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The Negative The Ansel Adams Photography Series I Book 2 The Negative Ansel Adams with the collaboration of Robert Baker LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY NEW YORK BOSTON In 1976, Ansel Adams selected Little, Brown and Company as the sole authorized publisher of his books, calendars, and posters. At the same time, he established The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust in order to ensure the continuity and quality of his legacy -both artistic and environmental. As Ansel Adams himself wrote, "Perhaps the most important characteristic of my work is what may be called print quality. It is very important that the reproduc tions be as good as you can possibly get them." The authorized books, calendars, and posters published by Little, Brown have been rigorously supervised by the Trust to make certain that Adams' exacting standards of quality are maintained. Only such works published by Little, Brown and Company can be considered authentic representations of the genius of Ansel Adams. Frontispiece: CloudEsa,sS ti doeft hSei erNreav adac,a .19 62 Copyright © 1981, 2002 by the Trustees of The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust All rights reserved in all countries. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Little, Brown and Company Time Warner Book Group 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020 Visit our Web site at www.bulfinchpress.com This is the second volume of TheA nseAld amPsh otograSpehryi es. Eleventh paperback printing, 2004 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Adams, Ansel, 1902-1984 The negative. Includes index. l. Zone System (Photography) 2. Photography-Negatives. I. Baker, Robert. II. Title TR591.A3 770'.28'3 81-16808 ISBN 0-8212-1131-5 HC AACR2 ISBN 0-8212-2186-8 PB Designed by David Ford Technical illustrations by Omnigraphics Printed and bound by Quebecor/Kingsport PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Acknowledgments The many books I have done on photography, technical and oth erwise, have been made possible by the wise counsel and competent assistance of numerous friends and colleagues. In the technical and educational fields, the information that has come to hand over more than fifty years of work with the photographic process derives from countless sources, only a few of which can be remembered and ac knowledged here. I do wish to recall the immense help I received from Dr. Walter Clark, Dr. C. E. K. Mees, and others at Eastman Kodak; from Dr. E. H. Land and his many associates at Polaroid Corporation, and from various manufacturers who, over many years, shared information generously in the course of conversation and the exchange of letters. I have always made a definite effort to confirm Zone System con cepts and other technical issues with knowledgeable scientists be fore publishing. I am aware of many weaknesses in the early Zone System approach that have been rectified over the years by experts and students alike. There is no one like a bright student to perceive a problem of logic in the most assured statement, and I have appre ciated every comment and suggestion. The purpose of this technical series is to communicate ideas, presenting a workable philosophy and craft system for the understanding and practice of photography. To all who have helped me over all these fifty years-my apprecia tion and gratitude! Specifically in relation to this volume, I wish to thank Robert Baker, my collaborator and editor, whose great ability and thoughtful perceptions have done so much to bring the books to completion. vi Acknowledgments Next, John Sexton, photographer and teacher, has helped enor mously in making the studio photographs, and in performing the technical tests which were necessary to encompass fully the prop erties of contemporary materials. My sincere thanks also to James Alinder for his careful reading and perceptive comments on the man uscript of this book. Others around me in various capacities con tributed in important ways as well: Mary Alinder, who keeps everything in order with schedules and communications; Victoria Bell, Peggy Sexton, Phyllis Donohue, and King Dexter -all deserve greatest appreciation. I must also thank my publisher, New York Graphic Society, Floyd Yearout and his very competent staff, as well as the book designer, David Ford, and the technical illustrators, Omnigraphics. Among the many other individuals and corporations whose as sistance I gratefully acknowledge are Nikon Inc., Tri-Ess Sciences, Eastman Kodak Co. -in particular Jim Marron and Michael More - Ilford Inc., Calumet Photographic, MacBeth Instruments, Fred Picker of Zone VI Studios, Newfane, Vermont, and Messrs. Art Hall and Don Leavitt. Any book is a real event, and dependent on many human and technical resources. Among all these interactions, I would not like to omit the reader, whom I invite to submit ideas, ask questions, and believe himself to be a participant in an educational experience. A.A. Contents Foreword viii Introduction ix 1 Visualization and Image Values 1 2 Light and Film 9 3 Exposure 29 4 The Zone System 47 5 Filters and Pre-exposure 99 6 Natural Light Photography 125 7 Artificial Light Photography 155 8 Darkroom Processes 181 9 Darkroom Equipment and Procedures 195 10 Value Control in Processing 219 Appendices 239 Index 266 Foreword For Ansel Adams the art of photography and the practice of its craft were integrally linked. The transformation of a visual encounter with the world into a memorable photograph is the essence of what every serious photographer wants to achieve. A successful photo graph is the product of a sensitive and receptive mind and a well executed sequence of actions in the field and darkroom. The Negative -and the other volumes in The Ansel Adams Pho tography Series - is a detailed summation by Ansel Adams of a life time in photography. With the passage of time, many films and much of the equipment discussed in the text have been replaced by a new generation of materials and equipment with different charac teristics and capabilities. Yet the concepts and imaginative techniques and procedures de scribed by Ansel in The Negative generally remain as valid and useful as they were when he first began to write about them decades ago. The most important lesson to be gleaned from Ansel's writing is an ap proach to photography -a philosophy, a methodology. For this rea son, Ansel's trustees and his publisher, Little, Brown and Company, have continued to publish The Negative just as Ansel wrote it in its final edition ( 1981 ). To bring the materials and practices up-to-date, John P. Schaefer has written a modern interpretation based on The Ansel Adams Photography Series. The Ansel Adams Guide: Basic Techniques of Photography, Books 1 and 2, attempt to clarify and sim plify Ansel's sometimes difficult technical writing, and to apply his approach and techniques to contemporary materials and equipment. We hope the combination of the two series will prove to be most helpful and stimulating as you pursue your work in photography. The Trustees of the Ansel Adams Trust
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