Introduction
Ever since Michael Langford’s book, Advanced Photography was first published in 1969, the book has inspired and educated many thousands of photographers.
Langford’s Advanced Photography, 8th edition, covers a wide range of topics from photographic equipment and processes to image manipulation, archiving and storage of both silver halide and digital images. In most cases the chapters have been designed to be read independently and not necessarily in the sequence they were written. Each chapter concludes with a short summary and you can exercise your knowledge of the subject by implementing some of the projects given.
The digital photographic industry has seen unprecedented growth over the last ten years. This has been primarily due to the availability of high quality electronic imaging devices and fast and affordable computing power and digital storage. As a result, digital photography has displaced traditional silver halide film capture in many areas of the photographic profession. In the 8th edition of the book the content has been updated and restructured, placing emphasis on digital photography while maintaining updated chapters on silver halide photographic equipment and techniques. The chapters include more photographs and diagrams.
The first chapter of the book is on basic theory of colour, its reproduction and control. Updated chapters on cameras and lenses follow which now include more detailed information on digital camera and lens systems. Control of lighting is essential for high quality photographs, whether they have been captured digitally or on film. The type of light source and its direction will have a dramatic effect on your photographs. By tailoring your light source and adapting it to your needs you can control the final look and mood of your work. Different types of light source, studio lighting equipment and several lighting techniques for portrait photography are described in the chapter on lighting control, with new photographs illustrating lighting techniques. Also included are techniques for location interior lighting, still-life and on using a flashgun effectively. In the chapter on tone control you will read how to control the tonal range of your final images, silver halide or digital. This chapter includes high dynamic range imaging and a detailed description of the zone system of exposure and development.
The chapters that follow are related to digital imaging. You will read a detailed introduction to imaging sensors and will learn about some of the image artefacts associated with them. The characteristics of input and output devices in digital imaging, such as scanners, printers and displays, have an effect on the quality of your photographs. A chapter on digital imaging systems provides an updated overview of device characteristics such as dynamic range, resolution, tone and colour reproduction. Practical advice on using these devices is also given. You will also read about the imaging workflow, file formats, compression and basic image adjustments.
Traditional, silver halide photography is still in use today and this book provides updated information on the current developments in film. Chapter 9 includes an explanation of film technical data and specifications provided by the manufacturers. It also includes information on special materials such as duplicating film, infrared film and instant materials. It is followed by a chapter on film processing management and colour printing techniques. In that chapter a detailed explanation of film processing management is given, and the different methods and equipment used are described. An in-depth overview of printing from negative and positive films starting from first principles is given. The overview assumes prior knowledge of black and white printing theory and techniques which are covered in detail in Langford’s Basic Photography. The book continues with a presentation of some specialised techniques in Chapter 11. These include infrared, ultraviolet, underwater, panoramic and stereoscopic photography. This chapter has also been updated to refect the current developments in digital imaging. The photographic technique you will use is highly dependent on your subject. The ‘Subjects’ chapter covers portraiture, sport, landscape, architectural, nature, wedding and aerial photography. It explains how to organise your work, the equipment you need to use and provides suggestions on suitable techniques.
Reproduction and archiving of digital and silver halide photographs are discussed in Chapter 13. You will read about the different methods of reproduction and on how to supply images for different types of reproduction. You will also learn on the longevity of photographic materials and the methods of storing and archiving. These include digital storage media and data migration.
The last two chapters of the book are related to the photographic profession and business practice. The photographic business, today, is a rapidly changing, increasingly technical and highly competitive profession. In order to succeed the professional photographer, whether working as an employee or as a self employed freelance photographer, needs to understand the fundamental business practices associated with his or her profession. An introduction to professional photographic business practice is provided and several issues in the photographic business such as running a business, insurance, and copyright are analysed.
The revised and restructured 8th edition maintains the spirit and character of Langford’s original text and will continue to provide technical guidance to students and professional photographers.
E.B.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks from Efthimia Bilissi to Terry Abrams for his valuable feedback and comments on the technical content of the manuscript and his input to the content of the chapter ‘Professional Photography’, and to Professor Geoffrey Attridge for his feedback on the chapter ‘Colour in Photography’. Efthimia also wishes to thank her husband, Hani, and son, Anthony. Thanks are also due to the Focal Press team, especially Graham Smith and Lisa Jones, and to iStockphoto for providing many of the images in this book.
Elizabeth Allen wishes to thank James Boardman, Ulrike Leyens and Andre Pinkowski for their input into the ‘Business Practice’ chapter. She also wishes to thank Jason, Anja and Frederic (who was born during the writing of this edition).
Thanks from Sophie Triantaphillidou to Andy Finney for his useful input on infrared photography in Chapter 11. Also thanks to the following photographers for allowing the publication of their images in the book: Andy Finney, Mark Chappell, Olivier Moullard, Klaus Schmitt and John Smith.