higher end DSLR cameras carry this feature. My Nikon D 40x doesn't, so I've enlisted the help of my big boy the Canon EOS 60D. This is where you grab the manual for your particular camera, dust it off and read about how to access its AEB settings. Exposure bracketing can also be done manually by setting your aperture, ISO and shutter speed combinations then taking a series of shots at different exposure compensation levels both positive and negative. Compare the shots and chose the one with the exposure that best meets your needs.
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| AEB is measured in stops. This image shows a setting of three stops: -3 stops and +3 stops |
This is what's so great about it, AEB is best used under difficult lighting situations. In settings where there is too much light or insufficient light, the camera is sometimes tricked into either over exposing or under exposing a shot. Exposure bracketing is your insurance policy to make sure that in those situations you have a workable and properly exposed photo. So the best time to use AEB is when you feel the setting poses a challenge for example shooting a scene that has snow, a full sun day, shooting a sunset or when you have to quickly shoot a scene and you don't have time manually select the correct exposure. It's a great tool for amateur photographers in this regard. So, now do you see why I was so excited? Of course the first thing I did after reading about AEB was to grab my camera and check it out. I couldn't wait to see how the results. Here are examples of photos I took indoors under low light conditions and at different exposure levels.
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| What the camera believes to be the correct exposure for the setting |
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| Underexposed -1 stop |
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| Overexposed +1 stop. This is the exposure level I would choose. |
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| What the camera believes to be the correct exposure for the setting |
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| Underexposed -3 stops |
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| Overexposed +3 stops |
As you increase exposure bracketing, each stop has more of an impact than the one before. You may also choose to use 1/3stop or 1/2 stop than full stops. Notice that my choice of exposure was the overexposed shot in the first series of shots. Choice of exposure will vary because it is based on your specific preference.
- You will first have to choose your shooting mode: Exposure bracketing doesn't work in manual mode, you will have to select either aperture priority or shutter priority mode. If you're in shutter priority mode the camera will change the aperture to be sure to get the correct exposure and if you're in aperture priority mode and the camera will change the shutter speed. Make sure when choosing your shooting mode that if aperture is a priority in that particular shot, use aperture priority mode and if shutter speed is a priority then you should choose shutter priority mode. You can also shoot in program mode but it doesn't give you as much control over the outcome of your shot.
- Next, decide how much of a variation you would like for your photo. If you would like a slight variation, chose a 1/2 stop or 1 stop. For more variation, chose a 2 stop or 3 stop bracket.
- Now you're good to go! You can now set up your shooting mode to take a sigle picture as you press the shutter release button, or you can choose continuous shooting. Ready? Ok! Get ready to press the shutter release button. If your camera's on single shooting mode, you'll have to press the shutter release button three times to get the three exposures. In continuous mode, press and hold down the shutter release button and the camera will take the three bracketed exposure shots in succession.
Please note: Flash cannot be used when exposure bracketing has been selected.
So there you have it, a short and sweet introductory tutorial on automatic exposure bracketing. Don't wait around, get out there and check it out!
