Foundations of Photography by Stephen M. Batey
This resource explores the foundations of photography as the key to creative freedom. It looks at the technical side not as an end in itself, but as a means to express what you see and feel with intention rather than chance.
By understanding how exposure, focus, and composition interact, you’ll learn to see the possibilities in every scene. Photography, like any art form, combines knowledge with practice. Once you know what your tools can achieve, you can use them to shape images that reflect your personal vision with confidence and clarity.
Stephen has been a photographer for almost 70 years. In this book, for it is a book, he shares his vast experience - both technical and artistic - to help others grow as photographers and avoid some of the pitfalls he encountered along the way. Though written for the budding photographer, even seasoned image-makers will find valuable insights within.
Index:
Part 1: Seeing the Light - Creative Photography
1. Photography
2. Photographs
3. Seeing
4. Photographic controls - appearances can be altered
5. Composition
Part 2: Light Fantastic
6. Light
7. Lenses - optical properties
8. Lenses - their types and uses
Part 3 - Catching the Light
10. The principles
11. Exposure
12. Controlling exposure
13. The materials, sensors and film
Part 4. All change - More Photographic Controls
14. Filters
15. Colour, black and white, or something else?
16. Camera movements and perspective
Part 5 - Equipment - Choosing Your Tools
17. The print
18. Cameras
19. Tripods and other equipment
Part 6 - Completing the Picture
20. After exposure
21. Printing and printers
Appendices
1. Soret’s table of angles of view
2. Panoramas
3 Useful formulae for close up photography
4. Viewing distances and the perspective plane
List of Tables
List of Figures
List of Photographs
List of Equations
© 2025 Stephen M. Batey
All right reserved.
This book may be downloaded for personal use but no portion of it may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or the author.
This resource explores the foundations of photography as the key to creative freedom. It looks at the technical side not as an end in itself, but as a means to express what you see and feel with intention rather than chance.
By understanding how exposure, focus, and composition interact, you’ll learn to see the possibilities in every scene. Photography, like any art form, combines knowledge with practice. Once you know what your tools can achieve, you can use them to shape images that reflect your personal vision with confidence and clarity.
Stephen has been a photographer for almost 70 years. In this book, for it is a book, he shares his vast experience - both technical and artistic - to help others grow as photographers and avoid some of the pitfalls he encountered along the way. Though written for the budding photographer, even seasoned image-makers will find valuable insights within.
Index:
Part 1: Seeing the Light - Creative Photography
1. Photography
2. Photographs
3. Seeing
4. Photographic controls - appearances can be altered
5. Composition
Part 2: Light Fantastic
6. Light
7. Lenses - optical properties
8. Lenses - their types and uses
Part 3 - Catching the Light
10. The principles
11. Exposure
12. Controlling exposure
13. The materials, sensors and film
Part 4. All change - More Photographic Controls
14. Filters
15. Colour, black and white, or something else?
16. Camera movements and perspective
Part 5 - Equipment - Choosing Your Tools
17. The print
18. Cameras
19. Tripods and other equipment
Part 6 - Completing the Picture
20. After exposure
21. Printing and printers
Appendices
1. Soret’s table of angles of view
2. Panoramas
3 Useful formulae for close up photography
4. Viewing distances and the perspective plane
List of Tables
List of Figures
List of Photographs
List of Equations
© 2025 Stephen M. Batey
All right reserved.
This book may be downloaded for personal use but no portion of it may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or the author.
