Jim Brick

DSLR cameras usually offer several automatic bracketing possibilities. This post is about ‘exposure bracketing’. Since we are not using film, the cost of bracketing is zero. It only uses up space on your memory card but high capacity memory cards are currently dirt cheap.

The DSLR gurus have had us use the ‘histogram’ to check and ultimately provide perfect exposure for the situation. And in certain situations, this is the right thing to do. But for static landscape work, typically on a tripod, exposure bracketing is preferable – at least it works best for me.

Above is a seven frame bracket, 2/3 stop between frames. I have my camera’s pre-set C1 set up for seven frame bracketing, C2 set up for three frame bracketing, and C3 set up for general hand held photography. Seven frames for static landscape tripod photos, three frames (1-2/3 stops apart) for quicker and sometimes handheld bracketing.

In the above brackets, the center frame is most likely the correct exposure. Below, the image on the left is that image, un-retouched. The image on the right is an HDR version of the image by sending frames 2, 4, & 6 into Lightroom’s HDR Merge engine. Very subtile differences but unless you bracket, you cannot make an HDR image. This image is of Cathedral Rocks East reflection in the Merced river, from the Northside Drive/El Capitan Drive intersection bridge.

Even though the differences are subtile, the image on the right is tonally better balanced – which is what an HDR merge does for you. You can also see the differences in the histograms. So with exposure bracketing, back home, you get to pick the exposure that best suits your needs and/or you get to run several (or all) exposures through the Lightroom HDR merge process. There are other HDR programs that connect with Lightroom. One that I sometimes use is Photomatix. A very advanced, full featured HDR program.

So… exposure bracketing is not because you are a bad photographer, it’s so that when you are back home, processing your photos, you have all exposure options available to you. You will never be upset that (exposure wise) you didn’t capture that scene properly.

The following image is a five vertical frame panorama using a Canon TS-E 24mm lens. Each vertical frame is a seven frame 2/3 stop exposure bracket. All seven exposures of each vertical frame were HDR processed in Photomatix, then the results stitched together in Photoshop.

The image is ‘Sunrise on Silver Lake’. Silver Lake is on the June Lake Loop, off of highway 395, in the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains.

My wife Jennie, and I, and four workshop participants, spent a week in Yosemite (2/20-2/24-2017). Besides normal winter workshop photography, we were hoping to be able to photograph the ‘Firefall’ (Horsetail Fall). Every year during the last two weeks in February, the sun (at sunset) is at the exact angle to light-up Horsetail Fall making it look like a firefall. Horsetail Fall is on the east face of El Capitan.

Horsetail Fall is only active if there has been sufficient rain and/or snow melt to create the water flow. At best, it is a very tiny stream (as water falls go) and very susceptible to winds.

There are only a couple of prime spots on the valley floor where this phenomenon can be seen. The El Capitan picnic area on North Drive and exactly .9 miles past the Cathedral Picnic area on South Drive. You can see it from a few other places but they are not considered prime. Too much stuff in the way and/or the angle is not very good.

It rained all day Monday and Tuesday (2/20 & 2/21) and then snowed all night Tuesday night and some of Wednesday. The clouds and overcast came and went all day so we were not feeling good about the Firefall actually happening. The sun’s setting rays (actually ten minutes before sunset) has to be able to get through in order to light-up Horsetail Fall.

At 4pm, we drove up to the South Drive location and there were approximately 15 cars already there and a gaggle of photographers already set-up. We walked over to the ‘spot’ and thought “is there a place that isn’t already taken, it’s only 4:10pm. The Firefall, if it happens, will be at 5:35pm – and it is already COLD!” In our stumbling around, we discovered a perfect un-claimed area. So Jennie stood there while we retrieved our camera gear from our cars. We set-up right there and bundled-up for the wait (fingers crossed and wrapped around hand warmers).

For you photographers – my set-up was a Gitzo GT3540L tripod, a very old Gitzo pan-tilt head (R.No2), RRS clamp and L-bracket, Canon EOS 5DS R camera, and a Canon EF 100-400 IS II USM lens. The exposure was 1/40 @ f/8, 278mm, ISO 200.

As the evening wore on, more and more people arrived. Most were unable to set-up and some were there just to watch. All told, there were roughly 25 cars parked on the road and roughly 50 photographers. The absolute max number of photographers for the spot were there.

As it approached 5:35, we could see that the sun was starting to hit Horsetail and by 5:48, it was totally spectacular! After we got our shots and back to the lodge, we heard that it was one of the best shows ever. It was truly breathtaking!

So on Thursday, and now that we already have it captured, we weren’t going back to wait and freeze for another possible show. We drove by the South Drive parking (the Rangers allow parking in the left lane for Horsetail falls photography – South Drive is two lanes one way). We drove by at 3:45. There were so many cars, we drove the loop again so that I could video and count them. 134 cars parked there at 4pm. The Firefall starts at 5:35 (if the sun & clouds cooperate). I can’t imagine how many cars were there at 5:30. At 5:30, we were all warm and cozy in the Mountain Room having a great dinner. Mine was… salmon, baked potato, veggies, Guinness 🙂

Check out the cars!!!

Cars_on_South_Drive_Video

Author: Jim Brick

Why Exposure bracketing solves many problems.

Yosemite’s Horsetail Fall (Firefall)