I´m looking for a book that describes all the ins and outs of B&W developing and printing. I know the basics and I do develop my own film, but I would like to learn the zone system, how to use different developers etc. I have been looking at "The Negative" and "The Print" by Ansel Adams, but would like a book that deals with photojournalism or people photography.

Do you have any suggestions?

-- Jonas Vilslev (jonasvilslev@groenjord.dk), May 02, 2002

Answers

I avoided the Ansel Adams books for a number of years myself - fiquring that what I do and large format had nothing in common. Nothing could be further from the truth. If I could only have two darkroom technical books in my library it would be The Negative and The Print. They're not about large format as much as they are about knowing your materials, working with them, and expecting a fine print as a finished product.

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), May 02, 2002.

Hi Jonas-

I like "The Negative". Even though I just shoot 35mm, it still has much good information about exposure, developers and technique. In regards to photojournalism, there is a book called "Pictures on a Page" by Harold Evans. He was the long time photo editor of the London Times. I think this book has become the standard book of photo editing and page layout for newspapers. It is amazinly full of photos, examples and critique. I'm pretty sure it is out of print, but you can probably find a copy thru Alibris, Pawprint or Bibliofind, probably even Amazon. All of these services have websites. The problem is that it will probably be expensive for a cloth bound copy.

Anyway, my $.02. Good luck.

-- jeff voorhees (debontekou@yahoo.com), May 02, 2002.

I don't think you are going to find a book that covers developing and printing as well as photojournalism in one book. I agree that the Ansel Adams series of The Camera, The Negative and The Print are all excellent. You should include his "Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs" in the list. In terms of a photojournalism book recommendation, check out the book "Witness In Our Time: The Working Lives of Documentary Photographers" by Ken Light. Great insight with essays by many many documentary photographers and photojournalists.

-- Tristan Tom (emulsion71@hotmail.com), May 02, 2002.

Jeff - I would have recommended Pictures on a Page if you hadn't got there first. An absolutely fascinating book. Put that together with a set of actual documentary picture books and you have just about everything you need, IMO. Dirck Halstead of Digital Journalist also wrote a very good set of "rules" for doing a documentary feature - unfortunately I can't find it on the site. Should be in the archives somewhere.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), May 02, 2002.

The Zone System for 35mm Photographers, by Carson Graves is a really wonderful book to learn the essentials of modifying exposure, development, and printing of black and white photographs. I am in the middle of taking a course on this subject and found this book on my own. It conveys all of the needed concepts in a very straighforward practical manner. It has excellent photographs and drawings to convey the zone ideas. The Borders books in my area had it, so you may be able to find it at a local book store to see if it suits your needs.

-- Steve Rosenblum (stevierose@yahoo.com), May 02, 2002.

Henry Horenstein's books are well-thought-out and well illustrated. "Beyond Black and White Photography" is probably where you want to start. Arnold Gassan's book is good for the zone system if you can find a copy. Robert Foothorap's "Basic Photography" is slanted toward photojournalism, but long out of print. Try www.powells.com

-- Joe Brugger (jbrugger@pcez.com), May 02, 2002.

I agree with Steve Rosenblum, The Zone System for 35mm Photographers by Carson Graves is excellent. In addition, Carson Graves authored The Elements of Black and White Printing. He printing book will accelerate your abilities faster than any other book.

-- Doug Landrum (dflandrum@earthlink.net), May 02, 2002.

Should be "His printing book . . ."

-- Doug Landrum (dflandrum@earthlink.net), May 02, 2002.

I highly recommend The Zone VI Workshop by the late Fred Picker. Will get you on the right track immediately from the start.

-- Hans Berkhout (berkhout@cadvision.com), May 02, 2002.

I don't know if it is still marketed, but the late Fred Picker used to market a video that showed you how to make a fine print. Also packaged with the video (and the book, I think) was a small 4 page booklet cum cheat sheet on how to get to a very fine print quickly. Best stuff I've ever seen.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), May 03, 2002.

Oh, and I have the Ansel Adams books too. I do think they are a bit overrated (there, I've said it). Tedious, obssessive in its attention to detail, and largely impractical for many. Fred Picker, his disciple, really made the ZS and fine printing much simpler and more fun.

The Horenstein books are good too. Don't overlook the first, simpler book.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), May 03, 2002.

There is a new book on Photojournalism by a guy called Terry Hope - Very good, I think amazon have it

B

http://www.briandavidstevens.com

-- brian (briandavidstevens@talk21.com), May 03, 2002.

The Adams books are not overrated. They go in-depth so that the beginner can begin to fully understand the ins and outs. It is comprehensive. And I find the writing to be very very straighforward. Honestly, I don't know what the Hell I was doing before I read The Negative. Praying and/or getting lucky I guess. The pairing is essential reading, absolutely. That said, Picker's book is ALSO essential reading because it reiterates everything even more simply. Great for making sure you got everything. And if you can get your hands on the videos, that is ideal. I have the URL where they used to be offered, but I don't know if they are still offering them since he died. I hope they are. I want 'em. In short, by all means read the Adams' books and the Picker book. Watch the videos if you can, and ALSO read books for photojounalism and people photography. Then you will have all the tools at your disposal to do your own thing. Good luck!

-Ramy

-- Ramy (rsadek@NOSPAM.cs.oberlin.edu), May 03, 2002.

Sort of OT. I refuse to read anything Fred Picker writes after seeing an interview about 6 years back in Photo Techniques. The interviewer asks how Fred routinely gets such fine uncluttered views in the wild. Fred stated that he carried a chainsaw in the truck of his car and any 'offending' trees, bushes and such were just hacked down. Kind of made me loose respect.

-- BobTodrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), May 03, 2002.

My opinion: Forget the Zone System; forget Ansel Adams, (Henry Horenstein's books are OK on technical issues, but Henry Horenstein's photographs suck big time; "Beyond Basic Photography" has the worst examples of 'photography' and photographs of any photography book on the market). Develop your own style and way of putting onto film what you see. This is not to say you shouldn't read and study others' ways of interpreting this world of ours, but ultimately if you want to imbue your photographs with an original view, you'll either (1) never look at a book of photographic technique and strike out on your own or (2) synthesize the disciplines of other phoptographers by using their methods as springboards to developing your own style. For this latter approach, I highly recommend the 2-volume "Darkroom" (Lustrum Press 1977; ISBN: Cloth 0-912810-20-3; Paper 0-912810-19-x) and "Darkroom 2" (Lustrum Press 1977; ISBN: Hardcover 0-912810-22-x; Paper 0-912810-21-1) each of which contains the diverse approaches to both the art and the craft of photography of some other well-known photographers who are instructive without spewing the autocratic nonsense of an Ansel Adams (or especially that of a Fred Picker (who, granted, could make excellent, boring prints of some really boring subject matter)).

Both "Darkroom" books give the novice some breathing space by presenting interviews with a broad spectrum of photographers who explain their shooting and darkroom working styles in detail without preaching and trying to win converts to their way of doing things. "Darkroom" presents Wynn Bullock, Jerry Burchard, Linda Connor, Larry Clark, Ralph Gibson, Betty Hahn, Eikoh Hosoe, George Krause, Elaine Mayes, Duane Michals, W. Eugene Smith, George Tice, and Jerry Uelsmann who are instructive without being didactic like certain other photography proselytizers of rigid, inflexible technique qua photography. In other words, you'll have room to grow without being hemmed in to 'nine shades of grey between paper white and paper black'--unless of course you want to be.

"Darkroom 2" presents another cross-section of photographic techniques by the likes of Judy Dater, Frank Gohlke, Emmet Gowin, Charles Harlbutt, Lisette Model, Hans Namuth, DOug Prince, Aaron Siskind, Neal Slavin, and Cole Weston. At the conclusion of each interview, there are illustrative photographs as well as a one-page grid outlining each photographer's "Film, ASA [ISO] Rating, Developer, Solution & Time [of processing], Agitation [technique], Enlarger, Lens, Light Source, Usual Aperture, Usual Exposure, Paper, [Paper] Developer, [Paper] Solution & Time, Stop Bath [used], Fixer, Wash, Toning, Drying, Flattening, Presentation".

-- Cosmo Genovese (cosmo@rome.com), May 03, 2002.

Correction: "Darkroom 2" (Lustrum Press 1978 . . .).

-- Cosmo Genovese (cosmo@rome.com), May 03, 2002.

So, its not just the beloved Leica that incites strong opinion. But I guess that is an obvious statement when talking about this group :./

-- jeff (debontekou@yahoo.com), May 03, 2002.

For Bob (OT): it was in Camera & Darkroom, June 1995 page 34: "Anecdotal account of the lenghts one must sometimes go through when setting up for a landscape shot". I kept it for handy reference although I would prefer explosives in dealing with obtrusive rocks W of Calgary.

To quote Fred (God bless him): "while I was at it, I showed them how to cut the saplings on a slant with the newly cut bright side away from the camera position. If you cut them flat or across the front side, you end up spotting a hundred(!) white dots out of the print etc etc"

If I remember well, the magazine folded shortly after.

-- Hans Berkhout (berkhout@cadvision.com), May 03, 2002.

As you may know Fred Picker passed away recently. I remember the brouhaha caused amongst nature lovers by Fred's chopping away reeds to clear his field of view. But with his proseletyzing, and his gadgets and equipment, Fred did more to further fine B&W printing education in the USA I think, than Ansel Adams.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), May 04, 2002.

Link is

http://greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=008dPB

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), May 04, 2002.