How to expand your range

Sean McCormack merges bracketed files for better landscapes

- Sean McCormack

The wider-landscape photographer, the lover of vistas, faces some greater challenges than those who shoot the intimate landscape. The biggest of these is the extent of light reaching the camera, from full sun to deepest shadows. Even with the sensor technology we have today, it still doesn't match the ability of your eye.

Fortunately, you can mitigate this. Traditionally, you'd have used a neutral density graduated filter in front of your lens. But, being linear, they would also darken hills and mountains that protruded into the sky. Now, the solution is simple: you turn on the bracketing feature in your camera. Set it to Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) and choose your range. For a basic set, you could choose three images with a gap of two or three stops. As you gain experience, you may want to try five or seven images with smaller exposure intervals.