What is exposure bracketing?
Exposure bracketing is the practice of photographing the same scene at several brightness levels, usually by changing shutter speed while keeping aperture and ISO fixed. The set is later merged so highlight and shadow detail both survive.
Read the full explanationThree versus five brackets
Three frames (−2 / 0 / +2 EV or similar) cover most UK interiors. Five frames help when the garden is in hard sun and the room is deep. More than five is rarely necessary and makes movement more likely. HDRPhoto can group two-frame stacks as well; three remains the usual professional default.
EV spacing
One-stop or two-stop steps are both used. Two-stop steps keep the set short. One-stop steps give the merge more overlap if your camera is fast enough. What matters is that the darkest frame still holds the view.
Tripod and handheld
Tripod is the reliable method. Handheld can work if you shoot the bracket immediately and keep your feet planted. HDRPhoto aligns small movement; it cannot fix a large sidestep or a zoom change between frames.
Automatic exposure bracketing
AEB is the practical way to keep the set tight in time. HDRPhoto groups frames captured within about two seconds, which matches a typical AEB burst. If your camera pauses too long between frames, shoot a manual burst instead.
Camera movement and moving objects
Leaves, curtains and people create mismatches between exposures. Wait for a pause, or accept that the merge will prefer one frame in that area. Alignment helps; it is not a guarantee of a perfectly still tree.
Window exposure
Check the darkest frame on the camera. If the view is still white, add a darker shot or close the gap to the window. No merge can restore information that was never recorded. More on this in the HDR guide.
File organisation and upload preparation
Keep one property in one folder. HDRPhoto uses the folder name as the listing and capture time to build stacks. Do not interleave two rooms in the same two-second burst. JPEGs are the recommended upload format.