No Filters, No Problem — HDR Bracketing for Dramatic Landscapes

Hey everyone! Jermaine Michael here from Jermaine Michael Photography.

In this week’s vlog, Shane and I headed to Kirby Muxloe Castle in Leicestershire — joined by Ben from @gettingby-hiking — for a relaxed but technical shoot focused on exposure bracketing. Armed with my Nikon D750, tripod, and my DJI Mini 2 drone (gifted by Ben 🙌), I set out to capture the perfect balance between the dark red brickwork of the ruins and the bright reflections from the moat.

But… this shoot didn’t exactly go to plan.

The light kept changing every few minutes — one second overcast, the next blindingly bright — making it nearly impossible to maintain consistent exposure brackets. Add in the occasional goose honking mid-shot 🦢 and the constant reflections shifting on the water, and I had to really dial in my workflow to get usable results.

Despite the challenges, it turned into a great learning experience. I walked away with a few well-balanced, detailed images that truly show how powerful exposure bracketing can be when shooting scenes with tricky lighting and high contrast.

⸻

🎥 What You’ll See
• Behind the scenes at Kirby Muxloe Castle 🏰
• Nikon D750 exposure bracketing workflow
• Aerial drone footage from the DJI Mini 2 🚁
• Dealing with changing light and reflections
• Shane on gimbal duty 🎥
• Ben from @gettingby-hiking joining the shoot
• Final HDR photo reveal

⸻

🎧 Gear Used
• Nikon D750 + 24–70 mm f/2.8 G ED
• DJI Mini 2 Drone (gifted by @gettingby-hiking)
• DJI Osmo Mobile 7 (operated by Shane 🎥)
• DJI Mini Mics (gifted by @wildmanadventure)

⸻

👥 Featuring
• Ben – @gettingby-hiking – fellow adventurer & drone gifter 🙌
• Shane – Gimbal operator / filming assistant

⸻

📍 Location
• Kirby Muxloe Castle, Leicestershire, UK

⸻

✨ Enjoying the chaos?
LIKE 👍 | COMMENT 💬 | SUBSCRIBE 🔔
Your support helps small creators like me keep improving and sharing real-world landscape photography adventures!

👉 Follow My Journey:
Instagram – @jermainemichaelphotography

⸻

📈 SEO Keywords (for algorithm only)
Kirby Muxloe Castle photography, Nikon D750 exposure bracketing, HDR landscape photography, DJI Mini 2 cinematic, UK castle photography, photography vlog UK, Leicestershire photography, exposure bracketing tutorial, Nikon D750 HDR workflow, Jermaine Michael Photography vlog, outdoor photography UK, behind the scenes photography