Back to basics...

[atelier7]

hello, my introduction into rangefinder cameras (and pretty much photography) started with a hi-matic 7s. The minolta lens were really sharp and took some great pics. my early success with this camera fuelled my interest in the cameras that we enjoy so much. this then descended into a massive case of GAS with frantic purchases of a petri 7s2, zorki4k, fed2b, kiev4am, bessa R, L, and finally the black beauty chinon 35ee from jon.

It has become more about the gear than the photos. So, no more camera purchases for me (for now at least).

Can you recommend a systematic approach to developing the skills and knowledge to take better photos? Any books to recommend? What are the "core" skills/knowledge one should at least know? Assume i'm completely new to photography and not just RFs

For starters, where should i focus on? Example: I wanted to take a pic of a crowd passing through the gates at the train station. I'm standing about 5-8m away from the gate. Should I focus at the gates itself? or the nearest person to me? (then again, they all keep moving!!!)

 

[FrankS]

The best way to learn photography is to do photography - lots of it. Keep notes on what you do and the camera's settings. Examine the results and refer back to your notes. Learn from your own experiences. Do your own B+W darkroom work if possible. If not, use slide film so you can see directly the results of your efforts. (Letting another person run a machine that automatically prints your colour negatives is only doing photography partially.) Also, read as many books on photography as you have time to. All kinds of books, from the technical to the artistic picture books. Most importantly, be patient. This is a life-long journey. The rewards are in the journey itself, not in a destination.

 

[back alley]

look at alot of photos especially of the kind you would like to take.

look at the shadows and in the eyes to see where the light was.
keep as many things constant as you can control, i.e. use the same film/developer combo, use one lens till you know it by heart.

joe

 

[wlewisiii]

One book suggestion I'll make is "The Ansel Adams Guide Book 1 - Basic Techniques of Photography" by John P. Schaefer. It's a condensation and updating of Mr. Adams three books (The Camera, The Negative & The Print) that puts a very large amount of very good information in an easy to use reference book. It's got good clear instructions on the hows and whys.

Other than that, I agree that looking at as many different photos as you can is good. It may or may not help your work, but at least it's a fun assignment... 😀

William

 

[RML]

Check the series of articles on http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/briots_view.shtml.

No-one really can teach you to "see" but we can direct you to books and such. For instance in this thread: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?goto=newpost&threadid=7174.

And go out to see photo exhibitions. It's a bit like how art painters learn their techniques: you study and even copy the work of the greats, implement what you learned into your own work, study your own work, read more, practise more, and one day you'll realise you've become a better photog. We all started out knowing nothing, and probably most of us are where we are now by doing the things I just related.

 

[Doug]

How about a free e-book -- Black and White Photography, a basic manual in 12 chapters by Henry Horenstein of the Rhode Island School of Design. It’s in the form of 14 Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) files to be downloaded to your computer. Then these can be read with Adobe Reader, freely available for any computer OS... (If you have a newer computer it most likely has Adobe Reader already installed.) Total file-size is 6.3 Mb.

You can download the book from this web page:
http://www.bw-photography.net/

“This manual is a basic guide to black-and-white photography, covering all the points taught in a typical introductory class. It starts at the beginning, assuming you know little or nothing about photography, and guides you through using your camera, developing film, and making and finishing prints.”

Illustrated with some very fine photos by well-known photographers, clearly written... And “free” is a good price!

 

[aizan]

wow, that's awesome!

 

[atelier7]

Do your own B+W darkroom work if possible. If not, use slide film so you can see directly the results of your efforts. (Letting another person run a machine that automatically prints your colour negatives is only doing photography partially.

thanks everyone for your advice. the free ebook is awesome. and i'm definitely going to get a copy of that ansel adams book.

wrt to FrankS' suggestion, how difficult is it to get into darkroom work? how much space, equipment, $ is involved? and what's so special about slide film?

 

[ray_g]

Bernhard Suess also has some nice tutorials in "Back to Black and White" at the NYIP's website. This is a link to the latest (#28) installment, but if you click on the "Techniques Reference Shelf" you can access the past topics.

http://www.nyip.com/tips/topic_black_white_28.php

 

[FrankS]

B+W film development requires 2 chemicals: developer and fixer. You'll need a film developing tank and reels - I use Patterson. You need either a changing bag or a completely dark room to load the film onto the reels and put them into the tank. Water and chemicals are poured into and out of the tank through a light trap, so it can be done in daylight/roomlight.

Slide film is special because you can see the effects of under and over exposure on the slides. If you use colour neg film, printing adjustments are made automatically by a machine to compensate for over or under exposure of the film. Also, with slide film, the colours are recorded accurately (depending on the colour rendition characteristics of the slide film you are using.) With colour neg film, a printing machine automatically adjusts the final colour of the prints - which may or may not be accurate.

If you use colour neg film, you are letting either a machine automatically adjust for exposure and colour balance, or you are letting the pimply-faced teenager running the machine make those decisions for you.