Analog Photography focuses on mechanical cameras manufactured between the mid-1930s and the late 1960s. This was a period of great quality and attention to detail in camera design, before the days of planned obsolescence, before plastic became the material of choice, and while fast-paced development was still being driven by competition between companies in Germany, Japan, and the USA. It was a time when film speeds were slow, lenses fast, and an object was an investment to be used for years and handed down to the next generation.
This book concentrates on cameras that take film, whether they are fixed or interchangeable lens, rangefinder, or SLR. You may have found an old Konica at the thrift store or inherited a Leica, or you may be one of the many younger photographers who are being drawn to analog for the first time as a way to enrich and expand their practice. In either case, this book provides all the information needed to help you understand your camera and get out and start using it.
The fundamental technical sides of both cameras and photography are covered. There are, however, no tips on how to take “better” photos, no sections on lines and shapes, silhouettes, texture, or composition. There is no advice on how to hold your camera or how to look through the viewfinder. This is purely a technical manual: once you have mastered the mechanics of photography, you will have total creative control over your camera, a tool for taking photos exactly as you want them.
Divided into six main sections, the book is structured so that it can be accessed in either a linear or nonlinear way. It opens with a concise description outlining the basic mechanics of taking a photograph. The beginner can then read through from cover to cover, while a more advanced photographer can dip in and out. It is designed to be easily navigated: cross-references are underlined in the text and listed with their relevant page number at the top of each page, and there is a complete and detailed index at the back. So, whether as a primer or a reference manual, this is the perfect book to (re)kindle your love of analog photography.