...for darkroom printing black and white today?
Printable View
...for darkroom printing black and white today?
In my opinion, yes. However, it is necessary that a reader/student:
- Have good language comprehension skills
- Be persistent and willing to make prints, think, re-read and try again
- Not expect an Internet chat-type experience where "answers" are spoon fed.
In other words, if you're OK with work, I know of no better book about printing to start with.
Yes.
Another good book to have in general is "way beyond monochrome".
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
I remember liking it. Probably most helpful if you think of it as a primer and not a bible. Especially concerning AA's esthetic opinions and assumptions (all of which are rooted in a time long ago, and subject to much debate).
The technical examples may be a bit frustrating to a contemporary student, since so many of the materials he mentions don't exist anymore.
In addition, I recommend an older or current version of Carson Graves' Elements of Black and White Printing. More nuts and bolts. A good companion to the AA book.
When I first got into B&W photography, I read the Negative and did all of the exercises, then I read the Print and did all the exercises. It's a great foundation, and as Paulr said, a lot of the items he mentions don't exist. You can still make it work.
Thank you everyone! Reading these threads and the books has me getting even more excited.