Life Library of Photography - Light and Film by The Editors of Time-Life Books
Once a photographer has a camera in his hands he comes up against a formidable array of technical and esthetic choices. Which film to use? How should he light the scene—with natural illumination, flash or floodlights? How should lighting angles be fixed relative to the camera for pleasing results? What fstop and shutter speed will capture the minute detail and subtly shaded tones that a fine photograph needs?
Even an experienced photographer is often hard put to answer these questions confidently. The reason they seem so complex is that all are interrelated. A decision on illumination always affects exposure, and the choice of film may change the other decisions. The questions also seem (or sometimes have been made to seem) mysterious because they all involve that remarkable physical quantity, light, and its reactions with the more substantial materials of the world—and most particularly with certain compounds of silver on the surface of photographic film. The mystery disappears and the complexities begin to fall in place when the basic facts about light are understood. This volume in the LIFE Library of Photography deals with the nature of light; the evolution of modern film since the early discoveries of light’s effect on sensitive substances; the types of film now available and their uses; light meters and their operation in the determination of accurate exposure; sources Of artificial light; and the creation of pleasing light patterns. These topics cover the basic problems faced in taking a photograph. By exploring them in orderly fashion this book shows how the technical objectives of a “good” negative can be combined with the esthetic aims of an outstanding picture. — The Editors
Time Inc. 1971
Condition: Fair, repaired spine, with worn cover and aged dustcover, minor insect damage to back cover
MB AB002
Once a photographer has a camera in his hands he comes up against a formidable array of technical and esthetic choices. Which film to use? How should he light the scene—with natural illumination, flash or floodlights? How should lighting angles be fixed relative to the camera for pleasing results? What fstop and shutter speed will capture the minute detail and subtly shaded tones that a fine photograph needs?
Even an experienced photographer is often hard put to answer these questions confidently. The reason they seem so complex is that all are interrelated. A decision on illumination always affects exposure, and the choice of film may change the other decisions. The questions also seem (or sometimes have been made to seem) mysterious because they all involve that remarkable physical quantity, light, and its reactions with the more substantial materials of the world—and most particularly with certain compounds of silver on the surface of photographic film. The mystery disappears and the complexities begin to fall in place when the basic facts about light are understood. This volume in the LIFE Library of Photography deals with the nature of light; the evolution of modern film since the early discoveries of light’s effect on sensitive substances; the types of film now available and their uses; light meters and their operation in the determination of accurate exposure; sources Of artificial light; and the creation of pleasing light patterns. These topics cover the basic problems faced in taking a photograph. By exploring them in orderly fashion this book shows how the technical objectives of a “good” negative can be combined with the esthetic aims of an outstanding picture. — The Editors
Time Inc. 1971
Condition: Fair, repaired spine, with worn cover and aged dustcover, minor insect damage to back cover
MB AB002
Once a photographer has a camera in his hands he comes up against a formidable array of technical and esthetic choices. Which film to use? How should he light the scene—with natural illumination, flash or floodlights? How should lighting angles be fixed relative to the camera for pleasing results? What fstop and shutter speed will capture the minute detail and subtly shaded tones that a fine photograph needs?
Even an experienced photographer is often hard put to answer these questions confidently. The reason they seem so complex is that all are interrelated. A decision on illumination always affects exposure, and the choice of film may change the other decisions. The questions also seem (or sometimes have been made to seem) mysterious because they all involve that remarkable physical quantity, light, and its reactions with the more substantial materials of the world—and most particularly with certain compounds of silver on the surface of photographic film. The mystery disappears and the complexities begin to fall in place when the basic facts about light are understood. This volume in the LIFE Library of Photography deals with the nature of light; the evolution of modern film since the early discoveries of light’s effect on sensitive substances; the types of film now available and their uses; light meters and their operation in the determination of accurate exposure; sources Of artificial light; and the creation of pleasing light patterns. These topics cover the basic problems faced in taking a photograph. By exploring them in orderly fashion this book shows how the technical objectives of a “good” negative can be combined with the esthetic aims of an outstanding picture. — The Editors
Time Inc. 1971
Condition: Fair, repaired spine, with worn cover and aged dustcover, minor insect damage to back cover
MB AB002