zone system

Hi.

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Does anyone have a simplified way of understanding and using Ansel Adam's zone system. And do you know about the Normal minus/normal plus processing techniques. The exact time differences in Normal minus and plus when you process in D76 at 20 degrees centigrade.

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thanks

Wow, is this gonna be a long thread! I'll give it a shot.

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Ansel Adams' Zone System is a method of previsualizing the tonal

range of a scene as translated to the final print. It takes the

concept of exposing for the shadows and developing for the highlights

to a higher level. By measuring the brightness range of the scene,

deciding upon what shadow and highlight areas in which you wish to

maintain textural detail and determining what, if any filtration will

be required to alter certain tones, you can plan the needed

development for the exposure with predictable results. Mark Lindsay

put it more eloquently in another thread....it's applied sensitometry!

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That being said, I'll now try to help you get started. When you

have your scene composed, take a long hard look at it and select the

darkest area in which you would like to see distinct textural detail

appear in the final print. Aim your spot meter at that area (I'm

assuming you're using a meter equipped with a zone system scale) and

place that reading directly across from zone III. Next, find the

lightest area of the scene in which you want to see distinct textural

detail in the final print and meter it. Don't realign the meter, just

observe what zone in which the second reading falls. If it falls in

zone VII, use the approriate aperture and shutter speed indicated by

the first reading and plan to develop that negative normally. If the

second reading falls in zone VIII, N-1 development is indicated. If

the second reading falls in zone VI, N+1 development is indicated.

That's pretty much it, the first meter reading determines exposure and

the second, development. By the way, I put my film holders in zip

lock bags and stick labels on the bags that identify all this info.

for ease of sorting it all out later. I transcribe this info to my

negative storage pages so I can review, over time, what I did when.

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Now, these are very general guidelines that must be tried and

tweaked a bit to take into account your materials and tools. Same

goes for the processing. I generally use a change in development time

of about 15-20% per zone of shift.

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Why all of this works is pretty simple. The thinnest portions of

the negative, the areas that are in shadow, are pretty much fully

developed by the time 1/2 of the prescribed development time has

elapsed. The highlight areas, which are the dense portions of the

negative, continue to develop and get increasingly denser with time.

If you shorten the prescribed development time, you'll prevent those

dense areas from getting so dense as to completely block out detail.

If you prolong development, you'll add density to these areas and

increase the range of contrast on the negative. Pretty neat, eh?

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I just know many of those experienced in all of this are reading

in frustration while gouging chuncks of foam out of their mousepads,

at the thought of such a very simplified explanation. My apologies to

the offended, but I feel the most important thing you need to do when

learning something like the zone system is to first understand the

fundimental premise of it and then practice some basic technique to

prove to yourself that it all works. Even if your early results

aren't perfect, you'll be getting your feet wet and once familliar

with the process, you can then read and understand the many books that

have been written on the subject and fine tune the method to your

working habits.

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By the way, I do recommend Ansel's "Examples: The Making of Forty

Photographs". Not only is it full of helpful insight to how he made

many of his most famous images, but it's full of interesting

background on his travels.

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Best of luck in your new endeavor.

Bob Zeichner

Hi

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The quick and dirty answer re deveelopment times is 1/ use the

manufacturer recommended times for normal 2/ use about 33% extra time

for N+1 and 3/ about 33% less time for N-1.

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As you've probably guessed from the imprecise words, this might all

warrant some testing on your part. Some people seem to... well, not

enjoy testing. In that case, these times form good starting points.

Check your negs over a period of time and adjust the times to suit

your system and working methods.

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If you do decide to test the material you use, test the entire

system. Start with testing the papers you use with your enlager.

Print step tablets to find the range of each paper. This tells you

what density range on the negative each paper grade/filter can

handle. Then test your films and development times to see the subject

luminance range which gives you the density range you want on the

negative.

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In my opinion, most of this is mechanics once you understand the

basics of sensitometry/zone system/whatever which is that exposure

pretty much determines shadow densities while exposure and

development determine highlight densities. All that the mechanics

achieve is to allow you to calibrate you equipment and working

methods to your deesireed finished result (which can be an important

thing to do - something I came to appreciate only after trying to

print my negatives on multigrade paper with an ancient cold light

head, why the devil was I having to use filter 0 all the time, my

negs looked OK - surprise, surprise, the cold light is heavy in blue

light which gives harder contrast with the multigrade papers)... The

most critical thing to develop is the ability to previsualize a scene

i.e., in you minds eye, see a finished print you would like.

Something I'vee found helpful is to actually try using some pencil

and paper to sketch the scene and roughly sketch the tonal values -

each picture takes quite a while to make but its quite contemplative

and deliberate.

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Some books I've found useful are 1/ Ansel Adam's books (esp. 'the

negative' and 'the print' - quite accessible and inspiring) 2/ phil

davies 'beyond the zone system (in his own words - it's like taking a

cold shower: you'll find it difficult to get into and may not even

enjoy it while you'ree in it but you'll feel great afterwards) 3/ the

standard tomee is one by minor white et al.

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Hope this helps. DJ

The best explanation of the Zone System is in Bruce Barnbaum's "The

Art of Photography". It is also one of the best books ever written on

photography in general.