Basic Photography

by John Hedgecoe

First published in 1993, this fully revised edition of a best-selling classic distils all the essential information needed by an aspiring photographer into one volume. The book starts at the getting to know your camera - how it works, film speeds, and looking after your equipment. This is followed by an examination of the 20 key areas of photography that the amateur picture-taker should focus on to improve the quality of their work. This includes advice on light, colour, depth of field, framing, posing, movement, changing the viewpoint and angle, and using on-camera flash. Next you'll see how to apply these theories in practice, whether you are taking formal portraits or holiday snaps, wedding photographs or still lifes. There are also tips on overcoming and coping with shafts of light, inclement weather conditions, reflections and night photography. A fourth and final chapter goes beyond the basics, providing hints on interchangeable lenses, exposure, shutter speed, filters and the developments in the digital world.

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

John Hedgecoe (24 March 1932 – 3 June 2010) was an award-winning British photographer and author of over 30 books on photography. He established the photography department in 1965 at the Royal College of Art, where he was Professor from 1975 to 1994 and Professor Emeritus until his death. He was also Pro-Rector of the college from 1981 to 1993. His photographs appear in permanent collections at the New York Museum of Modern Art and London's National Portrait Gallery.

"Professor John Hedgecoe was a photographer who took the portrait of the Queen which is used on British postage stamps; as such he is credited with the planet's most reproduced image, which has so far sold more than 200 billion copies." (The Telegraph)