Question why use bracketing: If I have the ability to adjust my exposure in Light Room can someone tell me how bracketing helps Thanks in advance Joe...

Papa j Loc: Cary NC

If I have the ability to adjust my exposure in Light Room can someone tell me how bracketing helps Thanks in advance

Joe

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Raw or JPEG capture?

Exposure latitude for JPEGs is +1/3, -2/3 stop, at best. For raw, it's more like +/- two stops, camera-dependent.

Bracketing gives you choices. Sometimes the scene reflectance fools your meter (or you). Sometimes the principal subject is under- or over-exposed at the meter reading, so one of the bracketed frames is a better starting point (less shadow noise, fewer or no blown-out highlight details, etc.).

The camera has a fixed amount of dynamic range. The more of it you use to capture a scene, the better your final product can be.

Bracketing is a quick way to avoid a lot of zone system thought. If you have time to make multiple readings with a spot meter and calculate scene brightness range and levels, the zone system is fine (probably preferable!). But carefully controlled or automated bracketing will usually get you to the same point.

Lightroom cannot put back what was lost from, or left out of, the camera.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I use it to mostly reduce any possible blown highlight detail.
Detail in blown highlights is not recoverable.

BebuLamar

Papa j wrote:

If I have the ability to adjust my exposure in Light Room can someone tell me how bracketing helps Thanks in advance

Joe

You can not adjust exposure in post period. LR and PS and a bunch of other image processing software use the term exposure but adjusting this control does make the image brighter or darker but by no mean changing the exposure. How can you change the intensity of the light that hit the sensor or the duration that it hits the sensor once the exposure has been made?

So although you can adjust the brightness in PP it's much more desirable to get the exposure as close as what you want in the final image before tweaking it in PP.

krvitali

Optimum quality is achieved if you have little to no adjustments made with processing software. As you recover shadows more and more noise is picked up.

While the cameras histograms are useful they are not completely accurate. It it is hard to judge on the camera if you have optimal exposure.

paulrph1 Loc: Washington, Utah

Papa j wrote:

If I have the ability to adjust my exposure in Light Room can someone tell me how bracketing helps Thanks in advance

Joe

If you expose a photograph to the white in a scene the camera will read the white as being 18% gray. And that means that everything else will be underexposed also. By bracketing you can make the white appear as white instead of gray. Somethings can be manipulated in dark room but others cannot. And it may be impossible to return to photograph and that does not include the fact that the scene will be completely different. In short bracketing may help to save time and return trips.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I simply expose properly and take only one photo. The only time I'll take two or more is if I'm experimenting with a process and need the extra photos.
--Bob

Papa j wrote:

If I have the ability to adjust my exposure in Light Room can someone tell me how bracketing helps Thanks in advance

Joe

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Papa j wrote:

If I have the ability to adjust my exposure in Light Room can someone tell me how bracketing helps Thanks in advance

Joe

Yes, you can adjust it in post, but what are you adjusting? If you begin with an exposure that is off by 80%, the results could be less than desirable. Bracketing offers you three different exposures to adjust, so your chances of getting a perfect result are much better.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

jerryc41 wrote:

Yes, you can adjust it in post, but what are you adjusting? If you begin with an exposure that is off by 80%, the results could be less than desirable. Bracketing offers you three different exposures to adjust, so your chances of getting a perfect result are much better.

Many cameras now have an "automatic bracketing" mode. You set a number of total frames (3, 5, 7...), and the EV interval between frames (1/3, 2/3, or one full stop). Press the shutter button once... it does the rest.

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

Papa j wrote:

If I have the ability to adjust my exposure in Light Room can someone tell me how bracketing helps Thanks in advance

Joe

Changing exposure in Lightroom is NOT the same as doing it in the camera. While Lightroom has the ability to darken or lighten a scene, that is all it is doing. Bracketing with f/stop not only changes the brightness but increases or decreases the depth of field. Increasing or decreasing the time of the shot also adds or removes blur of motion. Increasing or decreasing ISO can increase or decrease grain in the photo. Each of these effects may or may NOT be something that you are looking for but are things that are difficult to duplicate (and certainly NOT with the exposure slider) in Lightroom.

micolh Loc: NYC

rmalarz wrote:

I simply expose properly and take only one photo. The only time I'll take two or more is if I'm experimenting with a process and need the extra photos.
--Bob

So glad I finally found out who that one person is.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

burkphoto wrote:

Many cameras now have an "automatic bracketing" mode. You set a number of total frames (3, 5, 7...), and the EV interval between frames (1/3, 2/3, or one full stop). Press the shutter button once... it does the rest.

But if you don't understand it you can bang against a floor or ceiling of aperture or shutter speed. I think that is important to understand when using bracketing. I think Mark Wallace or Northrup has a video on it.

Best,
Todd Ferguson
Harrisburg, NC

jcboy3

paulrph1 wrote:

If you expose a photograph to the white in a scene the camera will read the white as being 18% gray. And that means that everything else will be underexposed also. By bracketing you can make the white appear as white instead of gray. Somethings can be manipulated in dark room but others cannot. And it may be impossible to return to photograph and that does not include the fact that the scene will be completely different. In short bracketing may help to save time and return trips.

Camera meters are calibrated to 13% gray.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Notorious T.O.D. wrote:

But if you don't understand it you can bang against a floor or ceiling of aperture or shutter speed. I think that is important to understand when using bracketing. I think Mark Wallace or Northrup has a video on it.

Best,
Todd Ferguson
Harrisburg, NC

So true. It's like anything else... Cameras are just tools. You can shoot yourself in the foot with a loaded gun, or slice your finger off with a knife. You can exceed the camera's limits with improper settings. Fortunately, the impact is minor, compared with the other two examples!

I carry an 8X neutral density filter to help avoid issues with too much light outdoors. I have a tripod I can use, and IS lenses, in dark areas. (I turn off IS on the tripod.)

I have to wonder where the OP came up with his question. Either he's green as a grasshopper, or playing with us! Sometimes I think half the questions on here are just click bait for Google ad revenue.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

My answer: HDR.