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Garry Black Photography

Question:

Garry,
I just came upon your web site and I'm very grateful, because I'm just learning. For some reason I can't seem to grasp the concept of bracketing, I was reading in Popular Photography about shooting sunsets and it seems that they are all talking about bracketing and pushing the film. I love sunsets and landscape shots, but I feel like I'm wasting my time because I'm not getting on film what I'm seeing in front of me. Can you help me out? PLEASE!!

I'm using a Nikon N60, I have a 35 to 80 mm along with a 300 mm, I know that I also need to look into a wide angle lens to get a better landscape shot. Can you recommend one for me as well.

Any advice you give would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance

Answer:

Your problem with bracketing and not understanding it (or seeing a difference in between the bracketed shots) in your pictures could be due to the film that you are using. If you are using print film, you will probably never see a difference in bracketed shots, unless you have bracketed by 3 stops or more. The reason for this is that during the printing stage the lab will "correct" any over or under exposure, so all of your "bracketed" shots will look the same.

What you should be seeing is; if you overexpose the image should be lighter and if you underexpose the image will be darker. The one thing that you have to keep in mind is that the base exposure that the camera is coming up with in the first place may not actually be the proper exposure. So by bracketing you will achieve the exposure and effect that you are looking for.

If you want to see the effect of bracketing, you should be using slide film. As you get exactly what you shoot in the way of exposure. One of the properties of film, whether it is slide or print, is that neither will record the scene exactly as you see it. You will start to "see" how film sees the more you shoot. You will then be able to use that knowledge creatively.

As for a wide-angle lens, everyone has a favourite - mine is a 24mm.

Hope this helps you,