Langford’s Starting Photography is a hands-on book for those photographers just starting their love affair with photography. It equally suits shooters with entry and mid-priced level film and digital cameras, students at school or college using photography as part of art courses as well as those involved in other formal studies, such as the City & Guilds Certificate in Photography. The skills and knowledge presented in the book show you how to take and make great photographs using a highly visual step-by-step approach. Langford’s Starting Photography gently guides new photographers from tentative beginnings through wobbly first steps to a level where they can confidently create their own great pictures. The photographic examples scattered throughout the text are chosen to encourage and challenge the reader, as they are all within the technical capabilities of beginners with modest gear, such as compact or single lens reflex (SLR) cameras (preferably with manual controls), and the knowledge and skill provided within.
Taking photographs is enjoyable and challenging in all sorts of ways. After all, it’s a method of creating pictures which does not demand that you have drawing skills. It’s a powerful means of storing memories, showing situations or expressing views which does not insist that you be good at words. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking you must have the latest, expensive ‘gee whiz’ camera to get the most telling shots. What photography demands of you are skills of a different sort that are independent of the technology used to capture the picture. Of these, the most important is the ability to observe – sharpen up your ‘seeing’ of surroundings, people and simple everyday objects in the world around you. Avoid taking these things for granted just because they are familiar. Develop your awareness of the way lighting and viewpoint can transform appearances, and be quick thinking enough to capture an expression or sum up a fast-changing situation by selecting the right moment to shoot. Become skilled in these areas and you will be a good photographer.
Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not saying that technical abilities and the latest digital equipment do not contribute to the making of great pictures – they do. It is just that you should keep in the forefront of your mind that the techniques and ideas presented in this text serve only one purpose. That is, to support the creation of images that you see with your eye first and capture with your camera second. This seems a funny way to start a book that, let’s face it, is about learning the techniques of photography, but seeing is the foundation skill upon which all good photography is built and so I think that it is essential to remind you of its importance right from the start.
Although not primarily a school text, Langford’s Starting Photography covers most of the core content and practical work for National Curriculum studies. It is also intended for City & Guilds ‘Starting Photography’, ‘Introduction to Black and White Photography’, ‘Introduction to Color Photography’ and Part 2 modules such as ‘Landscape Photography’. Above all, the book is planned to help every beginner expand their photography and increase their enjoyment of picture making with today’s cameras.