Michael J. Langford is the author of numerous how-to books and articles on photography. He writes for a variety of audiences; books like Learn Photography in a Weekend are geared to the casual picture-taker, while works such as The Single Lens Reflex Handbook or The Darkroom Handbook: Photography Consultant are developed with the professional photographer in mind. The main benefit of photography, Langford believes, is that it enhances the way people see the world. One of Langford's best-known works is Basic Photography, an international best-seller that has been translated into four languages and gone through six editions. A comprehensive introduction to the subject, Basic Photography and… its companion volume, Advanced Photography, are frequently used as textbooks in photography courses. Other books by Langford include Photography: Materials and Methods, The Step-by-Step Guide to Photography, Better Photography, and Visual Aids and Photographs in Education. Langford's expertise in how-to books erives in part from his many years of teaching. He is the Photography Course Director at the Royal College of Art in London, and has also taught at the London College of Printing and the Birmingham College of Art and Design, where he was the Head of the School of Photography. He has also worked as a photographer for several advertising agencies and magazines in England and in Europe.