Part 1 Before you shoot: the history of photograpy - the birth of photography, the photography explosion, photography for the masses, keeping things simple, the modern compact; how the camera works - what is a camera?, camera basics, the aperture-shutter marriage, exposing the SLR system; which camera to choose - what camera should I buy?, but I like my current camera, in simple terms; film - film choices, film speed, colour print film, colour slide film, black-and-white film, specialist films. Part 2 The point-and-shoot: what you get for your money - what are your options?, compact camera types, what will I get for my outlay?; things you need to know - holding the camera, exposure-what the camera is doing, autofocus, loads of modes; flash - how far will the flash reach?, flash modes, thinking about ambient light, party time, flash tricks; framing - searching out the ugly, filling the frame, composing with the zoom, horizontal vertical or panoramic?, camera angles-the highs and lows; troubleshooting - problem pictures, framing foul-ups, fudging focusing, exposure accidents, obstructions, lab problems. Part 3 The arty stuff: natural light - light is everything, times of day, window light, using the weather; artificial light - before you start, tungsten light, electronic flash units, dedicated flash; lens aperture and shutter - lenses-what can you do with them?, using filters, all about aperture, getting to grips with shutters; learning to see - the alternative point of view, beauty out of the mundane, colour management, colour thinking; space and composition - thinking composition, here are the laws, photographic composition, creating visual effects. Part 4 Photographic themes: portraits - putting your subject at ease, types of portrait, black-and-white versus colour; landscapes, landscape tradition, the importance of light, choosing your film, point-and-shoot landscaping, think comfort; still life - getting inspired, considering your viewpoint, composition, light and colour, a word to the wise; children - births and beginnings, babies and toddlers, the world of the child, kiddie portraits; action - interpreting action, getting an angle on the action, the advantage of autofocus, point-and-shoot action; travel - what is travel photography?, the travel photographer, thinking equipment, land-based travel pics, extra tips for the land based, underwater and the beach, travel themes and obsessions. Part 5 Taking things more seriously: medium and large formats - why go larger than 35mm?, medium format cameras, large format cameras, comparative image sizes; seeing in black-and-white - two-tone visualization, black-and-white technique, the darkroom; working with your photographer - it's a photofinish!, choosing a lab, the minilab, the custom lab, an alternative?; digital photography - what exactly is digital photography?, the cameras, let's talk about pixels, what do I do with my images?, how does the quality compare? (Part contents)