Is Ansel Adams' The Print a good beginner's bible?

[Jim Noel]

Definitely yes for s person who is willing to read it carefully at least twice and follow the suggestions closely. It is the book from which all others have deviated whether they admit it or not. Unless you are very technically oriented get the "New Ansel Adams Photography Series", not the original black bound ones.
Even though Polaroid is no longer around, "Polaroid Photography" fromthe same series contains a lot of valuable information.

[Peter Lewin]

While I have, in fact, both the earlier and later editions of AA's series, I found them hard going when I was a beginner. A much more accessible book might be Fred Picker's "Zone VI Workshop." While it is probably long out-of-print, I took a quick peek on Amazon, and they have something like 25 used copies available (and cheap!). I would ignore Picker's equipment suggestions in the back of this thin (110 page) book, but the chapters on metering, film processing, and printing are very good. The only proviso is that you really need to do the exercises to get the benefit, but most of us have done these (or similar) to determine film speed, development times, and so on.

Edit: A quick addition. In the Ansel Adam's "mode," his book "Examples, the Making of 40 Photographs" is also worth a look, in terms of how he visualized and thought through photographs before he actually tripped the shutter.

[Keith Tapscott.]

...for darkroom printing black and white today?

I recommend this book to anyone starting out B&W printing in the darkroom.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Frosts-Simpl...lack+and+white

[Heroique]

"The Print" is also excellent on first principles concerning post-darkroom work.

Namely – spotting, etching, matting, signing, framing, lighting, presentation, storage, shipping, etc.

It's a classic w/ its siblings, "The Camera" and "The Negative" – and its cousin, "Polaroid Land Photography." Beginners who start with these books keep them on their shelves, and return to them, even after they become experts.

[neil poulsen]

Get all three, in the hardback version. They are excellent. I still refer to mine on occasion.

[lfpf]

Read print read print read print some more. All good.

In addition to the AA series consider a wide-ranging freebee: Neblette, Photography, its materials and processes, 1952
https://archive.org/stream/photograp...ge/10/mode/2up

Steve

[Drew Wiley]

All the specifics in terms of film, paper, and equipment will of course be out of date, and these were written back when variable-contrast papers were not as dominant as they are today. But there's still a lot of general information which remains useful. As others have suggested, get the companion volumes, including "Examples".

[marfa boomboom tx]

well, if you must, then you must..
a little Ansel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZihHDJgK3E

[BradS]

I would recommend Henry Horenstein's books: Black and White Photography: A Basic Manual, and Beyond Basic Photography: A Technical Manual. Much more accessible.

Jon

Heartily agree. Ansel's books are good but they are a bit arcane. I would definitely NOT recommend them for beginners. The Craft of Photography by David Vestal is also an excellent guide and well within the reach of a beginner.

[lfpf]

All the specifics in terms of film, paper, and equipment will of course be out of date, and these were written back when variable-contrast papers were not as dominant as they are today. But there's still a lot of general information which remains useful. As others have suggested, get the companion volumes, including "Examples".

The title, Is Ansel Adams' The Print a good beginner's bible? infers a search for system fundamentals. Fundamentals are constant and these fundamentals are the subject of numerous classic publications regardless of subsequent developments. Also, printing is only one part of a comprehensive system and knowing all system aspects will lead to more enjoyable printing, the point of the comprehensive process.

True, latest individual components are available since pub date 1952, certain earlier components are no longer manufactured (some are available used/NOS, see "For Sale/Wanted") while the subject fundamentals remain constant. Referring to a series of classic publications on fundamentals ("Materials and Processes") as "out of date" misleads an individual searching for constant fundamentals.

When "variable-contrast" printing papers are an interest, the fundamentals remain constant and useful (as you noted) and VC information does not vary from the fundamentals. VC papers are coated with two emulsions to reduce production costs. Fundamentals are spectral response/emulsion contrast. Not new, but makes printing somewhat different.

Thanks for your note and have fun printing.

Best,

lfpf