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These started to appear in the garden last weekend. I took advantage of a break in the clouds yesterday afternoon to capture the first signs of spring.

I’ve taken many photographs up on Hampstead Heath and so, to shake things up a bit, I set the camera to ‘M’ and see what I could do. The first couple of pictures that I took were heavily overexposed and as a result I tended to over-compensate, under-exposing the majority of the photos.

Going in on full manual was like shooting blind. I had no idea what I was doing and so in order to give myself a fighting chance I gave myself the following rule.

Pick the highest f-stop (smallest aperture) possible and then adjust the shutter speed until the picture is correctly exposed.

I’ve no idea how I arrived at this rule, but it turns out that having the highest possible f-stop isn’t necessarily the best approach (wikipedia). Nevertheless, I intend to do this more often until I manage to instinctively pick levels that are close to what I want.

Next time though, I’ll remember to set the camera back to shooting in RAW. When shooting in full manual, I’d forgotten about the white balance and so many of my JPEGs have a blueish tint to them.

The full set of pictures can be viewed on flickr (Experiments in manual photography) but the highlight of the set is the photo below.

On day 10, our last full day in Yangshuo (阳朔), we took two bamboo rafts along the Li River (漓江) to Fuli Old Town (福利古镇). The town appeared incredibly poor and run down. You only have to see the photo of the cinema to realise that most of the youth has long since moved out. Despite this impression though, there was a general feeling that it wouldn’t be too long before the newly rich started to return in order to escape the noise of the larger towns and cities.

On the following day we returned to Beijing. Our remaining few days in China were split equally between family and shops. We finally returned to London, cases bulging, all of us wishing the trip could have lasted just a little bit longer.

This is the final selection of photos from the trip. You can see the full selection, including many photos that haven’t appeared on this blog over on Flickr. Over the next couple of days I will be supplementing the Beijing (北京) and Yangshuo (阳朔) sets with photos taken by others on the trip.

Flickr: View all photos from our China Trip

Day 9 was a day for exploring on foot. After a late start we decided to walk along the river and then back into town past all the market stalls. I’ve never seen so many market stalls selling the same thing. They must coordinate with each other to ensure maximum spacing between stalls selling the same stuff.

In the evening the girls all went off for a massage whilst the men agreed to meet for coffee in “The Best Coffee” on West Street (西街). Somehow, I blame a combination of my poor Chinese and my father in-law’s broken english, we ended up on a Bamboo raft heading along the Li River (丽江) away from Yangshuo (阳朔). Needless to say we were late for that coffee, but it was worth it for the sunset on the Li. As my father in-law put it, “这是最好的主意！”

On day 8, we woke up in Yangshuo (阳朔). We hired bicycles and cycled out of town. With no particular destination in mind, our stops were determined by a combination of thirst and curiosity. We were privileged to be able to speak with a 90 year old lady smiling as she dug up her sweet potatoes on her farm. Although brief, this encounter really brought home some of the contrasts that still exist in China today.

We returned to Yangshuo in time to make it out to see Impression Liu San Jie (印象刘三姐) (video), a musical production by Zhang Yi Mou (张艺谋) set in the mountains around Yangshuo. Think of it as theatre on a Chinese scale (65 sq. km of water for the stage, 12 mountains for the backdrop, some 600 actors).

I’ve always liked photography, but never felt that I was any good. For many years I had a pretty decent compact camera but started to get frustrated with the inability to capture some of the shots I wanted. With the purchase of my first DSLR I very quickly realised how much I didn’t know. I was amazed at how easy it had become to take a bad picture.

After shooting my way through two weeks in China, I feel as if I have started to learn my first real photography lessons. The web is full of lessons on how to use photoshop to touch up your pictures. But, even before I get that far, things that I regard as the basics such as being able to instinctively select the correct aperture or shutter speed still seem a long way off for me.

These lessons may seem glaringly obvious, but after picking up a DSLR for the first time, I really did have to start with the basics.

1. Focus
   A blurred photo is almost always a disappointment. It only takes small focal adjustments to make the difference between a clear picture, and a picture that you can’t use. The first thing I realised was that you can’t always rely on the auto-focus to get it right. It does a good job, but make sure you pay attention to what the camera has focussed on. If necessary, don’t be afraid to switch to manual.
2. Angle
   There is nothing like taking a great picture only to find out later that it is a couple of degrees off horizontal. Of course, some photos are meant to be wonky, but make sure you decide this before taking the shot. I was surprised at how many times I didn’t realise that I wasn’t holding the camera level.
3. Subject
   Resist the temptation to take the same photos as everyone else. If you see lots of people taking photos, it doesn’t mean you have to get your camera out and take the same shots. Try looking the other way to see what everyone else is missing.
4. Zoom
   A long lens is no substitute for getting up close and personal. It can be great fun shooting with a long lens, but I found it really difficult to capture any sense of emotion or character when using a long lens. Perhaps this is something to work on.
5. Practise
   You can read all you like about ways to improve your technique, but this is no substitute for getting out there and using your camera. Keep all your photos and, before you delete any, be sure to review them and understand what you feel worked and what could be improved. (tip: you’ll need a bigger hard disk)
6. Ask
   Don’t be afraid to ask people if you can take their photo. I really struggle with this one, but I did learn that asking for permission is far better than trying to take a photo without being noticed. I still have to learn to overcome the fear or embarrassment that comes with taking pictures of complete strangers.

Have you recently made the switch to using a DSLR? Are you a seasoned pro or only just starting out? I’d love to hear what lessons you have learned or what suggestions you have for me. The comments are all yours.

Day 7 we planned to fly down to Yangshuo (阳朔) early afternoon to allow ourselves time to look around and settle in to our hotel. It didn’t quite work as planned. We were woken to cries of, “比尔，北京下雪”. The snow had come early in Beijing and as a result we spent an extra four hours in Beijing Capital Airport. Somehow, we made it down to Yangshuo the same day and settled in to our rooms in the Morning Sun Hotel.

Almost a week in to our stay in Beijing and it was time to visit the extended family, followed by everyone’s favourite, Beijing roast duck (烤鸭). We finished the day with a second visit to the Temple of Heaven park (天坛公园) where Alicia’s father managed to get us access to the chrysanthemum exhibition. Exhausted, we returned home early to prepare for our trip to Yangshuo (阳朔).

By day 5, we were starting to tire and so after a late start headed for the Lama Temple (雍和宮). After the Lama Temple, we wandered along Nanuoguxiang (南锣鼓巷), stopping for lunch in a Korean restaurant. As we wandered back to my parents’ hotel (Hotel Kapok) in the rain, the girls shopped while the guys watched. We ended the evening with dinner in Oriental Plaza (东方广场) with my cousin in-law and her husband.