Zone System (book)

[macandal]

Hello. Is there a good book to learn the Zone System? I hear the Ansel Adams book is not good because it is not easy to understand. Are there any good books out there? Thanks.

[Peter Langham]

Adams "the negative" is very understandable. I would go to the source.

[Scott Walker]

Adams "the negative" is very understandable. I would go to the source.

+1

[Preston]

I also recommend Ansel's photography series books; The Camera, The Negative, and The Print. The Zone System is a systematic approach to obtaining the results you want without trial and error. As one would expect, some of the technical details have changed over the years, but the basic tenets of the system remain true.

Some folks do find the Adams' series difficult, but that is mainly due, I believe, to trying to rush it. The books really are a course of study in photography and a commitment to see it through is required. If you invest the time, the benefits will be obvious.

--P

[rdenney]

I read some book on applying the Zone System to small-format applications, and got wrapped around the axle several times. (This was in the 70's.) For several years after that, I avoided the topic. Finally, about 1980, I obtained Adam's book, The Negative. After reading it just once, I wondered 1.) why the previous author had made a simple concept so difficult, and 2.) why I'd taken so long to just go to the source. Adams does a good job of explaining what it's for and what it achieves before ever bringing up details like characteristic curves or densitometry. As such, his approach makes it possible to make use of the Zone System without undergoing all the testing that many write about so lovingly. The point of the exercise is to get predictable results despite the lighting conditions of the scene. Testing increases precision, but the basic goals are possible with only minimal testing.

Rick "thinking the AA series is a required part of any well-educated photographer's library" Denney

[Gem Singer]

Fred Picker did a fine job of explaining AA's Zone system in his book: "The Zone VI Workshop".

That book, along with Ansel Adams: "The Negative" will help you to better understand the Zone System

[E. von Hoegh]

Hello. Is there a good book to learn the Zone System? I hear the Ansel Adams book is not good because it is not easy to understand. Are there any good books out there? Thanks.

I don't think you'll find a better book than The Negative by Ansel Adams.

[Joseph Dickerson]

I agree that the AA book is the best, but Ansel wasn't always the best at expressing his ideas. I teach the zone system at a community college and the tex we use is The Practical Zone System by Chris Johnson. It's thorough without being too technical. Although we use densitometers Johnson's approach doesn't require it.

For a quick and very simplified approach the Fred Picker book mentioned above is also good, they sometimes show up on Ebay or Amazon.com at ridiculously inflated prices. Fred also produced a series of three videos that cover the zone system, although I doubt he called it that.

JD

[Ken Lee]

Here's a link to Fred Picker's Zone VI Workshop (http://www.amazon.com/Zone-VI-Workshop-Fred-Picker/dp/0817405747/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347406886&sr=8-1&keywords=fred+picker). I like it :)

Amazon has it for a few dollars. It will probably cost more to ship it to you, than to purchase it.

[Brian Ellis]

I have both the Zone VI Workshop book and The Negative. I also used to have the three Picker videos and the Chris Johnson book.

The videos aren't about learning the zone system so I'd forget them for that purpose though they're interesting for other reasons.

Any of the other three would probably do fine though I think The Negative does the best job of combining theory with practical knowledge in a relatively few number of easily understandable pages. It's also still in print AFAIK and so can readily be bought new if you prefer new books to used.

Many of the complexities people find in the zone system are due to writers other than Adams writing about it, putting their own spin on it, and mucking it all up. Minor White and the other two guys with whom he co-authored his book was one of the worst offenders. Stick with The Negative and you can't go wrong, plus it has a lot of other good information in it beside the zone system.

[Gem Singer]

My recommendation to the OP, read as many books and articles about the Zone System as you can.

You will soon discover that the Zone System is not rocket science.

Keep this principle of the Zone System in mind:

"Expose for the shadows. Develop for the highlights".

The methodology of the Zone System will help you to obtain that goal.

[E. von Hoegh]

What Brian said ^^ about sticking with Ansel's book. I think it is very important to understand the Zone System - even if you do not use it on every photograph. It's about more than exposure, the practice of pre-visualisation is very valuable.

Just because someone said the book is hard to understand does not make it so.

[Bill Burk]

Minor White often gets criticised, but I don't know of any mistakes (except linotype slugs on one page were pied) in his booklet "Zone System Manual - How To Previsualize Your Pictures." I appreciate this booklet for explaining the motivations behind the need for the Zone System in the first place.

Throughout, from beginning to end, there are clear thoughtful passages I wish I'd written...

..."snapshots today are made by an unesthetic public generally ignorant of the medium of photography."...

"Mastery is marked by the demonstrated ability to fuse photograph with previsualized image."

[rdenney]

Minor White often gets criticised, but I don't know of any mistakes (except linotype slugs on one page were pied) in his booklet "Zone System Manual - How To Previsualize Your Pictures." I appreciate this booklet for explaining the motivations behind the need for the Zone System in the first place.

Throughout, from beginning to end, there are clear thoughtful passages I wish I'd written...

..."snapshots today are made by an unesthetic public generally ignorant of the medium of photography."...

"Mastery is marked by the demonstrated ability to fuse photograph with previsualized image."

Hmmm. Why would a book on the Zone System need to describe what's wrong with snapshooters or what defines mastery? And that definition of mastery is itself dense--I'm glad I did not write it. It's in passive voice, and it assumes that a photograph exists before the previsualized image, which sort-of undermines any real meaning of "previsualized" in my mind.

Of course, tearing apart a sentence or two does not do much that is useful regarding the whole work, and I have only read portions of White's book (in its various editions).

We should be careful about versions. My sense of Minor White's book is that it has grown in density and complexity since White first wrote it in 1961, with the addition of new authors to add additional material, first for the 1976 edition (about the time of White's death) and again for the 1990 edition. And Adams's first version of The Negative, published in the 1948, was not edited by a professional writer, which apparently Adams himself later regretted. (We should remember that though Adams was widely read and wonderfully aticulate, he did not go very far in school and probably had no formal training in more advanced writing skills). The New Ansel Adams Photo Series version of The Negative was published in 1981 and was a big improvement in clarity, in part because of the help provided by a professional editor, Robert Baker. White wrote his first book in response to his opinion that Adams's first book was difficult for beginners. But his book has become more difficult (by attempting greater comprehensiveness) with subsequent editions, while Adams's book became simpler and more directed.

In any case, I'd read portions of White's writings in the 70's, and was confused by it and adandoned interest in the Zone System for several years. When I again took up large-format photography in the early 80's, I bought Adams's new edition of The Negative, and its clarity made me wonder why I had thought the Zone System was so dense. No doubt that I changed during those years, and that may be part of my perception. But unlike many, I did not read Adams (or White) as an experienced Zone System practitioner, but as a beginner to that particular technique.

I have a signed first edition of Adams's Basic Photo Series, Book 1, Camera and Lens. The writing is in places rather tortured. Here's an example: "When very small apertures are used, interference phenomena and other optical effects combine to depreciate the precise definition of the lens, although the apparent definition is increased as the increased depth of field gives a greater impression of overall sharpness." There is no similar sentence in the new series because the various concepts Adams is describing are separated into distinct topics, but instead there are sentences like, "The photographer should be aware of this effect [diffraction] because, with diffraction causing some loss of sharpness at small apertures, and certain aberrations degrading image quality at large stops, a lens usually gives its best image quality somewhere near the middle of its aperture range." The effects of working with a professional writer are easy to see.

My point is that we should be a little more specific about which editions we are recommending when we give our reasons. I suspect most of us are recommending The Negative on the basis of the 1981 edition in the new series.

Rick "surprised by how thick was some of Adams's writing in the earlier work" Denney

[Peter Gomena]

Adam's The Negative is required reading and not that difficult to understand. Picker's book clarified in very simple terms for me how exposure meters work and how they relate to the Zone System. Both are cheap and available used. For learning how to test and process film and paper, Beyond the Zone System by Phil Davis is an excellent reference as well.

Peter Gomena

[neil poulsen]

It's good to ask. There are so many bad and misleading books on the zone system. Consequently, I'd sort of advise against reading as many books as you can. :)

The one I learned from was "The New Zone System" by (Minor) White, Zakia, & Lorenz. (I see that there's a revised edition at Amazon.) It does a good job of explaining the zone system correctly. You could purchase this one, and I'd definitely recommend purchasing the three A.A. books. (Camera, Negative, Print.) I agree, I had difficulty learning the zone system from his books. But on all things relating to black and white photography, the three A.A. books are absolutely masterful. You can't do better.

Once you get the hang of it, then read A.A.s explanation of the zone system. It will reinforce your knowledge.

[Gem Singer]

Neil,

Please state, at least, two books on the Zone System that you consider "bad, or mis-leading".

I've read magazine articles on the subject that were inferior and statements on the internet that were mis-leading,

but I cannot remember a book that fits your definition of "bad, or mis-leading".

[E. von Hoegh]

Rick "surprised by how thick was some of Adams's writing in the earlier work" Denney

Rick, give this a read when you have a spare minute. http://www.bhi.co.uk/update/CSM.pdf It makes Adams' worst seem like the finest Schott plane-parrallel glass. It's also fascinating.

[Lenny Eiger]

Well, I agree with E. Ansel Adams book is way overkill. Especially in today's world, where we don't need to match a single-grade paper. There are plenty of other techniques that have been developed since then to alleviate the reasons it was developed in the first place.

I would suggest "The Zone System Manual" by Minor White.

Or, if you would like, you can give me a call and I'll be happy to take the ten minutes it takes to explain it to you...

It is fairly simple, with one or two mental twists that throw people. Once you know what those are its easy.

Lenny

[rdenney]

Rick, give this a read when you have a spare minute. http://www.bhi.co.uk/update/CSM.pdf It makes Adams' worst seem like the finest Schott plane-parrallel glass. It's also fascinating.

At least that has the excuse of being written in an ancient dialect.

Rick "who has seen worse" Denney

[Bill Burk]

Recommend the two-part article "Constant Quality Prints" by John L. Davenport in U.S. Camera

An APUG member, dpgoldenberg, uploaded it to archive.org ...

http://archive.org/details/ConstantQualityPrints

This has the advantage that it pre-dates Zone System, and everyone acknowledges it was the underlying idea

[Kevin J. Kolosky]

I think an even better thing to do would be to get with someone who uses the Zone system and have a conversation about it. Take a few notes, and ask a few questions. Boom. Your there.

As Fred Picker once wrote "The zone system is not a new religion, nor will it change your life. Its just an exposure method that makes field usuable the simplest basics of sensitometery - more in camera exposure produces more negative density and less produces less. More development increases contrast, and less is less."

[macandal]

Thanks for all the responses. I was also recommended "The Art of Photography" by Bruce Barnbaum. I plan on taking a "Zone" class next semester at my local Jr College.

I do have two Zone-related questions, though.



Can the Zone System be applied to color photography or is it limited to B&W?
Can the Zone System be applied to other kinds of photography (http://blog.ricecracker.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/arnold-newman-pablo-picasso-cannes-1956-374x470.jpg) (e.g., portraiture, etc) or is it limited to landscapes and such?


Thanks.

[rdenney]

I do have two Zone-related questions, though.



Can the Zone System be applied to color photography or is it limited to B&W?
Can the Zone System be applied to other kinds of photography (http://blog.ricecracker.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/arnold-newman-pablo-picasso-cannes-1956-374x470.jpg) (e.g., portraiture, etc) or is it limited to landscapes and such?


Thanks.

1. Absolutely, if you are thinking of the Zone System as a previsualization tool. When I make color photos, I measure the scene at critical points, and say, "Okay, I want place that shadowed area on Zone IV, and if I do, where will that brightly lit area over there fall?" If it's four stops brighter, and I'm using Velvia, it might fall on Zone X (Velvia maps five stops onto the ten zones, or thereabouts). I might drop the shadowed area down to Zone II and just let most of its detail go black to make sure that bright area stays ends up something other than clear film. We can't do much to control the contrast of color film through development as we can with black and white film, but we can still decide where we want the tones in the scene to be placed and where others will fall given what we know about the film.

2. Absolutely, the Zone System can be applied to any type of photography. I cannot think about metering without some thoughts of the Zone System, at least in terms of deciding where tones need to be and where others might therefore fall. Now, for portraiture where I can control the lighting, I will start with the lighting ratios I want, and then adjust the lighting rather than adjusting film development or whatever. And I'll more likely use an incident meter in those situations. But the principles of previsualization still apply.

Rick "whose notes all indicate Zone placement and where other tones fall as a result of those placements" Denney

[David Rheubottom]

Bruce Barnbaum's "The Art of Photography" is excellent on the Zone Systerm, and much else. For my money, it is the best "how to" book around.

[Kevin J. Kolosky]

Macandal

What kind of equipment do you have, and more specifically, what kind of light meter do you have?

And have you ever developed black and white film and made a silver gelatin print from that film before?

[neil poulsen]

Neil,

Please state, at least, two books on the Zone System that you consider "bad, or mis-leading".

I've read magazine articles on the subject that were inferior and statements on the internet that were mis-leading,

but I cannot remember a book that fits your definition of "bad, or mis-leading".

There are a number of books on the zone system I've looked through at Powell Books in Portland (for example) that were misleading in some way. I seem to recall one that had an incorrect method to test film speed. Or, I've seen books that recommend increasing development by a specified percentage for determining an N+1 development time. (Versus, testing to determine an N+1 development.)

As to names of a couple of these books, I don't recall, and I don't wish to spend time researching the topic. Much better to recommend a book that I think does a good job.

[AuditorOne]

Bruce Barnbaum's "The Art of Photography" is excellent on the Zone Systerm, and much else. For my money, it is the best "how to" book around.

I will second this. I have lots and lots of photography books but there are four that I keep going back to over and over again. I love Ansel's three books (Camera, Negative and Print) and my copies are very tattered with the constant re-reading and referencing, but I consider Bruce's book to be just as useful and important a resource and I would be hard pressed to say which of the four get more use. You cannot go wrong with these books.

[Miguel Coquis]

Check: White, Zakia and Lorenz
The New Zone System Manual.
Zone system its not easy....one grows with it by practicing at your individual rhythm and sensibility.
Good luck !!!

[Gerry Meekins]

Lots of great books mentioned here. You also may want to check out a more recent book, "Way Beyond Monochrome, second edition". There are several chapters about expoure and development with loads of illustrations and photographs to help you understand the zone system. Also included are many advanced techniques for printing such as unsharp masking and contrast control with color enlargers.

-Gerry

[Brian Ellis]

Well, I agree with E. Ansel Adams book is way overkill. Especially in today's world, where we don't need to match a single-grade paper. There are plenty of other techniques that have been developed since then to alleviate the reasons it was developed in the first place.

I would suggest "The Zone System Manual" by Minor White.

Or, if you would like, you can give me a call and I'll be happy to take the ten minutes it takes to explain it to you...

It is fairly simple, with one or two mental twists that throw people. Once you know what those are its easy.

Lenny

First, "E" didn't say that Adams book was "way overkill." He actually said "I don't think you'll find a better book than The Negative by Ansel Adams." Second, there are quite a few different editions and versions of a book that has "Zone System" and "Manual" in the title with White as an author. So I don't know which one you're recommending. But the one with which I'm familiar is 169 pages long. The discussion of the zone system in Adams book "The Negative" is 51 or so pages long. So why do you think Adams book is "overkill" while White's (whichever one you're talking about) isn't?

[Michael Jones]

Gem has the right idea, IMHO. Read "The Negative" first for the concepts and how Adams' used the system. Then read Fred's book how to simplify it for use in the field.
Mike

[macandal]

Macandal

What kind of equipment do you have, and more specifically, what kind of light meter do you have?

And have you ever developed black and white film and made a silver gelatin print from that film before?Kevin, I have a Luna Gossen Pro meter, and I have developed both 35mm and 4x5 film. I'm not experienced, though. I've developed two rolls of 35 and two sheets of 4x5. I'm currently taking a class that teaches how to process and print film.

[macandal]

Or, if you would like, you can give me a call and I'll be happy to take the ten minutes it takes to explain it to you...

It is fairly simple, with one or two mental twists that throw people. Once you know what those are its easy.

LennyDon't say it unless you mean it. I just might take you up on that offer.

[Ken Lee]

Polaroid film it made it easy to demonstrate the Zone System.

The instructor could make several exposures, develop each differently, and pass them around within a matter of minutes.

It's not rocket science (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aerospace_engineering_topics) after all.

[Lenny Eiger]

First, "E" didn't say that Adams book was "way overkill." He actually said "I don't think you'll find a better book than The Negative by Ansel Adams." Second, there are quite a few different editions and versions of a book that has "Zone System" and "Manual" in the title with White as an author. So I don't know which one you're recommending. But the one with which I'm familiar is 169 pages long. The discussion of the zone system in Adams book "The Negative" is 51 or so pages long. So why do you think Adams book is "overkill" while White's (whichever one you're talking about) isn't?

The one I have is about 110 pages. The main think I liked about Minor White's system was that it talked about 9 zones vs 13 or so that AA had (I'd have to look that up to remember exactly). It was a simpler way of explaining it. There is also Photographic Tone Control by Norman Sanders, a good friend of mine I used to teach with at Cooper and Parsons. An excellent tome.

However, all that said, in the old days many of us tuned our processes to the printing paper we used in the darkroom, made tests, plotted curves, etc. I suppose it was useful in terms of understanding all the reasons for everything. However, now there is much more control, certainly in Photoshop, and it seems like a waste of time. (I also used a two bath development system in the darkroom that made a lot of the contrast control go easier.) Some of us are more "engineering types" and those things matter to them and by all means, plot away. (That's with respect, we do need you.) However, I would not send anyone to do all this stuff in the darkroom, plotting with densitometers and all, today. In that regard, I would have to say that both books are overkill. Adams work is certainly more technical.

I taught the system to tons of young college students, and I did it in just a few minutes. Everyone got it, and those that didn't get it all the way, got it after following the instructions thru a few times.

To me, its 4 steps: 1) Read zone 3, 2)read zone 7, 3) calculate the distance to get your N number (I use 4 steps as N), 4) close down two stops from the zone 3 reading to expose. No, you can't shoot inside in N+2 light, and expose and develop so that the N-3 light outside in the window are perfectly matched. (There are limitations.) There are also times when you break all the rules and decide that your readings don't matter, that you are shooting in a particular kind of light... and will have to develop a certain way. This understanding comes from experience. However, if you follow the 4 steps, you will basically succeed. I think the whole thing could be summarized in a page or two (I have).

That's just my opinion, I'm not an engineer, altho' I am on the technical side when it comes to photographic processes.

Lenny

[Lenny Eiger]

Don't say it unless you mean it. I just might take you up on that offer.

I try not to say things I don't mean.

Lenny

[Preston]

I think many folks over the years have made the Zone System appear to be more complex than it really is, assigning some sort of mystique to surround it. As Ken said, "It's not rocket science after all."

--P

[Kevin J. Kolosky]

Kevin, I have a Luna Gossen Pro meter, and I have developed both 35mm and 4x5 film. I'm not experienced, though. I've developed two rolls of 35 and two sheets of 4x5. I'm currently taking a class that teaches how to process and print film.

Well, the reason I asked about the light meter is because a lot of folks that are just starting out seem to be confused about their light meter. I don't know what a Gossen Pro Meter is. I mean, I don't know whether its an incident meter or whether its a reflective meter.

But I would say this. If you intend to use an incident meter for your large format photography I think it might be better for you to read the Book called Beyond the Zone System by Phil Davis. If your light meter is a reflective light meter, then I think that either the Picker or Ansel Adams book would be fine.

But to start out, if your meter is a reflective meter, in case you are unaware, you need to know that meter is giving you an exposure suggestion for a medium dark gray tone in a print (if the negative is printed for the minimum time to give black in a print through the clear edge of the neg, and if the negative has been developed properly.). A lot of people are unaware of that fact, and it is vital to understand that fact in order to start learning the zone system.

To tell you the truth, I really don't think a person learns the Zone system by reading about it. I think the best way to learn it is to just do it. To have somebody tell you what tests you need to perform and what information you need to know, and then actually do all of the tests and all of the work instead of just reading about them.

In fact, why buy a book. There are a thousand, or maybe 10,000 guys here on this forum that can explain the zone system in an hour. Then you can learn it by actually doing it, taking lots and lots of photos, and actually doing some work in a darkroom printing photos. You really don't even need an enlarger. A contact printing frame and a bulb hanging from the ceiling that you can turn on and off would be sufficient to learn the zone system.

[macandal]

Well, the reason I asked about the light meter is because a lot of folks that are just starting out seem to be confused about their light meter. I don't know what a Gossen Pro Meter is. I mean, I don't know whether its an incident meter or whether its a reflective meter.Both. It can measure incident and reflective light.

[Kevin J. Kolosky]

Both. It can measure incident and reflective light.

Well, perhaps you already know this. Or perhaps somebody else will read this who is just learning.

Go to a white house or a white wall or something white. Take an incident reading and make a photo at the suggested reading. Then take a reflective reading and make an exposure at the suggested reading. Develop normally.

Then make a contact print of each negative at the time it takes for the clear edge of the film to just be black but cannot get more black. See if both contact prints are white like the house or wall.

[Drew Wiley]

I don't see how there would be any change in relevance regarding Zone technique whether
one sticks to trad dkrm printing or scanning with PS controls for digital printing. You still
need to get to first base with a neg that has all the necessary info on it, specifically in a
realistically retrievable form. For all practical purposes curve correction can be done via
split printing VC techniques or masking just like in PS. Your choice and the devil is always in
the details anyway. Can be as simple as you choose, or you can spend a lifetime fine-tuning your technique. Zone theory in itself is extremely simple. Adapting it to your personal supplies and intended vision is a whole other subject. Just like giving a tube of
oil paints and a brush to some gluesniffer in a Junior High art class. Same tools as Salvador
Dali used; but don't expect the same result!

[rdenney]

Kevin, you've never seen a Gossen Luna Pro? You must be young!

There are many learning paths. But the Zone System is an abstraction--a conceptual analytical approach to doing something simple that had previously been learned empirically. Thus, it was intended to be a way to teach and practice technique, rather than the previous strategy of everyone learning their own processes from scratch using trial and error.

My application process is different than Lenny's. (Not necessarily better, of course.)

I measure the brightest subject in which I want texture (when using transparencies, digital, or instant film) or the darkest subject in which I want detail (for negatives). I then place that measured value at the highest (or lowest) exposure that will provide those details.

Then, I measure subjects at the other end of the scale (darks for slides, digital, and instant or lights for negatives).

If that second measurement falls outside the range of the film/sensor, then I look for compression strategies (which may include filtration or development or both). If it falls within the range, but too close to the first measurement, I consider expansion strategies.

In practice for color and digital where development adjustment is not an option, I read several areas that need to fall within the range of the film/sensor, and choose an exposure that keeps them within that range. If that is not possible, I either abandon it or decide on a different visualization.

So many focus on density control with black and white negatives that the main purpose is lost--it's a strategy for ensuring that subject brightness values can be represented in the print. But neither can we ignore the density control part with black and white without giving up an important tool.

With digital tools, we have lots of control over where we place tones in the print, but they have to be present on the film to give us something to work with.

I found Adams's write up to approach the subject from visualization rather than density control, which is what made it click for me. And, yes, I learned Zone System initially from a book.

Rick "thinking the point of abstractions is so they can written down" Denney

[Drew Wiley]

I never use the Zone System model for color work, specifically because I'm concerned with
how the particular hues will saturate at a given exposure value. With black and white,
saturation is a nonexistent issue. Yeah, I read shadow and highlight values in color work
too, generally along with something equivalent to middle gray. But I'm going to be more in
tune with whether or not key hues will reproduce correctly or not, than about overall tonality per se. Either they can be retrieved in some favorable manner or the shot is a no
go.

[Steve Weston]

A book I often return to is by John P Schaefer, How to use the Zone System for Fine B&W Photography. (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zone-System-Black-White-Photography/dp/0902979108/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1348906121&sr=8-8). I find it simple to understand and the testing can be done without all the densitometers etc that many others point to.

[Brian Ellis]

"So many focus on density control with black and white negatives that the main purpose is lost--it's a strategy for ensuring that subject brightness values can be represented in the print."

To clarify - it's a strategy for ensuring that subject brightness values can be represented as closely as possible to the way you want them to be represented in the print, which may or may not be the way they appear in the subject of the photograph.

[Kevin J. Kolosky]

"Kevin, you've never seen a Gossen Luna Pro? You must be young!"

I am! My B'day is coming up Dec. 7 when I will only be 60.

I have only ever used Weston, Minolta, Pentax, and for a very short time a Sekonic.

[rdenney]

"Kevin, you've never seen a Gossen Luna Pro? You must be young!"

I am! My B'day is coming up Dec. 7 when I will only be 60.

I have only ever used Weston, Minolta, Pentax, and for a very short time a Sekonic.

That's not so old on this forum, but plenty old enough to have run across a Luna Pro, even if you never owned one. It was the meter we all wanted to own before we learned Zone System and lusted after spot meters.

Rick "who has one, but had already become accustomed to spot meters by the time of acquisition" Denney

[Joseph Dickerson]

A book I often return to is by John P Schaefer, How to use the Zone System for Fine B&W Photography. (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zone-System-Black-White-Photography/dp/0902979108/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1348906121&sr=8-8). I find it simple to understand and the testing can be done without all the densitometers etc that many others point to.

Steve,

I had completely forgotten about the Schaefer book. You're right, it's one of, if not the best I've seen. Like you, I like that all the testing can be done without a densitometer and the clever modification of a set of darkslides (US terminology, not UK) so that testing can be done on a single sheets of film.

For those who don't understand the darkslide reference you'd need to see the book to understand.

If I'm correct, the book is long out of print, but very worth trying to find.

JD

[Joe Smigiel]

Schaefer also recombined excerpts from Adams' books and rearranged them so they became more coherent in his "Ansel Adams Guide:Basic Techniques of Photography" books 1 & 2. The second of those IIRC is largely about alternative process techniques like gum bichromate...not usually identified with Ansel. IMO, the other is the best information on the ZS using Ansel's own writing and images to teach the process. Schaefer clarifies and orders Ansel's words so they flow more logically and he also introduces the use of step wedges in ZS testing. A much easier read than Adams' original series with the same important contents.

I've read Schaefer's other ZS book, which is also good. Picker only talks about exposure (and contact print proofing) so only half the ZS is considered. Adams' books are the Bible but seem written in Latin by comparison to Schaefer. Davis' book is also excellent but way more technical. White, et al, is one of my favorites simply because of the viewpoint and looking at the system as something more than a technique. It certainly isn't for everyone, but I believe it gets one thinking about more than just the numbers. I thought Johnson's was too simple with some errors and poor reproductions. IIRC, another of some merit is "John Woods The Zone System Craftbook: A Comprehensive Guide to the Zonesystem of Exposure and Development." My $0.02

[Ken Lee]

Picker only talks about exposure (and contact print proofing) so only half the ZS is considered.

While he doesn't treat the subject exhaustively, there is a section on enlargement, with which I have more than a passing familiarity. :)

This is speculation on my part, but because cold-light enlargements match the tonal scale of contact prints, Zone System concepts can be demonstrated with either type of image. Indeed, the book contains examples of both.

Some of the illustrations are contact prints from strips of roll-film. Perhaps it's mere coincidence, but exposing, developing and printing at the same time eliminates several variables: only the fundamentals remain. I would be surprised if that wasn't done intentionally.

[Bill Burk]

I taught the system to tons of young college students, and I did it in just a few minutes.

I don't know how you could do it!

I started a class outline that I thought could be done in a casual hour's gathering.

But how can you say "Minor White was big on stylized departures from reality and describing the mystical clockwise communication from subject to photographer to viewer that sometimes goes counter-clockwise" in two minutes? There are no less than 30 such important bullet points.