Exposure bracketing is where, instead of taking a single photo, you take three or more pictures that are all exposed slightly differently. Usually one is the correct exposure, one slightly underexposed, and one slightly overexposed etc.

Exposure bracketing is a technique for making sure that you get a good exposure while you’re in a location rather than a studio. Landscape photographers sometimes refer to bracketed shots as “safety shots” due to this. Anytime you feel the scene is challenging (too many highlights or shadows) is when exposure bracketing should be used, for example, sunset images are usually better when slightly under-exposed.

To manually take bracketed exposures, set up your camera for a shot as normal. The best results occur if you’re using a tripod. As soon as you take your first shot, adjust the exposure compensation, shutter speed or ISO by one stop and take a second shot. Adjust the shutter speed or ISO two stops in the other direction and take a third. Now you should have three identical photos that are one stop underexposed, correctly exposed, and one stop overexposed.

Practising exposure bracketing