Of all the books on my shelf this is probably the one that I dip in and out of the most.

It is an inspirational book containing a wide range of photographic styles and has given me a good starting point when working in an unfamiliar style. I find browsing this book is usually followed by getting my lights out.

The book is very much a practical guide about how to light photographs. This works by showing you 100+ photographs with an accompanying 3D effect lighting diagram, these diagrams show the wide range of equipment used, flash, scrims, reflectors, even the sun and how they were used. There is even a good glossery of lighting terms for those do not know their scrim from their flats. The introductory text for each section, portraits, fashion, glamour is short and informative.

Although this book will be useful for those with a studio and lighting equipment the quality of the photographs and the modelling will inspire anyone who wants to photograph people. It is a great book for students of photography and a useful resource for those that teach it. Pro or amature is has something for us all.

Would I recommend this book?
Yes, I brought it and am happy to recommend it.

PS
Unusually, it is also worth mentioning the publisher Rotovision for the high quality of their photographic books the three that I have read, have all been well designed, informative and printed to a high quality.

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.