My friend said to always bracket exposures on slide film, and I'm glad I listened

I was shooting Fuji Velvia 50 at a sunrise in Joshua Tree last month, and my buddy Mark told me to shoot at the metered reading, then one stop over, and one stop under. I thought it was overkill, but the slide I metered for was way too dark. The frame shot one stop over was perfect, with all the color in the sky. Has anyone else had a piece of film advice save a shot like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

leor372mo ago

Ever notice how the backup plan is usually the one that works?

brian3031mo ago

Yeah, that backup plan thing is everywhere. Cameron770 is right, sometimes you just gotta try a bunch of stuff and see what sticks.

cameron7702mo ago

Bracketing slide film is basically photography's version of admitting you have no idea what you're doing. It saved your shot, so the method clearly works. Sometimes the best technique is just throwing options at the wall.