Table Of Content

The book of photography JOHN HEDGECOE CONTENTS LONDON, NEW YORK, MUNICH, INTRODUCTION 6 MELBOURNE, DELHI THE CAMERA 12 Senior Editor The design of film and digital cameras with an Becky Alexander explanation of how they work. Different types of camera, lens, Project Editor and lighting equipment are also described in detail. Nicky Munro HOW TO SEE Art Editor Michael Duffy BETTER PICTURES 34 Managing Editor The secret of good photography lies in the ability to “see” Adèle Hayward good pictures, the principal elements of which – shape, tone, Managing Art Editor pattern, and texture – are analyzed in this section. Karen Self Production Controller HOW TO TAKE Jane Rogers BETTER PICTURES 70 Category Publisher Stephanie Jackson A comprehensive and practical behind-the-camera Art Director guide to photographing different subjects, from formal portraits Peter Luff to panoramic landscapes. Associate Writers Jonathan Hilton and Chris George PORTRAITS 72 Creating Formal Portraits74 This revised edition first published in Great Britain in 2005 by Dorling Kindersley Limited, Taking Fashion Portraits76 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL Styling Portraits78 This revised edition first published in the United States in 2005 How to Relax the Model 80 by DK Publishing, Inc. Creating a Style 82 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York, 10014 Fashion Portrait Gallery 84 Original edition first published in Great Britain in 1994 Taking Portraits on Location86 Original edition first published in the United States in 1994 Portrait Gallery88 Copyright © 2005 Dorling Kindersley Limited, London Capturing Character90 Taking Portraits Outdoors 92 Text copyright © 2005 Dorling Kindersley Limited and John Hedgecoe Photographs by John Hedgecoe copyright Taking Black and White Portraits94 © 1994 and 2005 John Hedgecoe Creating Dramatic Portraits 96 All rights reserved. No part of this publication Dramatic Portraits Outdoors98 may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, Portrait Gallery100 or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, Taking a Self Portrait102 or otherwise, without the prior written permission Composing Group Portraits 104 of the copyright owner. Creating Informal Portraits 106 A CIP catalogue record for this book is Portrait Gallery108 available from the British Library. Photographing the Nude 110 Cataloging-in-Publication data is available from the Library of Congress. Natural Lighting for the Nude 112 Creating Abstract Nude Images 114 UK ISBN 1 4053 0438 3 US ISBN 0 7566 0947 X Portrait Gallery116 Portraying a Mother and Child 118 Reproduced in Singapore by Colourscan Printed and bound in China by Toppan Taking Children’s Portraits 120 Children’s Portrait Gallery 122 see our catalogue at Photographing Children at Play 124 www.dk.com Children at Play Gallery 126 Freezing a Moving Figure 128 NATURE 206 Emphasizing Movement 130 Revealing Nature in Close Up 208 Photographing Sports Action 132 Macrophotography 210 Photographing Action Sequences 134 Lighting for Indoor Macro 212 Portrait Gallery136 Nature Gallery214 Photographing Gardens 216 STILL LIFE 138 Photographing Flowers and Shrubs 218 Composing a Still Life 140 Nature Gallery220 Lighting a Still Life 142 Photographing Garden Architecture 222 Selecting Still Life Themes 144 Recording Garden Features 224 Taking Outside Still Life 146 Nature Gallery226 Choosing Backgrounds for Still Life 148 Photographing Found Still Life 150 ANIMALS 228 Still Life Gallery152 Photographing Wild Animals 230 LANDSCAPES 154 Photographing Birds 232 Photographing Pets 234 Viewing a Landscape 156 Animal Gallery236 Recording Times of Day 158 Landscape Gallery160 DIGITAL MANIPULATION 238 Changing Light and Weather162 An overview of digital manipulation techniques including Black and White Versus Color 164 computer retouching, filter effects, and combining images. Landscape Gallery166 Recording the Changing Seasons 168 TRADITIONAL MANIPULATION 248 Photographing Water and Light 170 Creating Images of Moving Water 172 An overview of traditional image manipulation Photographing Seascapes 174 techniques including conventional darkroom techniques such Capturing Dramatic Skies 176 as solarization and hand coloring. Landscape Gallery178 Photographing Urban Landscapes 180 DARKROOM AND STUDIO Photographing Landscapes at Night 182 EQUIPMENT 260 ARCHITECTURE 184 Practical guidance to all the equipment necessary for setting up a studio and darkroom at home. In addition there Viewing a Building 186 is information on how best to view and store Using a Wide-angle Lens 188 slides, negatives, prints, and digital files. Architecture Gallery 190 Using a Shift Lens 192 FAULT FINDER 268 Photographing Exterior Details 193 Architecture Gallery194 GLOSSARY 274 Photographing Interiors 196 INDEX 282 Working in Large Interiors 198 Lighting Simple Interiors 200 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 288 Photographing Interior Details 202 Architecture Gallery204 INTRODUCTION 7 INTRODUCTION Taking exciting photographs has very little to do with buying an expensive camera or having a massive array of photographic equipment. What is crucial is how you see a chosen subject – and then how this vision is transformed into a permanent image using photographic techniques and composition. A PRACTICAL APPROACH This book adopts a practical approach to help you master photography. The largest section covers a wide range of photographic genres, including portraiture, still life, landscapes, architecture, and natural history. All these are illustrated with behind-the- scenes shots of me out on location or in a studio actually taking the pictures. These photo set-ups reveal exactly how a shot was taken, the equipment that was used, the camera angle, and the wider settings from which the pictures were derived. A technical understanding of your camera is important, as it allows you to capture the pictorial qualities of a scene in the best way possible, whether you are using film or a digital chip. These fundamental camera controls are illustrated in the first section of the book using both diagrams and photographs. The more familiar you become with the controls and lens settings on your own particular camera, the more attention you can pay to composition and timing. Framing the shot, left Photographer at work The photographer’s skill lies The unique photo set-ups not only in knowing what to provide a practical insight include in the photograph, into the way I work in the but also what to leave out. studio and on location. 8 INTRODUCTION Texture and light, above Good photographs tend to capture the spirit the serious photographer. Now, in the 21st This image shows how of a subject by showing some of its features century, many keen photographers are using light can be used to reveal more strongly than others. To do this you digital imaging instead of film. Despite the contrasting textures. The need to take advantage of the fundamental basic difference in the way an image is composition is simple, but the effect created by the elements of an image, emphasizing those recorded, many of the main camera controls lighting is striking. that are most useful for the interpretation of are the same as they were. In fact, many the subject using composition and lighting. digital cameras are designed to look and Using color, right The most basic of these elements is the handle in exactly the same way as the Some colors have a very shape of a subject, for example, which is traditional SLR. Most of the basic techniques powerful effect in pictures. shown most graphically when the subject is also remain virtually unchanged. However, The red of this clown’s mask dominates this silhouetted by means of backlighting and when there are differences in the way the portrait, grabbing the underexposure. Other key elements are different types of camera are used, these viewer’s attention. form, texture, tone, and color. I explain how have been highlighted throughout the book, to use these, and other, compositional so that you can get the most out of my devices in the section entitled How to See advice, whatever camera you use. Better Pictures. Where digital imaging comes into its own is in the way that it can allow you to change THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION and improve the picture after it is taken. In recent years, digital cameras have made a Whether shot digitally or on film, once on a huge difference to how photographers, both computer the exposure and composition can amateur and professional, take pictures. In be altered with an ease, precision, and the last century it was the 35mm SLR that subtlety that are impossible to reproduce was the single most important invention for using traditional means. INTRODUCTION 9 INTRODUCTION 11 Developing an eye, left Unnatural view, above Part of the skill of good Photography lets you see photography lies in being the world in new ways. To able to see, and capture, the eye, this athlete would great images in the ordinary appear neither frozen nor things around you. as a crisp, black silhouette. Using my own examples again, I provide an overview of how digital image manipulation software, such as Adobe Photoshop, can not only improve your photography, but can add a new level of artistry to it. THE COMPLETE PHOTOGRAPHER The basic equipment you need to set up a home darkroom and studio is covered in the last section of this book. Even an impromptu studio allows you to experiment with lighting and control it in a way that is impossible to achieve outdoors. Having your own darkroom, meanwhile, allows you to manipulate, crop, and enlarge your own images without the need for a computer, scanner, or desktop printer. The fault finder section will help you see what mistakes you might make when taking and printing pictures, and the best way to avoid them – as well as how to rectify the problem using conventional or digital techniques. Use this book as a guide to developing your own creativity and individual style. By exploring the many possibilities of the medium, you will discover limitless ways to express your own particular vision.