Bracketing

The process of taking a photograph using a series of different exposures to achieve the best result.

Bracketing is used in difficult, or high contrast lighting conditions where the camera's metering system may not necessarily interpret the scene effectively. Usually, a photograph will be taken using exposure values 2 stops either side of the average value. So for example, if the camera's meter indicates an exposure of f 5.6 at 1/125 sec, then you would take the photograph at f 2.8, f 4, f 5.6, f 8 and f 11. Once processed, you can choose which exposure gives the most pleasing result.