Turn to full manual!

Turn to full manual.....

I have always struggled to switch on to full manual mode on my DSLR!  And even now, at times, I am just afraid to use the manual mode. I thought of putting things together what I have learned so far and see if that helps someone :) I believe this would be an easy guide to the beginner since I have been through the same phase ans still perfecting it. I have tried to sum up my learning and experience.

While many of us, including me, are still struggling with the automatic mode (Aperture priority / shutter priority / program mode), turning the dial on to the manual mode has a lot of advantage. The DSLRs are actually made to be controlled by the user and not the camera limiting the user! The auto modes are built in the beginners DSLRs, probably to just ease in the transition from auto to fully manual mode. For a good photograph, the technical details might not be important. A simple and humble mobile phone camera can produce a better image. But controlling the DSLRs manually is a vital thing to recreate what we visualize at the back of the brain.

But why???

The two main cost contributing factors of DSLRs are the sensor and the heavy algorithm which gets hardwired into every camera! The DSLRs comparatively have a less software, assuming the user will control many factors. That might be the reason you see less auto modes on a DSLR compared to an advanced compact digital camera!

When we are using the automatic mode, we are giving the camera algorithm an upper hand to decide on the other several factors. For example, when we are on the aperture mode, the algorithm has a control on the shutter speed. Though the camera decides the best shutter speed for the scene, it somewhere fails to exactly replicate the exposure of the photograph which we have visualized. (The camera averages out the light depending on the metering mode and calculates the shutter speed. The camera might have calculated a little faster shutter speed, averaging the light, which under exposes some parts. Or a slower shutter speed which over exposes!). A fractional change in the exposure can completely change the overall look of the photograph. Similarly in shutter priority mode, the aperture (in turn the DOF) is in camera’s control. (In the program mode and auto mode, the camera controls almost everything!).

While in manual mode, we have the supreme control over the exposure triangle! Hence, giving a total control over the photographs. To conclude, dialing to the manual mode has its own advantage; it gives you complete control on the exposure (Shutter speed, aperture and the ISO). Switching to it might be difficult, but once you are handy with it, photographs come out creative and spectacular :)

How do I????

Step 1: Very important, turn your dial to Manual mode and believe in your self that you are going to click better than any other modes :)

Turn the dial to 'M' mode.

Step 2: I would probably set an appropriate aperture first depending on the DOF I would need! Say a shallow DOF for a portrait or a deep DOF for a landscape. You can still set the shutter speed first.

To adjust the aperture, hold on to the (+/-) button and rotate the wheel. The light meter is towards the negative side, indicating it is under exposed.

Step 3: Set the appropriate shutter speed for the scene. Higher shutter speed for freezing motion or lower shutter speed to have movement in the photograph. If you have set the shutter speed at the first step, set the aperture now.

To adjust the shutter speed, rotate the wheel left / right. Adjusting the shutter speed gradually brings the light meter indicator towards the middle. Finally, over expose it a little.

Step 4: Adjust the ISO to properly expose the photograph. But remember, higher the ISO more the noise! It is always safer to be at your camera’s lowest ISO possible. It is always good to know what would be the highest comfortable ISO of your camera at different situation.

Press the 'i' and adjust the ISO. ISO increased from 100 to 400, tweaked the shutter for proper exposure.

Step 5: Having said to adjust the aperture, shutter and the ISO, we only get to know whether the frame is correctly exposed or not by looking at the light meter. To correctly do this, press the shutter button half way till the scene is in focus and see the light meter, proper exposure is when the indicator points to the middle (“0”). If the indicator is away from the middle, either left or right, you will have to start tweaking the settings. Follow step 2 to 4 and again check at the meter. The indicator should be at the middle to have a good exposure. And of course, it is your image; you need not always expose the frame having the light meter at the middle! You have all authority to make what you want!

This seems to be very easy or may be very tough, but you will understand only when you try it out. These setting are to be changed on the fly to suit your requirements. You will have to click a lot of images and try a lot of combinations to get what you want :)

Cheat codes!

• Setting aperture must be an easy play, once you are sure about what DOF you are going for. You will have to tweak it only when it is limiting the other parameter (Shutter and ISO). Aperture also plays a role in letting the amount of light on the sensor! Mind it :)
• Setting the shutter speed might be little tricky. Firstly, deciding the speed of moving object would be difficult. A flying bird and a water droplet have different speed. You can predict it to an extant! 1/60^th of a second and below would give a slow shutter (hand holding would be difficult), starting with somewhere around 1/250^th of a second would be a good start, 1/500^th of a second and above can freeze most of the things around. Secondly, deciding the amount of light you would like to allow to fall on the sensor. Slower the shutter, higher the amount of light and faster the shutter, lower the amount of light!
• It is all about playing with the 3 components of the exposure triangle, compensating stops from each component to satisfy the other and get the best exposure! The light meter is the guide :)
• Expose towards the right! Always try to over expose (little) the photograph by couple of stops! That is the light meter should be one or two points towards the positive side. This will ensure the scene is well exposed, but again it depends on the scene and the photograph. A little bit about too much over exposure and its a problem again! Keep watch of the clipped highlights on the camera display screen. Tweak and click again!
• The EV (Exposure Compensation)! Feel free to use the exposure compensation to deliberately over ride the light meter and tell the camera to strictly over expose or under expose the photograph depending on the need!

Adjusting the Exposure Compensation, setting it to +0.7

• Keep in mind to change the parameters every time when the light / the scene changes, when you have shifted to manual mode. Unlike the automatic mode, the parameters are not automatically adjusted by the camera!

These photos are with reference to Nikon D5100 camera and it should be similar with most of the Nikon family cameras. Refer your camera's manual to map the buttons on your camera.

I would love hear any correction on any of the above mentioned statements. Open to learning :)
Please post your comments down here to discuss on any of the statements!

Some useful links :

Basics of Digital photography : http://berniesumption.com/photography/beginners-guide-for-geeks/
This site explains the basic terminologies of digital photography.

Everything from camera to printing : www.cambridgeincolour.com/
A detailed explanation about everything you want to know.

Some interesting photographs and tutorials : 121clicks.com

A short note on the Indian Silverbill

The Beginning...

Apart from just photographing the aves around, my interest grew on observing their behaviour and making notes of it, when there was a pair of Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) flying around in the backyard. I could spot them almost every time I looked out of the window.  One day they were inside the enclosed balcony, searching for something and eventually over days they built a nest, laid eggs and young birds with the parents flew away. This took place for at least over 45 days. I had made my discrete notes on its daily activities. From building the nest, laying eggs, safe-guarding the eggs, incubating them, celebration of the birds when the eggs were hatched, defending from any intruders, feeding, parenting and teaching the young ones to fly, it was quite an amazing sight. Their behaviour was fascinating and this experience gave me a good insight into the bird's life. Roughly about a month later there was 1 more family nesting at the same place and the whole process was repeated. So I had a double chance to make my notes precise. These observations were made over 4 months; December-2013 to March-2014. The whole process was fun :)

A Portrait of Red-Whiskered Bulbul

Crest to Tail

Red-Whiskered Bulbul gathering strands of grass to build its nest

The Indian Silverbill

I had only bookish knowledge of the Indian Silverbill or White-Throated Munia (Lonchura malabarica) and had spotted just couple of times. I was excited when my mom told me that there are birds hovering around the weaver bird nest (which we had brought from our farm lands back in our village) tied in the balcony. I was somehow sure that a bird must be using the weaver bird's nest as its nesting place. I was then delighted to spot these small birds chirping around the balcony. A short-triangular-shiny grey bill, brownish upper parts, white rump, buffy-white ear coverts, throat, breasts, belly and flanks, scaly-brown crown, black tail, gradient dark wings, black round eyes and short 3-finger-clawed feet. Both the sex looks similar. I spent nearly 10 hours with them out of the 48 hours I had on my weekend visit.

The Indian Silverbill - Morning sun bath

The Indian Silverbill

The Indian silverbill or white-throated munia (Lonchura malabarica) is a small passerine bird found in the Indian Subcontinent and adjoining regions that was formerly considered to include the closely related African silverbill (Lonchura cantans). They forage in small flocks in grassland and scrub habitats. [Source extract from Wikipedia]

The Indian Silverbill

I found them mostly flying around the trees and shrubs in front of the house. They had made the Baya Weaver (Ploceus philippinus) bird's nest has its dwell. They have adapted to the nest very well. They must have made good inspection of the nest before choosing one; they had chose a strong well-built nest out of the 3 hanging nests.

Though references say they are usually found in flocks of 40 to 60 birds, I could not spot any other bird than this pair. They make swift flights with fast beating wings. More than half the time in a day they sit around the nest to protect their eggs. Early morning and the late evening they spend more time inside the nest compared to the mid day. Both the parents spend a lot of time incubating the eggs inside the nest. Accidently (may due to strong monsoon winds), there was one egg which had fell out and broke into peices. The eggs must be tiny with white shell.

The Indian Silverbill - Perched on a tree

The Indian Silverbill - Pecking small insects from its body

They are very shy and sensitive birds. My cameras shutter sound was enough to alert them, they had a very sharp hearing capability. Their vision was very sharp, a small movement around would alert them. Outside the nest they spend their time chirping and acknowledging the other bird call, pecking small insects from their body and wings, looking around for food and having fun. They get puffed up, spreading there wings and feathers to keep themselves warm. They look fat when they do so otherwise they look slender!

The Indian Silverbill - Cleaning their wings

The Indian Silverbill - Pecking small insects from their tail feathers

The Indian Silverbill - Spreading out their wings and Cleaning

The Indian Silverbill - Keeping warm

The Indian Silverbill - Shaking off its body!

The Indian Silverbill - Having some good time together.

The Indian Silverbill call is very short silent chirping sound. I have recorded its call on a very windy day, the bird call is fairly audible. Head phones recommended.

I enjoyed every bit of this first hand experience of watching them. These small creatures know the way to be happy! There are high value lessons that we should learn from animals and birds around. Looking forward for more such beautiful opportunity.

All the Indian Silverbill observation and photographs are dated  12,13 July 2014.
None of the birds / its nest / eggs / young ones were threatened / disturbed during this observation / photographs.

One of the egg which fell down and broke. The ants fed on the broken egg leaving behind this shell. The egg is 1.5cm long and 4cm in circumference. This was collected and photographed on Oct 22nd 2014.

References and further reading :

Red-whiskered Bulbul : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-whiskered_bulbul

Indian Silverbill : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_silverbill

African Silverbill : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_silverbill 

Baya Weaver Bird : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baya_Weaver