12
THEAPPRENTICE
EXPERT INSIGHT
BRACKET YOUR SHOTS
CAMERA’S can only capture so much of the dynamic range in
a scene with a single image, this usually means you can expose
for the shadows and lose detail in the highlights or vice versa.
A great tip is to use your Canon camera’s Auto Exposure Bracketing
mode to take a number of dif ferent exposures. You can then choose
the most suitable image to edit back at your computer, merge two
pictures together in Photoshop, or even combine them to create a
HDR (High Dynamic Range) shot.
To bracket your images go into the Quick menu and click on the
Exposure comp/AEB setting button, then use your front control wheel
to set the spacing between exposures – two stops either side of your
standard usually gives you a good safety net. For more on info on
bracketing and using your camera’s built-in HDR mode see page 30.TOP GEAR #
Ultra wide angle lens
GETTING low and using a
wide-angle lens has helped
exaggerate the lead-in lines
of the walkway in this shot.
It also gave Ronnie and Drew
a composition where the
messy metal barriers
around the castle weren’t in
shot. Just be careful when
shooting so wide that the
tripod legs come in to view!TOP GEAR #
Eye piece coverON DSLRS light can enter the viewfinder when
you’re shooting long exposures, this can cause
light leaks to appear in your pictures. Your head
usually blocks any harsh sunlight from entering
the viewfinder under normal shooting conditions,
but when the camera is locked off on a tripod the
viewfinder can be exposed. Canon cameras
come with an eye-piece cover, usually clipped to
the camera strap, which you can use when you’re
taking a long exposure. As viewfinders on
mirrorless cameras are electronic you don’t
have to worry about this problem if you use one.RONNIE’S COMMENT
I wanted to use the side rails of the bridge as lead-in lines
here to guide the eye towards the castle. There was a
messy metal mesh gate either side of the bridge though, so I settled
on shooting at 16mm and using a low angle to help ‘crop’ these out
and also make the lead-in lines more powerful and make the castle
bit more dominant in the frame. Drew leant me his Lee Big Stopper filter, which
allowed me to get a long exposure and blur the sky into beautiful streaks.