Microsoft 702 manual Bracket, Quick check with the LCD

Chapter 2: Making the Most of Your Camera

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Use your imagination to compose some original, creative photos that you won’t find anywhere else. Capture some of the local color by photographing a lively food vendor stationed near the monument, and the monument can be the backdrop in your frame. Or use the self-timer to capture you and your compan- ion sampling the local fare that you’ve bought from the food vendor in front of the monument.

7. Bracket

The term bracket means to create exposures that are both lighter and darker than the camera or light meter indicates. The idea is to second-guess the purely mechanical exposure meter, so that you get the right exposure.

If you’re taking photos of a sunset, a scenic vista, or a plant, you have the time to bracket. With these subjects, you’re also likely to have a wider range of tones to record than your camera can handle, especially if your subject is brightly lit.

So how do you bracket with an automatic camera? Most digital cameras, and many automatic cameras, have an exposure compensation feature, sometimes called the EV setting. If you set the exposure compensation for -1, the shot is one stop underexposed (darker than normal). If you set the camera for +1, the shot is one stop overexposed (lighter than normal). So you can bracket by taking three photos, one each at the -1, 0, and +1 settings.

Some cameras offer an automatic feature, which takes a range of photos, each with a different exposure setting.

Even if your camera doesn’t permit you that much control (or if you don’t want to take the time to change the exposure settings), another technique will give you results similar to bracketing. To get a lighter exposure, aim your camera at a darker portion of the subject, and then press the shutter button partway down (until you begin to feel a little resistance). Next, without releasing pressure on the shutter button, reframe your photo to include what you want, and then push the shutter button all the way down to take the photo.

A quick check with the LCD

One of the benefits of digital photography is that you can get a look at your photos on the LCD preview screen right after you’ve taken the shot. This feature is great for a quick analysis of the photo’s composition, exposure, and color tone. Just be aware that since the preview screen is so small, it often does not reveal problems with focus.

Microsoft Picture It! Companion Guide