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

[lfpf]

...for darkroom printing black and white today?

Which book for starters? Public libraries are free and most have inter-library loan agreements. Read many and buy those you want to read again. Many are listed in other replies and ain't a bad one among 'em.

When you stay with it, reading will be continuous and will provide answers to a growing stack of questions, with volumes on fundamentals, references, step-by-step instructions and favorites becoming worn. Search chapter subtitles on-line, investigate bibliographies, take a class or twenty. Each practitioner has been guided by their curiosity, necessity and enjoyment.

Live it up and shoot more.

[analoguey]

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.

I have started darkroom work only this year - so I can relate to what you are asking!
And my experience so far has been similar to what Sal's listed.
I bought Ansel's series a bit over a year ago - the Print a little later, thinking I wouldn't do it just yet, but the series is written more or less as something to be bought and studied together.

At first read it was too much to take in, the zone system was a mess (before I got The Print), and it wasn't easy to read.
But it's become easier to understand and apply things with actual darkroom work, keeping the notes from them and then going back and reading it.
Also, my assessment of light and negatives has improved leaps and bounds post trying to print in the darkroom (vs sending it off to scan).


Also, buy them, you'll come back to refer to it -easier when you have it on hand, good to see the prints too.

Good luck!

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 have heard many recommendations of this book and Way Beyond Monochrome - next on my list to get.

[Drew Wiley]

I gave away my whole set, except for "Examples", which has some nice images and anecdotes. The whole set is indeed "basic" and worth reading, but once you
do get beyond the basic catechism of Zone System ideology, you'll need to rethink things according to your personal style as well as current films, papers, and
developers, which have all changed somewhat since this set was published.

[analoguey]

Would there be any good equivalents for Colour darkroom printing? Or shooting?

[Drew Wiley]

I can't think of anything even remotely up to date for color printing, or that even intelligently tells you what you actually need to know to expose current films correctly. Best to inquire about that kind of thing on this forum along with APUG, though in the latter case, you often have to wade thru a lot of shoot-from-the-hip BS to get to an informed answer. Sometimes the old Kodak color guidebooks can be found very cheaply in used bookstores, and still have quite a bit of generic information in them that is applicable. But unless you're quite advanced in color printing, your options are pretty limited nowadays. You can shoot color neg film and RA4 print it yourself if you have a decent colorhead, a simple processing drum, and adequate ventilation. Or you have to go the digital printing route via scan, and then output either RA4 using the services of a commercial lab, or do it inkjet. In some ways doing home RA4 printing from color negs is even easier and cheaper than doing high quality black and white printing. Large format sheet film is expensive either way. But color paper is cheaper than premium
silver gelatin paper. Just another learning curve involved, though you do need to be more cautious with color chemistry in general. I wouldn't apply AA's Zone
System to color photography. That wasn't his bag anyway. But otherwise, there is no reason you couldn't learn them parallel. I shoot and print both.

[Jon Shiu]

Would there be any good equivalents for Colour darkroom printing? Or shooting?

Color Photography: A Working Manual

Jon

[Drew Wiley]

Anything ten years out of date concerning color photography might as well be twenty or thirty years out of date. But just like AA's Basic manuals, there are certain
things which will still generically apply, but many other things which have to be completely rethought. Color technique has obviously taken a much more drastic turn in recent years than black and white.

[Tim Meisburger]

The Illford Manual of Darkroom Practice is available as a free download here: https://archive.org/details/IlfordMo...rkroomPractice

[riooso]

Thanks for the download link. Very good information.


R

[analoguey]

I can't think of anything even remotely up to date for color printing, or that even intelligently tells you what you actually need to know to expose current films correctly.
Best to inquire about that kind of thing on this forum along with APUG,

Yes, I would ask here/Apug. Part of wanting to try colour has been some of the posts here and on APUG saying one can do RA4, provided ventilation is taken care of! So it's to your credit! :-D

Sometimes the old Kodak color guidebooks can be found very cheaply in used bookstores, and still have quite a bit of generic information in them that is applicable.

I'll look for them - if not downloads should also work.

But unless you're quite advanced in color printing, your options are pretty limited nowadays. You can shoot color neg film and RA4 print it yourself if you have a decent colorhead, a simple processing drum, and adequate ventilation. Or you have to go the digital printing route via scan, and then output either RA4 using the services of a commercial lab, or do it inkjet.

Inkjet is something I want to avoid, for now, maybe chromogenic(right term?) prints later, but I would want to understand the underlying process well - and at least from the BW experience, I know that learning everything first (the whole process) is a good way to set yourself up for improvement.

In some ways doing home RA4 printing from color negs is even easier and cheaper than doing high quality black and white printing. Large format sheet film is expensive either way. But color paper is cheaper than premium
silver gelatin paper. Just another learning curve involved, though you do need to be more cautious with color chemistry in general. I wouldn't apply AA's Zone
System to color photography. That wasn't his bag anyway. But otherwise, there is no reason you couldn't learn them parallel. I shoot and print both.

And you have a Clean room in your darkrooms - I will be improvising most cases, although open air ventilation isn't a problem - I have cross-ventilated large light tight windows.

RA4 paper negatives? (should probably start a thread)

Color Photography: A Working Manual

Jon

I'll look it up, thanks, Jon.
What would be key takeaways from that?

/OP - sorry about the OT post!