cernable information, which will translate to prints
or slides that lack detail in the highlights or the sha-
dows. With bracketing, the photographer takes two
or more additional shots: one or more slightly over-
exposedandoneormoreslightlyunderexposed.This
way, he is more likely to have a correct exposure—
with different settings and exposures. Even if the
light meter has recommended an exposure that is
slightly off,thephotographerwill havecompensated
for the possibility of incorrect metering by shooting
the additional under- and overexposed shots. Brack-
eting is most commonly used by studio photogra-
phers or with views amenable to fixed equipment or
conditions, which allow deliberate shooting; ob-
viously any sort of action photography is not well
served by this technique.
Bracketing with film cameras is done in one of
two ways: either by adjusting the shutter speed or
the lens aperture. Which method is used depends on
what the photographer is shooting and what he
hopes to accomplish with the image. If the photo-
grapher is concerned with maintaining a consistent
depth of field, he should adjust the shutter speed
when bracketing, rather than the lens aperture. On
the other hand, if the photographer is concerned
either with capturing or stopping motion, he should
adjust the lens aperture rather than the shutter
speed. Leaving the ISO consistent with all the
shots, the photographer takes one exposure at the
recommended settings, then re-sets either the aper-
ture by closing it either one or one-half stop or the
shutter speed by increasing it one increment, takes
another exposure, and then re-adjusts the aperture
by opening it to either one or one-half stop above
the original light meter recommendation or the
shutter speed by decreasing it one increment from
the original recommendation and taking a third
exposure. It is important that the under-and over-
exposed shots are calibrated in relation to the light
meter’s recommended ‘‘correct’’ exposure. After
adjusting the aperture or shutter speed to under-
expose a shot, the photographer should adjust the
settings not in relation to where they are, but to
where they were for the ‘‘correct’’ exposure.
Automatic bracketing is an option on some digi-
tal cameras, and if this setting is chosen, the camera
will automatically adjust the aperture or shutter
speed a pre-set degree above and below the ‘‘cor-
rect’’ setting so that the photographer can trip the
shutter three times and will record three exposures
with the three different settings. Often with digital
cameras, the over- and underexposed bracketing
exposures have to be taken within a limited time
frame before the camera automatically re-sets to
the ‘‘correct’’ exposure. With digital photograph
manipulation software, a photographer can layer
the exposures on top of one another and then use a
tool such as an ‘‘erase’’ tool to uncover different
exposures in areas of the image. With this type of
manipulation, a photographer might be able to
combine his preferred exposures of different areas
of the image to create a composite image that was
not attainable with one combination of aperture
and shutter-speed settings.
If the photographer desires, a wider bracket can
be achieved by taking more than one overexposed
shot and more than one underexposed shot. Gener-
ally, it seems that with one overexposed shot and
one underexposed shot, the photographer has suffi-
ciently accounted for imperfections in the light
metering and will be pleased with one of the three
resulting images. Occasionally, even if the recom-
mended setting proves to be correct, the photogra-
pher may prefer either the under-or overexposed
image for aesthetic reasons.
In film photography, one disadvantage of brack-
eting is that when a photographer uses this techni-
que, he expects that some of the exposures will be
incorrect—sothephotographerknowingly‘‘wastes’’
film. With experience, photographers can become
more sure of getting a correct exposure and can
reserve bracketing for use only when unsure about
an exposure, rather than for every shot. If a photo-
grapher wants to be assured that he will get a correct
exposure, though, bracketing is a good way to make
sure that even if the photographer’s light meter is
incorrect, he will still be able to get a good image
from one of the shots in the bracket.
With digital photography, bracketing is often
easier to incorporate into regular practice—since
there is no film to waste, unless storage on disk (or
other removable media) space is limited, photogra-
phers can bracket without reserve. And just as
sometimes it is the ‘‘incorrect’’ exposure that gives
photographers their best or favorite print or slide
image, digital photographers should wait to delete
images that they feel are incorrectly exposed until
the files have been moved onto a computer. Whe-
ther a photographer chooses to manipulate images
in a software program or simply choose the best
image from those he shot, the ease with which digital
media can be erased and re-used makes it easy for
photographers to postpone editing decisions until
later, rather than trying to edit at the same time that
he is shooting.
Bracketing works well as insurance for the
photographer. Even if an image can be re-shot, it
is much easier to have a variety of exposures to
choose from rather than having to rely on a light
meter to give a correct reading every time. And ifBRACKETING