Photography (7th Edition) [Paperback]

Barbara London (Author), John Upton (Author), Ken Kobre (Author), Betsy Brill (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130282715 | ISBN-13: 978-0130282712 | Publication Date: July 16, 2001 | Edition: 7th

This best-selling, comprehensive guide to photography—featuring superb instructional illustrations—is the most cutting-edge photography book on the market. It offers extensive coverage of digital imaging—with the latest technological developments, such as Web page design and formatting photos on CD-ROMs. Chapter topics explore the process of getting started, camera, lens, film and light, exposure, processing the negative, mounting and finishing, color, digital camera, digital darkroom, lighting, special techniques, view camera, zone system, seeing photographs, and the history of photography. Step-by-step instructions include a “Lights Out” feature to help learners better identify darkroom techniques. For anyone with a personal or professional interest in photography.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This best-selling, comprehensive guide to photography—featuring superb instructional illustrations—is the most cutting-edge photography book on the market. It offers extensive coverage of digital imaging—with the latest technological developments, such as Web page design and formatting photos on CD-ROMs. Chapter topics explore the process of getting started, camera, lens, film and light, exposure, processing the negative, mounting and finishing, color, digital camera, digital darkroom, lighting, special techniques, view camera, zone system, seeing photographs, and the history of photography. Step-by-step instructions include a “Lights Out” feature to help learners better identify darkroom techniques. For anyone with a personal or professional interest in photography.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

More than a million copies of Photography are now in print. Many people who have used this book have become professional photographers or photography instructors, or are continuing to pursue their personal interest in photography. Whatever your interest in photography is, this book is designed to teach the skills that you will need to use the medium confidently and effectively.

The emphasis of this edition continues to be in two major areas—technique and visual awareness. The technical material helps you learn how to control the photographic process, or as Ansel Adams put it, to "understand the way that the lens 'sees' and the film 'sees.'" Equally important, this book can help you see by showing you the choices that other photographers have made and that you can make when you raise a camera to your eye.

Clarity and convenience have always been a focus of this book. In this edition even more effort has been made to organize and format information into an easy guide for beginning photographers and a quick reference for those with experience.

• The easy-to-use format has been maintained, with each two facing pages completing a single idea, skill, or technique.
• Boldfaced topic sentences outline the text on every page.
• "More About . . ." boxes on many pages cross-reference related topics in other parts of the book.
• Computer icons call attention to related information about digital imaging or to information in the digital imaging chapters.

The general organization of technical information has been maintained, with the addition of a technical update.

• General photographic techniques are covered completely in Chapters 1-8: camera, lens, film, exposure, developing and printing black-and-white film, and mounting.
• Chapters 10 and 11 expand and update information on digital imaging.
• Chapters 9, 12, 13, 14, and 15 cover color photography, lighting, special techniques (such as cyanotyping ), view camera use, and a specialized method of exposure and development—the Zone System.
• A fully illustrated "Troubleshooting Appendix," beginning on page 400, groups together technical problems, their causes, and ways to prevent them.

Improving visual awareness is a major emphasis of the book. Many new demonstration photographs have been added to make topics easy to understand. Throughout the book you will find hundreds of illustrations by the best photographers showing how they have put to use various technical concepts. See for example:

• The photographs illustrating lens focal length on pages 45, 47, and 49, or how one photographer uses electronic flash plus available light on page 289.
• "Photographer at Work" pages throughout the book feature interviews with photographers who have developed successful careers in everything from dance photography (pages 290 291) to digital illustration (pages 256-257).
• Chapter 16, "Seeing Photographs" (pages 340-365), deals with composition, tonality, sharpness, and other visual elements that will help you make better pictures yourself, and see other people's photographs with a more sophisticated eye.
• Chapter 17 (pages 366-399) surveys the history of photography so that you can place today's photography—and your own—in an historical context.

We are pleased to announce an expanded and interactive Website. You can visit the site at http://www.prenhall.com/london. It contains many features, including:

• Simulations and demonstrations of various photographic processes
• A study guide
• Chat rooms
• Links to other photography e-sites

An instructor's manual and integrated student lab manual/journal are available, which include:

• sample assignments
• processing and exposure records
• numerous tips to complement the text.

Every edition of Photography has been a collaborative effort. Instructors, students, photographers, manufacturers, editors, gallery people, and many others participated in it. They fielded queries, made suggestions, responded to material, and were unfailingly generous with their time, energy, and creative thinking.

Special thanks go to instructors who reviewed the previous edition of Photography as well as parts of this edition, and who volunteered many good ideas. They brought a particularly useful point of view, contributing many ideas on not only what to teach, but how to teach it:

– Ayana Baltrip, University of California, Berkeley
– Rick Bruner, Shepherd College
– Elizabeth Burnham, Barton College
– Susan Ciricialo, California College of Arts and Crafts
– Charles Dmytriw, Northwestern Connecticut Community College
– Steve Dzerigian, Fresno City College
– Harris Fogel, University of the Arts, Philadelphia
– Jack Fulton, San Francisco Art Institute
– Chris Johnson, California College of Arts and Crafts
– Jim Kelly, Southern Illinois University
– John Knowlton, Green River Community College
– Philip Krejcarek, Carroll College
– John Labadie, University of North Carolina, Pembroke
– Libby Rowe, Oregon College of Arts and Crafts
– Ken Smith, University of Wyoming
– Evon Streetman, Florida State University
– Deborah Tharpe, University of Alaska, Anchorage
– Catherine Wagner, Mills College
– Al Wildey, University of Idaho School of Communications
– Susan Zavoina, University of North Texas

Without editorial and production assistance, a book of this size and complexity would be impossible to complete. Barbara London and John Upton would like to thank Peggy Jones, who made many contributions to the digital imaging chapters, both in terms of technical concepts and how to put those concepts to creative use. Joe Ciaglia, as usual, could answer any question about digital imaging. Jim Stone's experience with his own books provided many insights. Blade Gillissen had information on everything from lenses to flash meters. Sean Upton handled a host of editorial tasks—and more.

At Prentice Hall, special thanks to Bud Therien and Kimberly Chastain, and to Barbara DeVries for somehow keeping track of it all.

Ken Kobre and Betsy Brill appreciate the help of Debra Klochko, Director, Friends of Photography, Ansel Adams Gallery; Doug Nickel, Photography Curator at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Arthur Oilman, Director, Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego; and collector David Raymond.

Many equipment manufacturers and technical reviewers were helpful, both in lending equipment and in reviewing material. Richard LoPinto and Mike Phillips, Nikon USA; Bernard Denevi, Nikon France; Sally Smith-Clemens, John Knaur, and Ray Acevedo, Olympus America; Wendy Erickson, Ilford; Shlomo Cazary, Sony; Tom Kunhardt, Kodak; Polaroid Corp.; Lexar; Genuine Fractals; Vivid Details; Larry Guyer, Better Light, Inc.; and Dave Christensen, North Light Products, Inc.

Special thanks for many helpful suggestions from industry consultant Fran Herman; Dave Guralnick, Detroit News; Barbara Fredericks, Infoworld magazine; Adobe Evangelist Julianne Kost; Fireside Camera, San Francisco; Unruh Photography Shop and Sonoma Image in Santa Rosa, California.

Warren Hsu, a chemist, photographer, and versatile assistant, conducted many experiments for us. Warren and Scot Tucker spent long hours assisting with the new chemical darkroom step-by-step pictures. Many of the new color demos were photographed and scanned for publication by Sibylla Herbrich, a teacher of photography at San Francisco State. Artist Ben Barbante, Infoworld art director and teacher at City College of San Francisco, contributed his considerable skills in digital illustration and photography.

Ken and Betsy owe special thanks to Nancy, McDermid, Dean of Humanities at San Francisco State University, where Ken is a professor of photojournalism; to Annemarie and Lou Madison; Karen Russell; and, most important of all, Ken's mother, Reva Kobre, Betsy's father, Earl Wright, and our supportive and loving daughter, Daria Brill.

This is a book that students keep. They refer to it long after they have finished the basic photo course for which it was purchased. Some of the people who contributed to this edition used the book themselves when they were studying photography, and still have their original, now dog-eared edition. As you work with the book, you may have suggestions on how to improve it. Please send them to us. They will be sincerely welcomed.

Dedicated to everyone who is part of this new edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 7th edition (July 16, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130282715
• ISBN-13: 978-0130282712
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 10.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #96,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

143 of 149 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MUST be on your bookshelf., April 16, 2003

By 

Alexander L. Belikoff (NY, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Photography (7th Edition) (Paperback)

For those impatient enough: if you are to buy one book that would teach you photography - this should be the one. This book has survived seven editions and it has enough information to make your head hurt. Needless to say, this book does not offer a silver bullet that would make you Ansel Adams, but it has enough information to build a solid technical foundation upon which you could leverage your creativity.

Make no mistake: this book is first and foremost about film photography. While there is a somewhat obligatory chapter on digital photography, it is hardly more than a very brief introduction. The rest of the book implies film photography (needless to say, that information on exposure and lens is generally applicable to both film and digital photography techniques).

Furthermore, the book is seriously geared toward black and white photography. There is plenty of information about the color process but it feels complementary to the narration.

On the negative side, there are only a couple things to note:
- Having so many precise instructions, this book ought to have an appendix containing all data in one place (from reciprocity failure correction numbers, to N+2 development time increase, to film processing checklists). It is a shame, the book doesn't have such a reference chapter.
- The price of the latest edition is way too steep. While I am far from suggesting sacrificing quality for lower price (as unfortunately so many other books do), I still think that the price has risen way too high compared to older editions.

All in all, it is an excellent basic reference. It is unlikely to be the only book on your shelf, but it will definitely be an extremely useful one while you are mastering advanced photography. Bottom line: buy this book now.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference guide & teacher, but expensive, April 4, 2004

By 

R.J. Corby (Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Photography (7th Edition) (Paperback)

This is a fantastic book that has something for beginners and advanced amateurs alike. I bought this book for my photography class at Temple University, and it will happily be on my bookshelf and referenced for a long time (or perhaps until the 8th or 9th edition)?

The book contains many useful lessons for beginners, if that is your level, for basic photography. I would have liked for there to be more about digital photography though, but I'm sure that will come in later editions as that medium evolves. There is also plenty to offer a budding photographer about lessons in the darkroom, and that was very useful and continues to be.

This is the ultimate photography book that will more than get a beginner started, or be a big help as a refresher to an amateur. However, the price is a tremendous drawback - it's a lot of bang, but for the bucks you pay, I'd try getting a used copy - there are many great dealers on Amazon that can help. This book is well worth owning though. It misses the 5-star mark because of cost.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll never need another how-to book, February 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Photography (7th Edition) (Paperback)

This book may have a hefty price, but it is well worth it. I purchased it originally just for photo class, but it is the best book that I could have bought. There is everything photographers could ever want to know, and it grows with you. If you are a beginner, then just start slowly with the first few chapters that guide you through cameras, film, and developing and then progress to more complicated things. I recommend this book to every photographer because it is a wonderful reference book for any questions you have.