Egrets are a common sight in the Louisiana swamps, but it's not so easy capturing them fishing. Their heads dart so fast that a person's hand-eye coordination invariably lags behind the action. With my Canon R5, I used the mechanical setting of 12 frames per seconds to capture the whole sequence. This enabled me to eventually capture a frame I liked. My settings were 1/1250, f/10, and 6400. When shooting bright white subjects like this, I habitually underexpose by 2/3 f/stop to protect the highlights. I know some instructors and experienced photographers disagree with me on this, but I never, ever, blow highlights in my pictures. A slight underexposure doesn't introduce significant noise, and it's my insurance that I'll retain all the subtle detail in the white feathers. In post-processing, this always requires the shadows to be opened up and, usually, the highlights still need to be toned down.
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