Bracketing...

[bvstaples]

Just curious how many of you shoot more than one sheet for a single image? Years ago when I first started shooting, I shot 3 sheets per scene: metered and bracketed -1 and +1 stop. Over time I dropped to two sheets. But what I’ve noticed is that my metered (or determined) exposures are always the ones I use, while I find the bracketed shot of little value. other than to confirm my metered shot was right on. I shoot mostly 4x5 but occasionally 8x10. So as not to be a film waster, I’m thinking about not shooting that second bracketed shot, and if a negative doesn’t turn out as expected, go back and shoot another.

So, who shoots just one sheet, and who shoots more via bracketing? And is there an advantage, given that I’ve almost always used the metered exposure, to having the second sheet? Looking for a little insight into this small corner of my madness!

Thanks,

Brian

[jim kitchen]

Dear Brian,

I expose one 8X10 negative, but I do expose a second negative when I believe that the wind caused the camera to move unexpectedly and, or I believe my subject blinked... :)

I develop my film accordingly, once I determine what the exposed dynamic range happens to be, after I set and make the exposure with purpose.

jim k

[J Ney]

I bracket for development... shoot 2 negatives the same and then if I need to tweak development I have a spare sheet to play around with.

[williamtheis]

only one. if your'e careful that's all that you need. especially with 8x10

[Heroique]

The more “important” the shot, the more likely I’ll bracket. If lighting happens to be complex too, I’ll often take 2 or 3 more. And if it’s transparency film, I might even take 3 or 4 more. I’ve been in situations when all apply, and I’ll blow through even more sheets! (And just for the sake of exposure; this is of course only one reason why bracketing might be a good idea.) Later, I often find that many of these “insurance” shots have an interest of their own that I wouldn’t have anticipated. The reason I calibrated my field gear & darkroom equipment was to “get it right” the first time, but the more I think about it, the less I believe this has actually “saved” me film, time or uncertainty. (BTW, I think uncertainty, to some degree, is a beneficial attitude to have in the field. Not the distracting type that accompanies being unprepared. But the productive type that naturally accompanies active thought and pre-visualization.)

Short answer – by far I take only one shot per composition. ;)

[Bruce Watson]

So, who shoots just one sheet, and who shoots more via bracketing?

I never bracket. I learned how to use a 1 degree spot meter and the Zone System. After my first couple of months I weaned myself off bracketing. I've very seldom missed an exposure since, and then not by much.

I do on occasion make more than one exposure however. Usually to try different f/stops for DOF (I usually can't judge the difference between f/32 and f/64 on the ground glass -- just not enough light for these old eyes). Sometimes for motion, like wind induced motion blur, or moving clouds.

But the vast majority, like 98% of my exposures, are a single sheet of film. But if bracketing works for you, then by all means do it. Whatever helps you put forth your vision is fine with me.

[sanking]

I never bracket with MF and LF film. However, I sometimes bracket when shooting 12X20 or 20X24 film and plan to print the negatives with wet processing. There are two reasons. One, shooting the large formats is technically more challenging than smaller formats and there is a greater risk of failure due, and second, you can process the first negative to see how it looks, an then make adjustments in processing to get exactly the contrast needed.

Sandy King

[John NYC]

I feel really comfortable with the zone system now, so I never bracket or take digital or polaroid test images anymore. So, the only time I take more than one exposure is...

- It's likely I can't return to the site without a great deal of difficulty if something bad happened to the first shot I didn't know about. In this case, I take a second shot, but I start from scratch and do everything the same way.

- I want to play around with a different interpretation of the scene, exposure-wise. This is different than bracketing, to me at least as it is another purposefully zone-metered shot.

[Ed Richards]

I usually take two shots of each scene. They usually differ by a filter or by an f-stop, rather than just exposure. There are scenes with difficult exposures where I take two shots. This is almost always a high contrast scene where exposing for the shadows will give me a really dense negative. I will often shoot a second negative with less exposure, just to see if it works. Sometimes it is the better negative because the loss of shadow detail is more than offset by better midtone separation. The second negatives also give me a backup, since both are usually good.

[ki6mf]

I never bracket. When its a negative with an extreme contrast as measured with a 1 degree spot meter I will sometimes shoot a backup negative and leave it unexposed and will decide to change development time to change contrast after the first negative is developed and printed.

[Kevin Thomas]

I don't bracket and most times I get it right and for the others I try to learn from my mistakes. If faced with a once in a life time shot I would bracket if time permitted.

[Bill_1856]

Bracket IF you think it might be an extraordinary image. Otherwise, don't waste the film.
(See AA's description of shooting Moonrise.)

[sanking]

Bracket IF you think it might be an extraordinary image. Otherwise, don't waste the film.
(See AA's description of shooting Moonrise.)


If you read AA's book The Making of Forty Negatives you will find that he bracketed quite a bit. I figure that AS knew as much about exposure and development as most of us and the reasons he used to bracket are no less valid today than in his time.

Looking back I did not bracket many times when I now wish I had. On the other hand, I can not think of a single time I bracketed when I now wish I had not.

Sandy King

[Andrew O'Neill]

I don't bracket. I do sometimes shoot a backup negative when I anticipate stand development, or I will never get the chance to shoot that image again.

[Alan Davenport]

And is there an advantage, given that I’ve almost always used the metered exposure, to having the second sheet?

If the shot is one that can't be retaken, there may be some justification for taking a second shot using the same exposure. Then develop only one of the sheets; if it turns out badly for some reason, you'll then have a second sheet to retry with altered development or a different lab.

For myself, I rarely shoot a second sheet, and I only bracket in cases where I'm ambivalent about the best exposure; i.e., some sunsets.

That type of special situation aside, IMO bracketing is an admission that you either don't trust your equipment, or are unsure of your ability to use it...

[Brian Ellis]

Bracketing as a routine matter because the photographer is uncertain of the correct exposure is a crutch that should be discarded as soon as possible IMHO. It's a waste of time and film. There are some special situations where it's warranted but much better to learn how to expose routine situations correctly so you don't have to bracket. I used to routinely bracket with 120 film, one stop at what I thought was the correct exposure and another one stop "overexposed" to ensure that I got adequate shadow detail. I almost always found that a good print could be made from either one so I stopped doing it. I never bracketed sheet film.

[swmcl]

Sorry guys,

I have just returned from Tasmania. I can't imagine not bracketing. The severe range of values within a scene is such that if bracketing is not used, perhaps a full third to half of some images would be lost. (I'm thinking of a river in a dark rainforest canyon)

I do also plan to do the HDR thing eventually - only subtle ...

This is apart from bracketing because I feel insecure about what I'm doing !!

My success rate has improved substantially post-lightmeter but having travelled so far and it having cost so much I just can't not try to secure / insure my efforts!

Cheers,

Steve

[bob carnie]

I always shoot two sometimes three with normal, under over. now with 4x5 and 8x10 I shoot normal and one over.
Usually very happy with the normal, I use the sunny f16 and find it works really well for me.

[Ed Richards]

One major limit is carrying holders. If I was a serious backpacker, I would probably shoot only one sheet in most cases.

[Jim Noel]

One negative unless I think something happened to cause camera movement. My personal opinion is that bracketing is for those who don't want to make the effort to learn to expose and develop correctly.

[bvstaples]

Thanks for all the input. Like I said, given that my metered (first) shot is usually spot on, I think I'll move to the work flow. More images in half the time.

Brian

[Drew Wiley]

I never bracket. For one thing, the lighting and subject can change; for another, I shoot 8x10 and am not rich. Nor do I carry around more than a few filmholders at a time. Once in awhile I'll shoot the same subject on color neg film and chrome film just
for the printing option. If you have a light meter and a little experience with the curve and development of a specific film, why on earth would one bracket?

[Robert Hughes]

I never bracket. I just shoot wildly under- or overexposed shots, and fix it in the darkroom. By calling up the shot on my cell phone cam, and printing that one! :p

[Preston]

I shot two sheets regularly for quite some time. Now, I am trying to wean myself, and its not easy! We become used to our routines, and like birds, return to the old roost because it's a known quantity, and we're comfortable with that.

At this point in time, I am leaning toward one shot unless the lighting, weather, or some other variable causes me to say, 'Hmmm?'

--P

[Vaughn]

I tend to expose two negs at the same exposure, develop one then develop the other differently if needed. Sometimes I will develop one neg for platinum printing and develop the second one for carbon printing (more development/contrast).

But occasionally I will expose a second neg at one more stop exposure. A little extra shadow detail never hurts (I am not enlarging), but less than I want is a drag. The light under the redwoods varies quite a bit.

If I am out all day in the redwoods with the camera, I carry 5 to 7 holders (8x10), and usually return to the car with some unexposed film, so I am not worried about doubling up. If the image just jumps out at me and says, "I am very very special", having a back up neg is good, as occasionally my printing process will eat a negative.

Vaughn

[Hector.Navarro]

I always expose 2 sheets with the same shutter & fstop and adjust developing time for the second sheet after proofing the first.

[Ron McElroy]

I've rarely bracketed large format shots. Shooting 4x5 I almost always shoot 2 negatives of the same scene. The time and expense of getting to a location plus the finding the image is too great to find when I get home I had a problem. The second negative gives me a chance to tweak development.

When I started shooting 8x10 I tried to shoot multiple negatives, but that became too expensive. I shoot one of each setup.

None of the above applies to portrait work. I'll shoot as many sheets as I think it will take, but none will be bracketed.

[Ted Crosby]

Generally I shoot 2 sheets of 5x4 b/w neg, and 3 or 4 sheets for tranny . I occasionally use polaroid if its a tricky exposure . With neg I shoot one at what I think is correct exposure and one one stop over. The extra shot is a safeguard in case dust has got in the holder. With transparency , I only sent what I consider the correctly exposed sheet to the lab, then follow up with one of the other sheets. I have worked in a photographic studio doing industrial pack shots for over 25 years and this is the way I always worked.

Maybe now that I am semi retired, and photographing mainly for pleasure outside, I will start using less film.

Ted.

[ki6mf]

Rather than Bracket I used to shoot a back up for my exposures. After printing if I needed to change contrast I would develop the backup for more or less time than the first exposure. This would happen after the first finished print from the first negative. After several years of doing this I realized the exposure for the first negative was mostly correct for the way I visualized the scene 99% of the time.

The Danger: If there is a scratch on the negative, you did something to ruin the image, like forget to stop down from F4.5 for focusing, jiggle the camera (even with a cable release!!!) there is no backup to fix the problem. Once this happened just as the mother ship landed and I did not get the shot!

If its a commercial assignment I always shoot backups. Also if there is extreme contrast as measured in the scene I will shoot a backup to do compensating developer treatment to get the negative exposed properly after developing and printing the first negative.

[jennym]

I have never bracketed. I mainly use transparency film, and when I started, I took two shots at the same exposure and adjusted the development on the B sheet if necessary. Increasingly I take one shot, unless the light is moving around or I am particularly keen to make sure I nail the shot. When there is moving water I often find there are subtle differences between shots, and will tend to take two shots so that I can choose the effect I prefer.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

I rarely bracket. I use my 1 degree spot meter and know my process. I develop by inspection in Pyrocat-HD. I can adjust my development. I keep very good field notes and use this to adjust my development. I started shooting x-ray film a while back and with 8x10 costing .23 a sheet I can afford to bracket all I want.

Jim

[Brian Sims]

Bracketing is like insurance, isn't it? You insure things that are important to you and where there is a risk of losing it. The more important and/or the higher risk the more you might need insurance. If I'm set up in front of a spectacular scene with extraordinary light that might never be repeated, you bet I'm going to bracket. In fact, I might shoot several sheets at the same exposure to ensure against camera shake, dust, scratch, screwed up development... On the other hand, if it's an interesting shot, close to home, where lighting is repeatable, I might shoot only one sheet. Cost is, of course, another issue with insurance. If I'm 20 miles into the wilderness and I only have 10 sheets of film left and the morning light is great, I'm going to be careful and shoot one sheet for each shot.

To me it doesn't make sense for someone to always bracket or never bracket--it depends on the risks and the costs.

[Jay DeFehr]

Like Sandy and Wally, I sometimes make two exposures for development; either to adjust contrast, or to compare developers/ dilutions, etc. Sometimes I'll make a second exposure if I have a bad feeling about the first, but it's usually identical, so doesn't really qualify as bracketing, I don't think.

[Rakesh Malik]

I rarely bracket, usually only when the contrast in the scene is pushing the limits of the film I'm using. Other than that, the most common redundancy that I have is to shoot a scene in color as well as in B&W, something I do when I find a composition that I think would look beautiful in black and white but also has lovely colors in it.

That saved one shot -- due to a malfunction (jammed Quickload) I lost the slide, but the neg of that shot ended up in my print portfolio, and has been well-liked by everyone who's seen it so far.

Of course, if I have shooting stars, tiger or avalanche lilies, lupines, golden larches, I am very unlikely to shoot in black and white... but for a golden larch image, I would most likely be willing to shoot backups, because opportunities to shoot larches while they're golden are hard to come by.