A farm house in Colonial Williamsburg, VA. By shooting three images I was able to get the right exposure as the bright building and the shadowy trees confused the camera's meter.

A little in-camera insurance to get that shot.

When I was in Italy on business with the Navy, I got a small amount of time off, and took the opportunity to travel to Rome on a guided tour. Normally, when I am out on photo safari I am on my own and under my own time constraints. During this event, the pace of the tour guide restricted me. I decided to give bracketing a chance. Before, I would have manually adjusted my exposures to get the right look. With bracketing, I was able to make three quick photos and review later. I found this to be very convenient, as it allowed me to concentrate more on composition and positioning.

This is a straight shot of the Colosseum in Rome. By bracketing the image I was able to peak in take the photo and select best exposure. As bright as the day was the 0EV exposure was the preferred image.

Except for the most basic entry-level cameras, bracketing is featured. On Nikon and Canon mid level and advanced cameras there is custom function button that’s usual default setting is set to bracket mode. Some Nikon cameras equipped with bracketing capability have dedicated buttons for bracketing indicated by a (BKT) button. On more entry-level cameras that have bracketing mode is a special function that is located in the customization menu.  I recommend referring to your owner’s manual to see if your camera has bracketing capability.  This article is not about knobology but about technique. We will assume you have bracketing capability. If you don’t, you can simulate manually by adjusting the exposure compensation.

What is bracketing?

Bracketing is the process (either manually or automatically) of taking a series of images of the same shot at various settings. The most common setting variation is exposure bracketing. This is the default setting for cameras capable of bracketing. Bracketing can also be focus bracketing, flash bracketing, white balance bracketing, etc.  Bracketing is also a vital step to perform HDR photography.

The most common method of bracketing is exposure bracketing. By setting auto bracketing on the number of shots taken and the amount of exposure compensation for each step is set. Nikon cameras allow exposure steps of up to +/-1 Exposure Values (EV). For Canon it may be set to +/-2EV. The bracket amount can be set from 3-9 shots. For 3 shots there are 1 image at exposure and 1 each at +/-1EV. For 5 shots there are same as 3 plus one each at +/-2EV. This can keep increasing until a set of 9 exposures. Usually, you only need three exposures.

Other Types of Bracketing

In the menu settings, the bracket controls can be changed to bracket flash or white balance. These settings are much more rarely used. Flash bracketing will cycle through series of different flash settings including off. White Balance bracketing is less needed if shooting in RAW format, as white balance information is more controllable in postproduction than JPEG. Another option is focus bracketing. This technique uses varying aperture settings to get different amounts of area of focus.

Another type of focus bracketing is rather than changing the aperture setting, but to change the plane of focus. This is hyper focusing. By digitally combining multiple images with different focus distances a greater area of focus could be achieved. It is very tricky and requires extremely well aligned image stacking in post process. I would not recommend trying it. Stopping down on a lens on a tripod would be a better option.

High Dynamic Range Photography

Another reason to bracket and is currently growing into the most popular reason is to create High Dynamic Range (HDR) images. Normally, a camera has a limited range that it resolves between bright highlights and dark shadows. This is frustrating as our eyes are able to resolve the differences easier and the resulting images from cameras do not correspond to what we perceived when took the photo graph.  There are many software applications, including Adobe Photoshop, capable of combining multiple exposure of the same image producing an image with a higher exposure gamut than can normally be produced.

By combining the three images shown, a composite HDR image was created that had the dynamic range similar to the human eye.

So basically, exposure bracketing is a convenient way to give you some insurance that you will come back with a better exposure for your images. It also can open the possibility to produce images that you normally could never imagine before.

Use a wide aperture to remove a distracting background

Lion at Jacksonville Zoo. Looking through viewing window, the other observation station is located directly behind the lion's head.

You know that photo. You’re traipsing along and see the moment, (as in Kodak Moment (does that even apply any more? Do they even make film anymore? Wouldn’t it be that Sandisk moment now?) Whatever. Anyways.) It’s a scene that you just got to capture and maintain for posterity or at least until it becomes lost in your dungeon of a hard drive archive.

You make the photo, and low and behold there is this thing in the background that totally blows the scene.  Going low or going high is not an option.  How can I just get rid of that from the background even dancing to the left or the right doesn’t work? How can I just obliterate it from the background? Why don’t you do just that? Obliterate it.

Use a shallow depth of field with a wide aperture. 

Archer competition at the Scottish Highland Games in Central Florida. Despite an aggressive attempt at positioning, the parking lot in the background could not be completely removed from the background.

Huh? Use what with a what? What is Shallow Depth of Field and where can I buy one?

Though the crowd can still be seen in the background, they are softened enough that the two ladies in the parade stand out from them.

Shallow Depth of Field is a technique all cameras are capable of.  You’ve seen the photos. The quarterback, the flower, the mountain lion, etc, sharp and in focus and every thing behind it just a blob of color with no discernable shape.  This is the result of a shallow depth of field. It involves big math to explain this. The basics are that the longer the focal length, closer the subject is and the wider the aperture the shallower the depth of field.  A natural reaction of many people is to use a too wide of an angle lens from where they are.  Take a moment, look at the scene, breathe and then compose. Get a long lens and get closer. Next, set your camera to Manual or Aperture mode and set the aperture to the wider side.

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Shooting downward onto a scene is a effective method to isolate the subject and to create a novel sense of place.

Two alligators sun them selves in the algae filled water hole at the Jacksonville Zoo.

As we learned in the previous post that a novel way of enhancing a photograph is to position the camera lower than normal eye level. Another technique is to get the camera to a higher position.  The downward angle of the camera is a quick way to isolate the principal subject. Just like a nice sky background, a uniform ground can keep the subject from being lost in a confusing background.

The high vantage point is such a great way to make you images stand out that I plan for any method to capitalize on this view. Balconies, supper floor  windows, and other elevated viewing locations should be scouted out early to see if they can be utilized.

Sometimes I bring my own elevation. One trick is bring a step stool. This allows me to stand above a crowd, but this rarely is convenient to carry a ladder around with me.  This trick is used in the horse racing photography circuit. After the race the horse and jockey are paraded around and large crowds gather around to get near. Many photographers have resorted to the stepladder method with ladders up to 20 feet in height being used. Though the ladder shoot is used more to get a clear view of the subject in a crowded scene, it does have the added benefit of isolating the subject from a very distracting background.

Two Star Wars enthusiasts perform a mock battle in the front lobby of the Orange County Convention Center.

Another method I have used is for more mobile shooting. When I do not expect to get a high angle but I expect large crowds or that I wish to photograph the crowd itself is to use a monopod. A monopod is a single legged support to hold up your camera. Usually a monopod is attached to the camera or a large lens and stands on the ground to provide stable rest for the shooter to reduce camera shake or shooter fatigue.  An alternate method for a monopod is to use it as a gaffer pole. By mounting a wide angle lens, the monopod, and a remote release cord, I can hold the camera high up above my head to allow for a different view. This trick is often used at sporting events where teams often huddle together.  This trick can be done without a monopod and just holding up the camera but the height is not as great as with the monopod. The difficulty with this trick the lack of aim or stability while shooting. Ironically, the very things that a monopod provides if used normally.

A living historian portraying a Union Officer stands next to a field artillery piece.

Overall, an eagle’s perspective is harder to achieve than a rabbit’s.  For a rabbit you only have to get the camera to a low camera angle. An eagle’s view requires an advantageous position or specialized equipment. Though it is more difficult to get a higher camera angle, the end result is a simple method to improve your photography.

Friends and well wishers gather around two Star Wars enthusiasts as they agree to get married.

Civil War reenactors stand in formation at Fort Clinch, Florida. By shooting from a prone position, a more dynamic background was brought into view.

A simple method of improving composition is by changing camera position.

By moving the camera’s postion vertically up or down, a more interesting and dynamic view can be created. A photograph is composed of many factors. One of these is the arrangement of the subject within the scene in relation to the foreground and the background.

Most photos are taken at eye level. This is a natural and quick method of capturing a moment. However many scenes are marred by a busy or anachronistic background.  Most photographers understand that if there is an object or person in the background that is distracting, to move to the left or right to position it out of the scene. Another action could be to go low or high. This technique can also introduce elements to the photograph that increases its visual appeal. The Civil War photo to the left, the soldier sitting on the wall next to the large cannon, gives the image a sense of place that would have been lost without it. In the Star Wars image of bounty hunters, the camera was lowered to remove the chaotic mass of convention attenders so that the subject is more visible.  The bounty hunters provided the visual shield to hide the background.

A photo needs to either isolate the subject from a background or to integrate the subject int the background to enhance the primary subject. By shooting from a low postion, the subjects of the two photos were enhanced by removing a distracting background or introducing reinforcing visual elements in the background.

Shooting from a low postion  carries a psychological punch.  Visually, a pyramid implies strength as the receding lines of its walls converge, its perception of height and power increases. By shooting from a low position, a subject will incur a slight pyramidal effect. This perspective of looking up creates a sense of awe. As we grow older we often notice, nostalgically, that places that were amazing when we were children are now not so when we see them again as adults.

We live in a world built for adults, as such, most things are scaled to a world with a perspective of between five and six feet. When the world is viewed from this height, the view is what we normally see. But to a child, this view is much lower giving them a skewed perspective of the ordinary that brings awe to what adults perceive as the ordinary.