3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding text for newcomers and veterans, July 17, 2011
This review is from: Langford's Basic Photography, Ninth Edition: The Guide for Serious Photographers (Paperback)
One of the hardest things about taking up a new hobby (or profession) is knowing where to begin your study. With so many books and manuals on the market, the sheer volume of available information can seem overwhelming. Well, neophyte photographers, take heart, because here is the book that you need. If I could recommend only one source for someone really looking to "get serious" about taking quality photographs, this would be it.
The book progresses in a very logical manner, beginning with a basic introduction to the very nature of light and optics and proceeding through camera mechanics, principles of lighting and composition, film characteristics, and digital techniques. As you would expect in any photography text, there are many, many photographic illustrations. One thing that really shines about Langford is the wonderful diagrams, which are among the best I have seen in any textbook. Understanding optics and the behavior of light is not always intuitive, but the diagrams do an excellent job of illustrating difficult concepts in an easy-to-grasp manner.
The writing itself, while clear and unambiguous, sometimes tends a little dry. You may find books like "Understanding Exposure" or any of Scott Shelby's popular series to be more engaging; these are excellent books, however Langford has a much wider scope and so of necessity the prose is somewhat more technical. In my opinion, though, this also makes it a more satisfying reading experience. Shelby's series tell you how to do something, but Langford tells you why it works.
A word about digital and film. It is true that this book is somewhat heavily weighted toward the "old-fashioned" subject of film photography. Indeed, multiple chapters are spent discussing the characteristics and chemistry of film as well as its processing and darkroom techniques. (I suppose many would even consider the discussion of handheld light meters to be antiquated.) As someone who shoots primarily with film, I have no problem with this and in fact welcome it. This isn't the forum for rehashing the "film vs. digital" debate, but I would encourage anyone reading this -- especially those who are new to the field -- to keep an open mind. Film is anything but obsolete, and an understanding of it can only strengthen your photographic skills. The information is there if you want it, but for those who choose to skip it, there is also a strong introduction to digital techniques.
In summation, I think this is a book that should sit on any photographer's shelf. I have been shooting for years, but I still consult this text from time to time to refresh myself on this point or that. I strongly recommend it to anyone looking to get the most out of their camera.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
VERY GOOD INFORMATION!!!, November 20, 2011
This review is from: Langford's Basic Photography, Ninth Edition: The Guide for Serious Photographers (Paperback)
This book is a great book for a person learning serious photography. It also covers some intermediate topics. There is also mention of Medium format SLRs (Hassleblad and Mamiya) and TLRs. This book gives equal coverage to both film and digital.
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9 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good book, Still very Old, November 1, 2010
This review is from: Langford's Basic Photography, Ninth Edition: The Guide for Serious Photographers (Paperback)
This book used to be good. It explains basic principles of photography very well.
Although in its ninth edition, and published in 2010, the book is still very old. It is film-oriented and need a complete overhaul. A lot of techniques are already out-dated. About half of the book can be completely ignored. It talks too much about film, film processing, large format camera, hand-held meter etc.
The books need a complete re-written. Simply adding some contents of digital cameras does not make it modern.
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