Arriving at the marsh really early in the morning, I was finally able to get a relatively well-exposed shot of a Great Egret (Ardea alba) in breeding plumage, with wispy plumes on its back and a bright green color between its eye and bill (an area known as the “lore”).
Generally I have trouble photographing this beautiful bird, because its brilliant white color gets blown out pretty easily when there is a lot of light and using exposure compensation is often not sufficient. One obvious solution to the problem of too much light is to come at a time of reduced light. I switched to manual mode and, after a bit of experimentation, found a setting that seemed to work pretty well. I also had my camera on a tripod, which is a good practice any time I can manage to use it, which permitted me to use a slower shutter speed.
Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
I like that shot. The light makes it look like it was taken at sundown.
I’ve learned that if I expose for the bird, the background will of necessity be underexposed, but I am ok with that.
I haven’t been ignoring you. My page with reader, etc isn’t working and haven’t been able to figure out if there’s anything I can do to it. So now have you in my “favorites” and will be able to see your blogs. Now I have so many more people to “track down.”
That effort all paid off nicely. The shadow in the vegetation is a nice addition.
Thanks. I’m finally getting to a point where I feel comfortable in switching to manual exposure mode (though I usually will check to see what aperture priority would give me to have a starting point for adjustments).
I love the morning light and the reflection. He looks very regal.