Mark Baigent Photography

Way back in the mists of time I joined the RAF as a photographer and soon found myself at the Joint School of Photography clutching a copy of Michael Langford, Basic photography. This book and Michael Langford, Advanced photography were the core of the training and started me on my 30+ year career as a photographer.

I remember the book Michael Langford, Basic photography fondly for its easy, informative style. I hated my time at school as a child and I was not looking forward to the academic side of the RAF photography training especially chemistry!. But I loved the training. Because of Langfords approach to the subject I understood what I was reading, it made sense to me and it carried across to the practical training easily. I actually read the book for fun and photography came alive for me.

Recently I spotted the 8th edition, Langfords Basic photography on a shelf (I originally studied with a 1971 edition) and decided to take a trip down memory lane.

I am pleased to say that the content and style of the book is very similar to my original, except of course for the digital section

The book is made up of sections (see below) which flow together well when reading, building on the previous sections well, although you can just read the bits that you need and it still works well. Photography for me is a fascinating mix of craft, the technical, and creativity and this book covers both aspects well. The scope of this book is very, very wide covering everything from composition, colour balance, image stabilised lenses, sensitometry, Scheimpflug, chemical formulae to megapixels and interpolation.

The book claims to be aimed at the “serious photographer” which seems fair. There is not doubt in my mind that this should be “the” book for photography students but almost all serious photographers will get a lot from this book. It is great revision and an interesting read for those of us who have studied photography, for those that haven’t it will be full of “aha” moments. Please do not be fooled by the word basic, this book is suitable for the complete, enthusiastic, beginner but you will also find lens formulae and circles of confusion if you wish dig deeper.

This is not a book that will show you how to be a glamour photographer or a landscape photographer but it will teach you the skills that all photographers need as a solid base for their photography.

I enjoyed my trip down memory lane and If I could only recommend one photography book it would be this one, and then with disregard to the “only one rule” I would pair it with Langfords advanced photography. I will certainly keep both on my book shelf.

Langford’s Basic Photography: The Guide For Serious Photographers By Michael Langford, Anna Fox And Richard Sawdon Smith

Book sections;
What is photography?
Light, how images are formed.
Lenses, controlling the image.
Cameras, using film.
Using different focal length lenses, camera kits.
Digital cameras.
Lighting, principals and equipment.
Organising the picture.
Films and filters.
Exposure measurement.
Film processing.
Black and white printing.
The digital image, post production.
Finishing and presenting work.

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