A Short Course in Photography: An Introduction to Photographic Technique / Edition 7

by Barbara London, Jim Stone

Overview

This easy-to-use text introduces photography students to the fundamentals of photography and suggests ways in which they might create photographs that have meaning. With a special focus on black and white photography, the book also explores digital techniques and web photography resources, equipment, cameras and camera accessories, the exposure and development of film, and the making and finishing of prints. All aspects of the process are explained and illustrated clearly in two-page spreads, each of which addresses a self-contained topic.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780136031871
Publisher:	Prentice Hall
Publication date:	03/12/2008
Series:	MyPhotographyKit Series
Edition description:	Older Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	8.27(w) x 10.88(h) x 0.44(d)

Read an Excerpt

PREFACE:

Preface

If you don't know anything about photography and would like to learn, or if you want to make better pictures than ones you make now, A Short Course in Photography will help you. It presents in depth the basic techniques for black-and-white photography:

• How to get a good exposure
• How to adjust the focus, shutter speed, and aperture (the size of the lens opening) to produce the results you want
• How to develop film and make prints

Most of today's cameras incorporate automatic features, but that doesn't mean that they automatically produce the results you want. A Short Course in Photography devotes special attention to:

• Automatic focus and automatic exposure—what they do and, particularly, how to override them when it is better to adjust the camera manually

Some of the book's highlights include:

• Getting Started. If you are brand new to photography, this section will walk you through the first steps of selecting and loading film, focusing sharply, adjusting the exposure, and making your first pictures. See pages 4-9.
• Digital Imaging. In one sense, digital imaging is just another tool, but it is also an immensely powerful technique that is changing photography and that will empower those who know how to use it. See pages 152-155.
• Projects. These projects are designed to help you develop your technical and expressive skills. See, for example, page 128 or 171.
• Making Better Prints. Additional information about how to fine tune your prints by burning in and dodging (darkening orlightening selected areas), and by cropping the edges to concentrate attention on the portion of the scene you want. See pages 114-117.
• Types of lenses, types of film, lighting, filters

Photography is a subjective and personal undertaking. A Short Course in Photography emphasizes your choices in picture making:

• How to look at a scene in terms of the way the camera can record it
• How to select the shutter speed, point of view, or other elements that can make the difference between an ordinary snapshot and an exciting photograph
• Chapter 9, Seeing Like a Camera, explores your choices in selecting and adjusting the image, and covers how to photograph subjects such as people and landscapes

New to this edition are:

• Photography on the Internet. How to find manufacturer's data, photographs, and other useful information on the World Wide Web
• More information on Health and Safety precautions in the darkroom
• Technical updates throughout
• Many new photographs and illustrations

This book is designed to make learning photography as easy as possible:

• Every two facing pages completes a single topic
• Detailed step-by-step instructions clarify each stage of extended procedures such as negative development and printing
• Boldfaced headings make subtopics easy to spot
• Numerous photographs and drawings illustrate each topic

Acknowledgments

Many people gave generously of their time and effort in the production of this book. Feedback from numerous instructors was a major help in confirming the basic direction of the book and in determining the new elements in this edition. At Prentice Hall, Kimberly Chastain and Bud Therien provided editorial support. Joe Scordato supervised the production of the book from manuscript to printer. Nancy Wells redesigned the book and helped make it even more user friendly. If, as you read the book or use it in your class, you have suggestions to make, please send them to Photography Editor, Prentice Hall, 1 Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. They will be sincerely welcomed.

Jim Stone
Barbara London

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Camera

Getting Started Camera and film

Loading film into the camera

Focusing and setting the exposure

Exposure readout

Exposing the film

What will you photograph?

Using a digital camera

Types of Cameras

Basic Camera Controls

More about Camera Controls

Inside a singlelens reflex camera

Shutter Speed Affects light and motion

Aperture Affects light and depth of field

Shutter Speed and Aperture Blur vs. depth of field

Getting the Most from Your Camera and Lens

Chapter 2 Lens

Lens Focal Length The basic difference between lenses

Normal Focal Length The most like human vision

Long Focal Length Telephoto lenses

Short Focal Length Wide-angle lenses

Zoom, Macro, and Fisheye Lenses

Focus and Depth of Field

Automatic Focus

Depth of Field Controlling sharpness in a photograph

More about Depth of Field How to preview it

Perspective How a photograph shows depth

Lens Attachments Making close-ups

Using filters

Polarization and other effects

Chapter 3 Film

Selecting and Using Film

Film Speed and Grain The two go together

Special-Purpose Films Infrared and chromogenic

Color in Film and Digital

Color Films

Chapter 4 Exposure

Normal Exposure, Underexposure, and Overexposure

Exposure Meters What different types do

How to calculate and adjust an exposure manually

Overriding an Automatic Exposure Camera

Making an Exposure of an Average Scene

Exposing Scenes That are Lighter or Darker than Average

Backlighting

Exposing Scenes with High Contrast

Low Light and Reciprocity

Exposures in Hard-to-Meter Situations

Chapter 5 Developing the Negative

Processing Film Equipment and chemicals you’ll need

Mixing and Handling Chemicals

Processing Film Step by Step Setting out materials needed

Preparing the film

Development

Stop bath and fixer

Washing and drying

Summary of Film Processing

How Chemicals Affect Film

Evaluating Your Negatives

Push Processing

Chapter 6 Printing

Printing Equipment and materials you’ll need

Making a Contact Print Step by Step

Processing a Print Step by Step Development

Stop bath and fixer

Washing and drying

Summary of Print Processing

Making an Enlarged Print Step by Step Setting up the enlarger

Exposing a test print

Exposing a final print

Evaluating Your Print for Density and Contrast

More about Contrast How to control it in a print

Local Controls Burning in and dodging

Cropping

Spotting

Mounting a Print

Equipment and materials you’ll need

Dry Mounting a Print Step by Step

Bleed Mounting/Overmatting

Chapter 7 Lighting

Qualities of Light From direct to diffused

Existing Light Use what’s available

The Main Light The strongest source of light

Fill Light To lighten shadows

Simple Portrait Lighting

Using Artificial Light Photolamp or flash

More about Flash How to position it

Using Flash

Chapter 8 Digital Photography

Equipment and Materials You’ll Need

Pixels Make the Picture

Digital Color Modes, gamuts, spaces, and profiles

Channels

Using Histograms and the Info Palette

Setting up a Workflow Stay organized

Workflow programs: Aperture and lightroom

Importing an Image

Scanning

Getting Started Editing an Image

Adjusting an Image Levels

Curves

Adjusting Part of an Image Selections

More Techniques Layers

Filters

Retouching

Sharpening

Compositing

Making a Digital Image Step by Step

Soft Proofing

Printing

Storage, Archiving, Retrieval

Ethics and Digital Imaging

Chapter 9 Seeing Like a Camera

What’s in the Picture The edges or frame

The background

Depth of Field Which parts are sharp

Time and Motion in a Photograph

Depth in a Picture Three dimensions become two

Chaos becomes order

Photographing for Meaning

Portraits Informal: Finding them

Formal: Setting them up

Photographing the Landscape

Photographing the Cityscape

Photographing Inside

Responding to Photographs

How to Learn More

Troubleshooting

Glossary

Photo Credits

Bibliography

Index

Preface

If you don't know anything about photography and would like to learn, or if you want to make better pictures than the ones you make now, A Short Course in Photography will help you. It presents in depth the basic techniques for black-and-white photography:

• How to get a good exposure
• How to adjust the focus, shutter speed, and aperture (the size of the lens opening) to produce the results you want
• How to develop film and make prints

Most of today's cameras incorporate automatic features, but that doesn't mean that they automatically produce the results you want. A Short Course in Photography devotes special attention to:

• Automatic focus and automatic exposure—what they do and, particularly, how to override them when it is better to adjust the camera manually

Some of the book's highlights include:

• Getting Started. If you are brand new to photography, this section will walk you through the first steps of selecting and loading film, focusing sharply, adjusting the exposure, and making your first pictures. See pages 4-9.
• Digital Imaging. In one sense, digital imaging is just another tool, but it is also an immensely powerful technique that is changing photography and that will empower those who know how to use it. See pages 152-157.
• Projects. These projects are designed to help you develop your technical and expressive skills. See, for example, page 128 or 173.
• Making Better Prints. Additional information about how to fine tune your prints by burning in and dodging (darkening or lightening selected areas), and by cropping the edges to concentrateattention on the portion of the scene you want. See pages 114-117.
• Types of lenses, types of film, lighting, filters

Photography is a subjective and personal undertaking. A Short Course in Photography emphasizes your choices in picture making:

• How to look at a scene in terms of the way the camera can record it
• How to select the shutter speed, point of view, or other elements that can make the difference between an ordinary snapshot and an exciting photograph
• Chapter 9, Seeing Like a Camera, explores your choices in selecting and adjusting the image, and covers how to photograph subjects such as people and landscapes

New to this edition are

• Using a Digital Camera. How to make photographs digitally from start to finish
• Up-to-date information on Health and Safety precautions in the darkroom
• Technical updates throughout
• Many new photographs and illustrations

This book is designed to make learning photography as easy as possible:

• Every two facing pages completes a single topic
• Detailed step-by-step instructions clarify each stage of extended procedures such as negative development and printing
• Boldfaced headings make subtopics easy to spot
• Numerous photographs and drawings illustrate each topic

Acknowledgments

Many people gave generously of their time and effort in the production of this book. Feedback from numerous instructors was a major help in confirming the basic direction of the book and in determining the new elements in this edition. At Prentice Hall, Kimberly Chastain and Bud Therien provided editorial support. Joe Scordato supervised the production of the book from manuscript to printer. Nancy Wells redesigned the book and helped make it even more user friendly.

Jim Stone
Barbara London