The Photographer's Handbook [antikvár]

Preface This book is designed to explain the full scope of photography, from the fundamentals of taking photographs, processing and printing them to the advanced aspects of such topics as composition, studio work and darkroom techniques. With the help of photographs and illustrations, it also aims to show you how the full range of available photographic equipment works, and how you can use it to achieve almost every possible effect. The Photographer's Handbook is fundamentally a reference book. There are over 600 self-contained entries, each of which contains a practical explanation of a specific topic. Appropriate cross-references to other entries are listed at the end of each entry Entries on similar subjects are close to one another and grouped under page heads, which themselves fall into sections. The first three sections provide a comprehensive guide to cameras, lenses, exposure meters, lights and the other equipment you can use for taking photo^aphs. The next three sections tell you about black and white film, how to process it and make prints from negatives; this is followed by three sections which cover color film, processing and printing. Then come eight sections ~ 166 pages in all - which cover every aspect of actually taking photographs. Each of these eight sections expounds a theme; the basic principles are explained, and the potential is explored, often beyond conventional limits. For example, the first of the eight sections, "Working with light", discusses the fundamentals of lighting, namely controlling its direction and quality Several other entries are devoted to working with natural light, showing you how to work in daylight, dusk, moonlight and available light indoors. Howevei also included here are the creative effects which can be achieved by pointing your camera at the sun - something the begirmer is usually advised to avoid. Even the possibilities of lens and iris flare - normally considered mistakes - are examined. Another set of entries discusses working with artificial light. The techniques of using one lamp, two lamps and multiple lighting are explained, but again the full range of possibilities is explored. The reader is told, for example,how to work in candlelight and in street lighting, how to photograph fireworks and illuminated signs at night, and how to use flash to make a daylight shot look as if it was taken at night. The other seven of these sections - "Using lenses", "Working with black and white," "Working with color", "Controlling movement", "Composition" "Photographing people',' and "Studio techniques" - work in the same way, always taking the possibilities to their limits as well as explaining fundamentals. These eight sections are followed by a lengthy section on "Special darkroom techniques". This sets out every special effect which can be achieved in the darkroom - effects like solarization, posterization, montage, silk screen, vignetting, step-and-repeat images, color toning, print and negative retouching and so on. The beginner should read this section in conjunction with the sections on black and white, and color, processing and printing. The "Special projects" section, which follows, tells you how to photograph unusual subjects such as wildlife, underwater scenes and the sky at night, and how to construct special presentations like instmctional sequences and sUde-tape shows, The next two sections contain practical advice on "Storage and display" and "Fault analysis", and the final section, "Working in photography" is for the amateur who is thinking, of turning professional. The book ends with a twenty-five page, alphabetically arranged, glossary containing definitions of technical terms, brief descriptions of equipment and techniques, and detailed formulae lor mixing developers, reducers, toners and so on. How you use the book depends on how speci ic your interest or enquiry is. If you want to find out about a general topic, say, photographing people or controlling movement, or even more specific aspects like taking group portraits or sports photography, turn to the contents list at the front of the book. Here the section and page heads are listed with their page numbers. On these pages you will find a number of entries, each discussing a different aspect of the topic. For a comprehensive view read all the entries and take note of any cross-references at the end of the entries. If your interest is more specific -you want to use computer flash, buy a motor drive unit or photograph stained glass -turn to the index at the back of the book. The page number relating to the main entry on a topic is printed in bold type. Your query should be answered by the single entry, but take note of any other pages referred to in the index, and of the cross-references at the end of the entry.