A Short Course in Photography: An Introduction to Black-And-White Photographic Technique

This text represents a one-semester course in black and white photography, including camera and camera accessories use, the exposure and development of film, and the making and finishing of prints.

Preface

If you don't know anything about photography and would like to learn, or if you want to make better pictures than ones you make now, A Short Course in Photography will help you. It presents in depth the basic techniques for black-and-white photography:

How to get a good exposure How to adjust the focus, shutter speed, and aperture (the size of the lens opening) to produce the results you want How to develop film and make prints

Most of today's cameras incorporate automatic features, but that doesn't mean that they automatically produce the results you want. A Short Course in Photography devotes special attention to:

Automatic focus and automatic exposure—what they do and, particularly, how to override them when it is better to adjust the camera manually

Some of the book's highlights include:

Getting Started. If you are brand new to photography, this section will walk you through the first steps of selecting and loading film, focusing sharply, adjusting the exposure, and making your first pictures. See pages 4-9. Digital Imaging. In one sense, digital imaging is just another tool, but it is also an immensely powerful technique that is changing photography and that will empower those who know how to use it. See pages 152-155. Projects. These projects are designed to help you develop your technical and expressive skills. See, for example, page 128 or 171. Making Better Prints. Additional information about how to fine tune your prints by burning in and dodging (darkening or lightening selected areas), and by cropping the edges to concentrate attention on the portion of the scene you want. See pages 114-117. Types of lenses, types of film, lighting, filters

Photography is a subjective and personal undertaking. A Short Course in Photography emphasizes your choices in picture making:

How to look at a scene in terms of the way the camera can record it How to select the shutter speed, point of view, or other elements that can make the difference between an ordinary snapshot and an exciting photograph Chapter 9, Seeing Like a Camera, explores your choices in selecting and adjusting the image, and covers how to photograph subjects such as people and landscapes

New to this edition are:

Photography on the Internet. How to find manufacturer's data, photographs, and other useful information on the World Wide Web More information on Health and Safety precautions in the darkroom Technical updates throughout Many new photographs and illustrations

This book is designed to make learning photography as easy as possible:

Every two facing pages completes a single topic Detailed step-by-step instructions clarify each stage of extended procedures such as negative development and printing Boldfaced headings make subtopics easy to spot Numerous photographs and drawings illustrate each topic

Acknowledgments

Many people gave generously of their time and effort in the production of this book. Feedback from numerous instructors was a major help in confirming the basic direction of the book and in determining the new elements in this edition. At Prentice Hall, Kimberly Chastain and Bud Therien provided editorial support. Joe Scordato supervised the production of the book from manuscript to printer. Nancy Wells redesigned the book and helped make it even more user friendly. If, as you read the book or use it in your class, you have suggestions to make, please send them to Photography Editor, Prentice Hall, 1 Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. They will be sincerely welcomed.

Jim Stone
Barbara London