This seminal photography text, now in its 11th edition, has been revamped, reorganized, and modernized to include the most up-to-date and need-to-know information for photographers. Introducing all the key concepts and fundamentals of photography, this book is a must-have for any photographer’s bookcase.

Providing examples and practical information throughout to allow photographers to apply concepts to their own work, the text explains the fundamentals of photography in an accessible way. Fully updated to reflect the dynamic changes in the industry, this 11th edition includes expanded and updated content focusing on advances in camera technology and digital lighting, connecting with the global photography industry and professional networks through social media, updated images throughout, and a new chapter on new digital outputs.

Ideal as a foundational text for students of photography as well as a key reference for professionals.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Picture Credits

Chapter 1. What is Photography?

Why Photography?

Changing Attitudes Toward Photography

Art and documentation

How Photography Works

Picture Structuring

The Roles Photographs Play

Personal Styles and Approaches

Measuring Success

Chapter 2. Light: How Images Are Formed

Light Itself

Wavelengths and Colors

Shadows

When Light Reaches a Surface

Light Intensity and Distance

Making Light form Images

Chapter 3. Lenses and Filters: Controlling the Image

Photographic Lenses

Aperture and f-numbers

Depth of Field

How Depth of Field Works

Depth of Focus

Using Different Focal Length Lenses, Camera Kits

Why Change Focal Length?

Lens Kits

Image Stabilization

Close-up Equipment

Lens Care

Essentials and Extras

Which Kit Works for You?

Filters – How They Work

Chapter 4. Cameras

The Essential Components

Camera Types – Which is Best?

Getting Started with Digital Cameras

Digital Cameras

Film Cameras

Chapter 5. Exposure Measurement

Factors that Determine What Exposure to Give

Measuring Exposure for Continuous Light

Practical Exposure Tips

Measuring Exposure for Flash

Practical Flash Exposure Tips

Exposing Different Film Types

Chapter 6. Organizing The Picture

Noticing Subject Features

Structuring Pictures Through the Camera

Where Photographs Go

Chapter 7. Lighting

Principles and Equipment

Basic Characteristics of Lighting

Lighting Equipment

Practical Lighting Problems

Special Subjects

Chapter 8. Digital Workflow

Before Making Your First Photographs

Capture

Downloading Your Photographs

Processing Raw Files

Digitizing Film

Image processing for output

Archiving

Chapter 9. Digital Postproduction

Photoshop

Working with Color and Contrast

Color

Retouching Tools

The Crop Tool (C)

Composite Images with Photomerge

Actions

Useful Photoshop Shortcuts

Chapter 10. Film and Film Processing

Silver Halide Emulsions

Features Common to all Films

Choosing Films for Black and White

Films for Color Photography

Storing Film – Before and After Exposure

So Which Film is “Best”?

Film Processing

Processing Black and White (Silver Image) Negatives

Processing Chromogenic (Color and Black and White) Negatives

Processing Color Slides and Transparencies

Permanence of Processed Results

Chapter 11. Black and White Printing: Techniques, Equipment, and Facilities

Making a Print

Printing Papers

Safelighting and Printing Paper Sensitivity

Developing Prints

Making Contact Prints

“Straight” Enlarging

Controls During Enlarging

Common Print Faults

Variations

Chemical Afterwork

Retouching

Toning

Tinting

Etching

Image Reduction and Bleach-Out

Permanence and Archiving

Darkroom Organization

Equipment: The Enlarger

Chapter 12. Moving Image and Photography

Introduction

Approaching Moving Images

Moving Image Essentials

Working for Offline and Online Screen Display

Capturing and Remapping Time with Time-lapse Photography

Basic Time-Lapse Photography Production

Shooting Mirrorless and DSLR Video

Animated GIFs and Derivatives

Chapter 13. Finishing and Presenting Work

The Permanence of Prints

Mounting Methods and Framing

Spotting/Retouching

Getting your Work Noticed

Pictures on the Internet

Building your Own Site

Chapter 14. The Expanded Digital Photography Field

Introduction

Digital Processing and Computer Generated Images

The non-visible spectrum and spectral capture

2.5 and 3D Reconstruction

Appendices

Appendix A: Optical Calculations

Appendix B: Camera Movements

Appendix C: Expressing film response

Appendix D: Chemical formulae

Appendix E: Health and Safety concerns

Appendix F: Digital Notebook

Appendix G: Photography timeline

Glossary

Langford's Basic Photography is a seminal photography text. First published in 1965, it has informed the work and career of many of the world's leading photographers. The new, 9th edition, continues the tradition of its predecessors, reflecting the same comprehensive mix of scholarly and practical information. It covers every aspect of photography, from capture through to output, both digital and analogue. There is an emphasis on explaining the 'how to' of photography, but Langford's Basic also includes in-depth coverage of the fundamental principles that govern the art, such as how light behaves, optics, and the shutter. This ensures that the reader comes away with not only a good grasp of photographic technique, but also an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals that will help them to better understand how great photography is made. As such, it functions both as an excellent coursebook for students of photography, and a great primer and reference for amateur enthusiasts. The new edition has been fully updated to reflect dynamic changes in the industry. These changes include: an expansion and overhaul of the information on digital cameras and digital printing; an emphasis on updating photographs to incude a wider range of international work; replacement of many diagrams with photos; overhaul of the analogue sections to give a more modern tone (ie exposure measurement and film and filters with some more dynamic photo illustrations); a fully edited and updated photography timeline. This landmark text is an essential purchase, both for new photographers as an introduction, and for established photographers as an invaluable reference work.