Making Sense of Manual Exposure - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Bracketing

Bracketing in Manual Mode

First, I want to explain how to bracket in manual mode. I typically like to work in manual because it puts me in control. I get to make the decisions, and it keeps the camera from trying to make them for me (when I think I can do a better job than the little chip brain in the camera). That means the shutter and aperture are in manual,  and ISO is also in manual.

The one thing I leave in “auto” is white balance. White balance affects when blinkies turn on. I’ve found that most cameras do a good enough job determining auto white balance in normal lighting situations to make the blinkies work well. “Normal light” means full-spectrum light that is all one color temperature, such as daylight or tungsten. When you get into colored lighting (such as that used in concerts and special effects), it becomes more difficult.

Assuming those settings, I compose my frame, and then make an educated guess at an initial exposure. I have learned to interpret the LCD screen in my mirrorless camera to guess within about a stop of the ideal exposure, so this usually gets me in the ballpark.

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