I used the Zone System for my B&W from 1971 to 1990, apprenticed and assisted Monte Zucker 1972-74 worked in the photo lab at National Geographic 1974-77, taught college classes in photo reproduction and managed offset printing as a career dealing with the transition from analog to digital methods deep into the technical weeds. Adams was a amazing photographer - I had reproduced a dozen his original prints with double-black duotone in one of the magazines we printed in the 1980s - but he made the Zone System overly complex and confusing because most think Zones = f/stop or EV values. They don’t. In the 1968 edition of The Negative and The Print I learned from Adams acknowledges the confusing in the Forward suggesting the reader mentally replace the word “Zone” with “Print Value”. The 1968 Edition also only had ten zones 0 - 9 because it hadn’t yet occurred to Adams to assign a zone to the specular highlights on white objects and that photographers would have the common sense to know that a “Zone 9” smooth white object like highlights on a white car need to be reproduced on a print as a light gray tone with the paper base reserved for reproducing the SPECULAR highlights he later described as Zone 10 Print Values because those using the Zone System were misunderstanding and blowing out the specular highlight clues to 3D shape. There are a lot of things Adams did which you will not understand unless actually reading the books and understanding how B&W film and paper respond to light intensity and color. Early Adams prints prior to 1930s were shot on orthochromatic film which does not react to red light and renders anything red much darker. The Panchromatic B&W film is overly sensitive to blue and also reacts to UV we can’t see which renders blue skies much lighter than seen by eye unless a yellow and UV filter are used which then make any yellow objects seem brighter than seen by eye. His dramatic dark skies where created at capture by using a red filter on the lens and the shots with birch trees with shimmering leaves were shot with a green filter. Because I had a 1° Honeywell / Pentax meter when I learned it I quickly figured out the Zone System is much simpler forget the grey card and Zone V metering and instead meter a Zone 2 textured shaded black object with a spot meter then adjust the ISO dial lower by 3 or so stops so when you expose your prints for Zone 0 Black in the border you get Zone 2 rendering where you metered. For example using ISO 400 Tri-X the ISO on the meter would be instead set to ISO 50, three stops lower instead of metering Zone 2 area with the meter calibrated for Zone V and doing the f/stop math in your head. The precise ISO needed is determined by always exposing prints so film base = max black with minimum exposure. If making contact sheets on #2 paper do a bracket exposure test from 1 sec to as long as it takes to get max black on the borders then always use that as your proof exposure and you’ll have a baseline for visually evaluating correct exposure in the Zone 0 - 1 - shadows and whether the film development time was correct to render the Zone 8-9-10 scene areas correctly on #2 print paper. Changing development time of negatives to always print on # 2 paper as Adams preferred isn’t practical with a roll film camera unless all the frames on the roll are captured under the same EV range between Zone 2 - 8 which is the range with texture on 3D objects in cross-lighting. So instead of using the measurement of scene range to change development of the negative you use it to know in advance what Polycontrast filtration is needed to fit the paper to the density range on negative development at a consistent time a time selected by testing so sunny cross lit scenes print perfectly with #2 filtration. Once the negative and print paper ranges are match to reproduce the full range of tone and texture from Zone 0 - 10 the rest is done with dodging and burning. Adams would make a baseline full range test print then after dodging and burning to taste create a tissue overlay map of all the + / - correction he make in different areas so he or an assistant could repeat them. Zone V = 18% became a problem for Adams when film changed from being rated by ASA number to ISO because meters which use ISO are calibrated to reproduce 12% not 18% which is way if you fill the frame of a digital camera with an 18% card the spike it creates in the histogram isn’t in the center. If you base digital exposure on centering the card spike you will blow out the Zone 9 / 10 separation and perception of 3D shape that critical transition creates in 2D reproductions. The reason Kodak still makes and sells 18% cards is because Adams lobbied Kodak executives not to change it to 12% when the ISO standard was adopted. If you buy one and read the instructions you will see them say a meter reading with a modern 12% ISO standard meter needs to be adjusted 1/3 lower to correctly expose. To adapt Adams method to roll film I spot metered with my Zone 2 adjust ISO for exposure, read a zone 8 textured white highlight and 9 smooth white highlight to know the scene constant between 2 - 9 in EV / stops, then made notes as I shot. Back in the the dark room I’d develop film to fix cross lit sunny scenes on #2 paper then adjust the paper grade with yellow / magenta filtration using the color head of my enlarger on drop in filters. The Zone System method of changing film contrast via development to match #2 paper contrast doesn’t work with color negative film because how changes in development time affect the color balance. With color and digital the ambient light contrast if equal or lower to the print / sensor range is no problem and flat overcast lighting is ideal because contrast can easily be increased by burning in or using flash in the foreground over the ambient to increase the contrast.

Thank you so much for the video, your passion bursts out the screen

@mattbentley-walls3106

2 жыл бұрын

It's a pleasure and thank you for commenting. Hope it helps.

Thank you. :)

~5:31 FYI, Yosemite is pronounced "yoh-SEM-ih-tee". The name was a mistaken interpretation by an American explorer from the Miwok word Yohhe'meti meaning "they are killers [who live there]".

Hello Matt. I finally did it. After considerable amount of planning. I self developed 2 rolls of Delta 400 exposed at box speed with Ilford DDX. I’m keen to show you the results. The results were certainly encouraging. Fine grain with great detail though the camera was a Contax G2. I expect sharpness and detail to improve with a Leica camera and lens.

@mattbentley-walls3106

Жыл бұрын

I am over the moon for you. Extremely well done. Do you have an instagram account - I'd love to seem them.

@baladino

Жыл бұрын

@@mattbentley-walls3106 hi Matt. I have messaged you in instagram. I don’t really use social media like instagram or Facebook since it’s inception.

@baladino

Жыл бұрын

@@mattbentley-walls3106 hi Matt. You ok ? I just put in an order for a 35mm summicron. Starting to feel at home with that focal length. I’ve sent you several scans to your instagram account.

@mattbentley-walls3106

Жыл бұрын

@@baladino Hi Baladino, good thanks and you? All sounds Hugely exciting. I haven't receive any images yet on Instagram. Maybe email them so I am able to see them better on a large desktop screen. I am very keen to see them. Remind me some details about how they were shot and developed.

@baladino

Жыл бұрын

@@mattbentley-walls3106 Hello Matt. Thank you for offering to look at them. Could I get your email ?

Oh man, “the 90’s?! I believe the first book was 1940…

Due to work commitments I watched this video to completion over 2 separate sessions. I gather that in order to get consistent results over time it would better to use a single film stock. To understand how the film stock responds to light. Ergo it would be difficult to visualise something we don’t understand entirely. Secondly if the dynamic range is too wide, sometimes the mid tones would be suitable to place in zone 5. Of course bearing in mind what the final image and where we want maximal detail to be as well as what we intend to create. Possibly this is why hard light in the afternoon is often avoided and the professionals always gravitated towards early morning light or golden hour. I’m still turning things over in my mind and I wish to thank you for your advice and discussion. I have 2 questions: why would we push or pull film if in doing so it would either reduce detail , acutance and add grain ? Since we have digital cameras with good sensors these days, does pushing FP4+ from 125 to 2 stops over or exposing HP5+ 400 to 1600 seem worthwhile ? Though by doing this we are able to use higher shutter speeds. I guess I just don’t understand the principle of this. That image of The Clash bass guitarist Paul Simonon for example was exposed in low light and is amazing.

@mattbentley-walls3106

2 жыл бұрын

You raise some really good valid points here.Well done for watching it all. Your first point re film stock and consistent results; its more to do with accurate results. So if i load a 36 exposure film say HP5 into my camera I might take the first photo of a landscape where I want to protect the cloud exposure for example. My next shot might be a studio portrait using flash. Each image will or might and very likely will require different ways of processing. Maybe I want to shorten the processing time by 15% for the landscape to protect the highlights of the clouds whereas the portrait might be normal processing. If I have different images requiring different processing times I simply cant do it. Ansel Adams shot mainly with single sheet film 5x4 or 10x8 and yes sometimes on Hasselblad but the point is he could do exactly as he wished to each sheet of film. When we visualise or previsualise as Adams put it we are assessing what is important to us in that scene. Are the clouds important, perhaps they are storm clouds rolling in and so we really want to ensure the exposure for them is correct and we accept there maybe a little bit of a trade off in the shadow areas. Perhaps the clouds are nothing special but the light hitting the waterfall is spectacular. In other words what is important to you in that scene and how do you want it to look. If the clouds are dramatic maybe you want to hit the image with some contrast to over emphasise just how dramatic they look. Perhaps you don't. Perhaps you simply want to emphasise every detail in every tone possible. How do you evaluate the components within the scene, how do you want it to look before you press the shutter. This is 'Previsualisation'. Remember the other word I emphasised - interpretation. There is no fixed way, the Zone System is there for you to utilise but it isn't a rule, it is a way for you to access how to expose your film and make the correct exposure based on how you want the image to look. You say it would be difficult to visualise something we don't understand entirely. I take your point but I also disagree. If you don't understand the scene move on, maybe it isn't interesting. If you see something that grabs you and takes your breath away ask yourself why it is resonating with you so strongly. Is it the clouds, is it the river; what's making you stop and stare. Then simply visualise it. Determine how you want it to look in a print. Do you want a grainy image. What camera are you shooting it on? Is it important to reveal as many tones as possible or do you want it to look dramatic with contrast and maybe some grain. Only you can Visualise the way you want it to look based on how you see it and feel about it. Personally I shoot in all light situations, hard light, diffused. Its about knowing how to control light. People/photographers tell you all sorts of things you should and shouldn't do but at the end of the day you need to know how to use light. True if your scene/a landscape lets say in your mind would look better in diffused light then that's your call. Ansel Adams shot in hard light and it created some absolutely stunning images for him. As for your two questions; I cant really talk about digital here, other than to say you can simulated under developing or over developing film in Lightroom. I have a Vlog on my Channel depicting pros and cons of both digital and film if you want. Generally the rule of thumb is that you under develop film by 15% or so to protect highlights if for example you have photographed a fairly contrasty scene using a grey card (Mid-grey on the Zone System) and you want to ensure you have some detail in the white highlight areas. Reducing the development time prevents the highlights from blowing and helps retain some detail. As for pushing and or pulling your film..yes over exposing and under developing will tend to give you flatter images and retain more detail and not emphasise grain. Pushing on the other hand does the precise opposite. Pushing film will also allow you to shoot in lower light with faster shutter speeds but the important thing always here to remember is the chemical you use; the developer is critical. You can under expose two stops (pushing) and over develop and get vastly differing outcomes depending on your developer, how and how much you agitate, the temperature of the developer. I push nearly always and my grain is very fine and retain huge amounts of details in my negative and yet create a little punch in my images at the same time and all because of the developer I use. Hope this helps; give me a shout if you need further info.

@baladino

2 жыл бұрын

@@mattbentley-walls3106 Hello Matt. Thank you for your reply. I received 3 of Ansel Adam’s books today. I’ll do my homework and get back to you. I’ll start with the Camera.

@mattbentley-walls3106

2 жыл бұрын

@@baladino That's wonderful. Enjoy, they'll be a great investment. If there's passages you don't understand skip them and move on; it'll all start falling into place.

@baladino

2 жыл бұрын

@@mattbentley-walls3106 Matt , I haven’t finished watching your video on home development however I have ordered reels and tanks. What developer should I use ? I mainly have Ilford Delta 400 and Tri X 400 and Ilford XP2 as my main B&W. I have. Possible 30 rolls of each of those listed above. According to what I’ve read online Ilford Ilfotec DD-X is recommended for best results. I’m unable to get Rodinal or Kodak based developers where I am.

@mattbentley-walls3106

2 жыл бұрын

@@baladino It completely depends Baladino. How many film do you have to develop; more importantly how do you want your images to look. How large do you like your grain or how fine. The film alone doesn't dictate this - the developer you use does also. As does the way you agitate the film once it's in the developer. Have you purchased a Paterson tank?

i would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for this video dear matt. what a great channel. the way you bring the topic "zone system" closer to me is so full of passion and dedication that it is really a pleasure to listen to you and watch. you are a great educator. something like that is really rare here on youtube. so: have very dear thanks for this and please continue. nevertheless...this is surely due to my obtuseness...i didn't understand it in the end. 😅…… isn't it enough in the end to simply make out a zone v in the picture…to determine. shadows and highlights are then based on this? at the end of your video it went a bit too fast for me. please excuse me. i send you greetings from berlin. gerrit

@mattbentley-walls3106

Жыл бұрын

Hello Gerrit, greetings to you also and thank you so very much for your kind words. You make a very valid point. And the answer in a word is yes, if that's how you wish to see the world. If 'average' or 'safe' is important to you then there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. However, I would make the case that sometimes you might not want to listen to Classical music each and every time or if you do, maybe you don't want to listen to it at the exact same average volume. The Zone System allows you, having pre-visualized the scene, to then tailor it in the way you want to see it in the print form. Perhaps the easiest way to explain it is if you take an image and put it in Lightroom, the normal thing to do is to average everything out and not make it look too dark or too light. What if that wasn't how you saw the image when you took it. What if you want to darken it considerably to give it a mood to make it look a little more dramatic whilst still keeping or protecting some of the detail in the image. Conversely, and its quite 'trendy' to do so at the moment, or at least with colour photography, to over lighten or over expose images and have them look lighter and less saturated; more pastel like. Hopefully this helps. If not I would strongly suggest reading the 3 books.

I miss your videos; I hope that you are well.

@mattbentley-walls3106

Жыл бұрын

Hey Socrates Ive been waiting for your photos and a suggestion for future vlogs, any thoughts? Best wishes.

I have no opinion but does it make sense to speak about Zone System in digital ? and how to be close to it because negative is very different than sensor ?

@TeddyCavachon

Ай бұрын

Zones are tonal values on a print not f/stops each with a definition: Zone 0 = black void, Zone 1 = black object in shadow, Zone 2 = textured black object …. Zone 9 = smooth white object , Zone 10 = specular reflections. Thus if you were looking at a white car in the sun you would see Zone 0 and 1 areas in the wheel wheels and Zone 2 where tread and printing on the tires in shade can be seen. On the body of the white painted car you’ll see a range of gray values and be able to perceive 3D shape of the sun lit white body from the separation between the Zone 9 smooth white and Zone 10 specular reflection of the sun on that surface. What made Adams Zone System prints exceptional was the ability to control the delicate Zone 0-1-2 transitions with film exposure and the 8-9-10 highlight detail on B&W prints by virtue of the fact film contrast can be changed to fit the fixed range 10-11 stop range of a #2 print paper by altering film development to match scene contrast range under different lighting conditions. On an overcast day you still want Zone 0-1-2 separation of tire tread, tire shape and void in the wheel wells and the same Zone 8-9-10 separation on the white body and specular highlights on it. What changes between sunny and overcast day visually is CONTRAST which is like being able to capture a full range scene on a digital camera on an overcast day or on flat sunlight over the shoulders then adjusting with LEVELS or CURVES in post processing. But because sensor has a fix range shorter than cross- and -back-lit sunny scenes we must exposure to retail the critical Zone 9 - 10 separation and live with loss of detail in some of the Zone 1-2-3 etc. areas of the scene or modify the contrast of the scene foreground with reflectors or flash.

@chriscard6544

Ай бұрын

@@TeddyCavachon awesome, thank you so much

@TeddyCavachon

Ай бұрын

@@chriscard6544 I learned a lot by using white and black terry wash cloths as exposure / dynamic range guides. Why terry towels? The have texture and specular highllights from the looped fabric and when draped on a stand become 3D with nooks and crannies that create shadow voids. The black one has Zone 0, 1, and 2 tones and Zone 10 specular highlights and create a very distinct spike on the left side of the histogram. The white one contains Zones 8-9-10 and creates a spike on the right side. To set exposure first adjust aperture for desired DOF and shutter to stop motion and prevent camera shake then adjust ISO until the Zone 9 areas of the white towel are just triggering the blown highlight biinkies in the playback, which is a JPG. Cross check the RAW file with eyedropper; what you are looking for in the RAW file in Zone 9 are vallues of 245-250 with only Zone 10 specular reflections being 255. Once you learn by experimentation how to tell when you are getting 240-250 in zone 9 smooth whites and ‘seen by eye’ texture rendering in the Zone 8 areas in the play back you can use the spike created by the black towel target to see if the sensor has enough range to also record accurate shadow detail by where the spike falls on the left side. If running off the left side the scene range exceeds sensor. If black towel spike is just inside left edge then scene and sensor range match. On overcast day black towel spike will be well to the right of the left edge after exposure is adjusted per the white one but can be easily adjusted to normal with Levels by moving the left slider.