White Heron

[Paul E]

I took this picture in the everglades. It was difficult get close enough for a clear shot and consider composition as well; any suggestion with cropping? Also I have been having difficulty getting good detail with subjects that are all white, particularly in bright sun light.

Equip: Nikon D90 with 70-300 f 4-4.6
Setting: Aper. 4.2, Exp. 1/125, Focal Length 112mm

Thanks

[Chip]

Hi, Paul -

Welcome to DPS!

I have a D90 and like to shoot birds, too. White birds - especially in the full sun - are tough. And when the whites are over exposed, the detail is lost.

My D90 tends to over expose, especially when the subject is white and relatively small in relation to the rest of the frame. But, this over-exposure is pretty predictable, though, so it can be planned for in advance.

I've had the most luck shooting in matrix exposure mode and knocking down the EV comp by anywhere between -0.7 and -1.3, depending on how strong the sun is.

Others have more success spot metering on the white bird. For some reason that doesn't work too well for me . . . but it might for you?

Trial and error is your friend - find a way that works for you.

(And shooting into the sun makes getting the exposure right much, much harder.)

As for a crop, I don't know. Your photo seems a bit too busy/cramped to improve on it from what you've posted here.

My 2 cents.

[Paul E]

Thanks for taking the time to provide feedback. I'll give it a try.

Paul