The Negative (Ansel Adams Photography, Book 2)
by Ansel Adams
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Book Summary Information
Author: Ansel AdamsContributor: Robert Baker
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1995-06-01
ISBN: 0821221868
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Ansel Adams
Book Reviews of The Negative (Ansel Adams Photography, Book 2)
Book Review: A Phenomenal Book that is meant to be both Read and Studied
Summary: 5 Stars
There are a number of good reviews here, and I recommend to you especially the one by S. White. This is a great book, a classic that is important both historically, because it defines the zone system as no other work can, and practically, because it gives you the best combination of practice and theory available in print (at least that I have found). For the uninitiated, in the "zone system" you stop thinking about "the" one correct exposure for a photograph (which is usually the correct exposure for a single subject in the photograph) and instead think about the range of exposures needed across a scene with a variety of subjects with different colors, textures, and light characteristics. This approach is made possible by the observation that a one-stop shifts in exposure, in black and white photography, ultimately create 10 "zones" for aesthetic purposes - that is, the full range of grays between black and white can be associated with 10 stops of exposure.
I don't want to make this review just an echo of the praise offered by others, so let me point out several things about this book that may be helpful if you haven't yet decided to purchase it:
First, the zone system advocated by Ansel Adams is the most influential approach to taking black and white photographs out there. There are advocates and detractors, and this book is inspired in part by Adam's advocacy of this technical and painstaking technique. Because he is an advocate, he works very hard to make the system comprehendable, while retaining fidelity to its technical and intellectual side. He also does not give you the full story on the criticism of his method.
Second, even if you are not going to "follow" the system, this book will give you an understanding of the process by which light becomes a photograph, and insight into how meters (whether built into the camera or not) and film interact with objects that are colorful and textured. This insight is indispensible, and better explained that anywhere else I have read. Whatever you think of the zone system as a method for taking photographs, it is a fantastic educational method.
Third, some have commented that the information is most useful to those using view cameras and not working with 35 mm roll film. I disagree. While view cameras can give you the ability to deal with each negative separately in a darkroom, today's automatic and, yes, digital cameras can give remarkable flexibility once you understand the ins and outs of the zone system and how exposures work. With today's camera's capable of giving you a honeycomb display of exposures over the entire photograph, taking multiple exposures on one roll can get you much the same impact as manipulating exposures in the darkroom. Today's cameras also allow you to re-roll and switch films mid-roll, so it is now possible to do astonishing things in the darkroom using Adams methods and a 35 mm camera.
Digital SLR cameras can be even more readily adapted to these methods than View cameras, since they give instantaneous displays as well as the ability to make a detailed analysis of an exposure. Because Ansel Adams fully explains his method and its technical underpinnings, it is possible to really apply his teachnings to modern technology. At some point, we need to revisit Adams' contributions in the modern world, but I suspect we will discover when we do so that he was well ahead of his time.
Summary of The Negative (Ansel Adams Photography, Book 2)
The early chapters are devoted to a discussion of light, film and exposure. What follows is a detailed discussion of the zone system, chapters on natural and artificial light and at the end is an extensive chapter on the darkroom and its equipment.Artists, A-Z Books
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