Fixed Wing Photography

If you've tried various settings on your DSLR while in the manual mode you've developed a basic understanding of the way in which shutter speed, aperture (f-stop), and ISO affect the picture. To create an image like this one of the egret taking flight your primary consideration is the shutter speed. The egret appears suspended because I've captured a small fraction of a second, just 1/2500, in which the wings appear to be still. You can create that setting in either manual mode or shutter priority mode (whatever your manufacturer calls it). I use manual mode, evaluate the exposure before focusing on the bird, under-expose a bit because of the bird's brightness, and then select a tracking focus mode to maintain focus while following the bird and holding the shutter button down in burst mode. For your camera a "sport" mode may suffice. I also developed this shot to add separation of the bird from the background.

Did You Want A Silhouette?

Sometimes we want the effect of back-lighting or even shooting into the sun. In case you're disappointed by the silhouette that you get in your shot of someone whose face you hoped to see, remember your flash. Even that harsh pop-up flash built in to the top of the viewfinder housing will illuminate your subject when the camera's light meter is exposing for the background light. In this shot I just let the camera's meter show me how to expose for the available lighting at the event. I actually pushed my exposure a little lower and used developing to get this final look. So, if bright light is coming from behind your subject, remember your flash. Your smart phone has one, too.