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Author Topic: Ansel Adam's - The Camera, Negative and Print Books  (Read 6688 times)

TonyW

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Re: Ansel Adam's - The Camera, Negative and Print Books
« Reply #20 on: January 17, 2021, 11:35:02 am »

Thinking back and being pragmatic, I'd recommend David Vestal's "Craft of Photography" ...
That particular book is available for free download along with others some loan books some free, just type in the title:
https://archive.org/

TBH this is the first I had heard about this photographer and book so will have a look - just for old times sake.  Another fairly short book that attempts to distill the Zone principles "The Zone VI Workshop: Fine Print in Black and White Photography by Fred Picker

I agree with the others here the Ansel Adams books are to be recommended and although for most the days of film and wet processing are over the concepts and principles of the Zone system can be adapted to digital image making

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John Camp

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Re: Ansel Adam's - The Camera, Negative and Print Books
« Reply #21 on: February 08, 2021, 06:21:34 pm »

I am unpacking boxes of books stored in my garage. I have good hardcover copies of Adams' "The Negative" and "The Print," and also Adams' "Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs." I also have the "Leica M Compendium -- Handbook of the Leica M System" by Jonathan Eastland (I think it only goes through the M6) and "Rangefinder" by Roger Hicks and Frances Schultz.

If anyone wants any of these, PM me. I'll want, mmm, nothing. I'd really like to get them to people who'll use them, and not try to sell them on. I can't promise how promptly I'll mail them, this being the era of covid-19 and me being old. Thanks

JC

 
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mjcreedon

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Re: Ansel Adam's - The Camera, Negative and Print Books
« Reply #22 on: February 14, 2021, 07:40:07 pm »

I remember Al Weber very well. A kind intelligent photographer, teacher and Father.  Having been born and raised in San Francisco I had that in common with Ansel.  Was also fortunate to teach 11 years at the San Francisco Art Institute, whose photography department Ansel created in the 1940’s.  Minor White was also a big part of our Photography Department.
I have all of Ansel’s books but especially used his The Negative formula’s for 2 solution development of 4x5 negatives for night photography images in the 1980’s Mission Bay SF series.  Over expose and underdevelop with a second bath to exhaust developer a regular process in my darkroom.
Don Worth recommended I contact Ansel about a portfolio we were in so I visited Ansel in Carmel and he and Virginia were kind enough to receive me.  In fact that led to being an assistant instructor at 4 Friend’s of Photography workshops.  My friend Linda Connor has carried on Ansel’s Friends of Photography tradition with Photo Alliance.  Great lecture series, critiques and workshops continue to this day.  In fact Linda and I will be judging an exhibit for the Marin Society of Artists this April.
Amazing the community of Photographers we all share.  So much history and tradition to be proud of.
We are all very lucky.
Stay safe,
Michael
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mjcreedon

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Re: Ansel Adam's - The Camera, Negative and Print Books
« Reply #23 on: February 14, 2021, 08:49:43 pm »

How does the Zone System cross over from Analog to Digital?  The Zone System has never been easy but basic technique will always remain.  Raw capture with sufficient shadow exposure an important start for many reasons including 16 bit capture and Pro Photo space. Setting black point and white point in Curves an important beginning at start of processing image.  Option click to see where clipping occurs in both black point and white point. From there separating out the shadows, middle tones and highlights zones in the print critical for the artist. It will always be a personal choice.   Everyone has their own final print goals.  High contrast printing necessary for some ( like Bill Brant ) or soft open tone printing ( like Don Worth or Michael Kenna ).  Continuous tone full scale prints mean placing density values in the image file at levels that print out with distinct tonal separation and detail in the final print.  Get to know Info box in your software.  I’ve always enjoyed as dense a black in my print as the printer, paper, ink set would allow along with distinct highlight detail. For longevity of prints choosing pigment ink important with the marriage of inkset, paper and printer essential as there are distinct differences as compiled by Wilhelm Research and others.  Bottom line is “ The proof is in the print “.
I’ve only touched upon a small portion of the important information many of the knowledgeable photographers on this site and beyond possess.  Keep reading and studying this subject but make sure to make prints and share with those you respect.
Michael
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mjcreedon

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Re: Ansel Adam's - The Camera, Negative and Print Books
« Reply #24 on: March 15, 2021, 12:52:22 am »

One additional thought.  If you haven’t already done this Google
‘gray space ramps for zone system’, click on the left image gray ramp and you will find
a very useful gray ramp with zone system markings that correlate to Ansel’s workflow.
Print this target to gain information about your printer profile tone separation along
with final print color.  Check for proper tone separation in shadows, mid tones and highlights.
Adjust tone values where necessary for final print output.
Using the right ICC profile an important link to tonal separation in final print quality.
Michael
« Last Edit: December 09, 2021, 12:39:10 am by mjcreedon »
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Michael West

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Re: Ansel Adam's - The Camera, Negative and Print Books
« Reply #25 on: March 27, 2022, 06:35:35 pm »

The books are, of course, all about chemical photography and the zone system. But they can teach about dynamic range, exposure, and other basics of the craft. I bet Adams would have loved digital! And the books are classics, I regret selling mine.

I was fortunate to attend his workshop back in the 80s when he was still active. It was one of the great thrills of my life! To be taught by him, tour his darkroom, and (yes really) have tea with him and his wife Virginia.

 

somewhere id read that he was enthusiastic and the new "electric Technology". sadly i cant re remember where i read it or find any quotes on the internet
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langier

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Re: Ansel Adam's - The Camera, Negative and Print Books
« Reply #26 on: March 27, 2022, 07:08:05 pm »

The final scene in the PBS documentary on Adams in the early 1980s showed, I think, Ansel's Mt. Wiliamson being "adjusted" in some kind of early digital or video device with him commenting about the future of photography which he seemed to be welcoming. I know that he did love his tech in his later life like his Leica M5, Polaroid SX-70 Sonar and other cutting edge "toys."

The late 1970s and early 1980s was the time of laser scanners for film and digital negative plotters for creating duo-, tri- and quadratone b&w separations along with the start of using the new tech for doing 4 to 6 color lithography (4c +spot/PMS colors and spot varnish. I know that Ansel was in the know about prepress and litho reproduction as his opus "Image 1923-1974" was quite a project for him. After the first run of the cover of the book were printed, he rejected them all, thousands of copies if I remember. The reason he told me was that the printer goof and had inadvertently used the wrong ink on one of the quad tone places and the cover didn't match the proof nor Ansel's expectations.

In many ways it was the start of digital production for books after decades of doing dark-room separation negatives and an exciting time as b&w reproductions were finally coming of age and the hit-and-miss color lithography was finally living up to its expectations in quality that had kept it a novelty and exercise in frustration.
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Michael West

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Re: Ansel Adam's - The Camera, Negative and Print Books
« Reply #27 on: March 27, 2022, 08:44:37 pm »

The final scene in the PBS documentary on Adams in the early 1980s showed, I think, Ansel's Mt. Wiliamson being "adjusted" in some kind of early digital or video device with him commenting about the future of photography which he seemed to be welcoming. I know that he did love his tech in his later life like his Leica M5, Polaroid SX-70 Sonar and other cutting edge "toys."

The late 1970s and early 1980s was the time of laser scanners for film and digital negative plotters for creating duo-, tri- and quadratone b&w separations along with the start of using the new tech for doing 4 to 6 color lithography (4c +spot/PMS colors and spot varnish. I know that Ansel was in the know about prepress and litho reproduction as his opus "Image 1923-1974" was quite a project for him. After the first run of the cover of the book were printed, he rejected them all, thousands of copies if I remember. The reason he told me was that the printer goof and had inadvertently used the wrong ink on one of the quad tone places and the cover didn't match the proof nor Ansel's expectations.

In many ways it was the start of digital production for books after decades of doing dark-room separation negatives and an exciting time as b&w reproductions were finally coming of age and the hit-and-miss color lithography was finally living up to its expectations in quality that had kept it a novelty and exercise in frustration.

Thank you
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Michael West

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Re: Ansel Adam's - The Camera, Negative and Print Books
« Reply #28 on: March 27, 2022, 09:05:29 pm »

Ansel Adams: Photography With Intention

this video contains the quote I now much more clearly remember

"The thing that excites me in the not too distant future Were going to have an entirely new medium of expression of the electronic image

i know the potential there... and its going to be wonderful
"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zxancgfDVg

thanks again
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deanwork

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Re: Ansel Adam's - The Camera, Negative and Print Books
« Reply #29 on: April 18, 2022, 06:05:03 pm »

Ansel met with us students at the University of Arizona in 1980. As an undergraduate student, I worked at the Center and showed his portfolios to the public and scholars, as well as all the other masters of American 20th Century photography in that collection.

A couple of us asked him in a group setting about where digital was going. At that time the Optical Sciences dept was developing what was for that time mind blowing digital capture technology . They designed optics and digital imaging tech used by Nasa for planetary mapping and pentagon surveillance such as of Russian missile
sites, etc. They could record tiny details from a mile high satellite . All that was stored on 3/4 inch digital tape on reels. They made 8x10 negs from the digital tape and put together mosaic topographic print maps. Their optics and digital tape was really something else and made film look like the 19th century. The physics students knew more about what was going on than we did. I saw it and couldn’t believe it. After seeing that I felt like a cave man.

Ansel knew all about that in 1980. So did my teacher Todd Walker who sent me over there to learn what digital photography was going to be. It was actually very secretive then.

Ansel also was friends with people in Silicon Valley so he knew exactly where it was headed. He told us digital was going to produce tonal and resolution capability that would put him to shame but that he wasn’t going to live long enough to see it available in the private sector, but we would.

As an aside Ansel told the director of the Center For Creative Photography. Jim Enyeart,  that he wanted the students in the future to scan his negatives that are stored there and “experiment” and “interpret “ and explore the possibilities with the electronic capture that was quickly coming. At that time there were no personal computers on the market much less pigment printers or dslrs. Ansel was also close friends with John Schafer the University president at that time who was a scientist and very much aware of what NASA and the Optical Sciences dept were doing on campus.

We had a class reunion of sorts about 8 years ago and they had a big exhibition of landscape photography hanging up from the collection. I was kind of stunned at how dark all the prints were. Back in those days the sweet spot for gelatin silver was pretty damn dark. Compared to today almost everyone printed dark. Adams would have loved to work with the highlight and midtones capability we have now. What we take for granted. A lot of his snow capped mountains had highlights that were like zone 5, and it looked normal at that time.

John

quote author=Michael West link=topic=136976.msg1237964#msg1237964 date=1648429529]
Ansel Adams: Photography With Intention

this video contains the quote I now much more clearly remember

"The thing that excites me in the not too distant future Were going to have an entirely new medium of expression of the electronic image

i know the potential there... and its going to be wonderful
"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zxancgfDVg

thanks again
[/quote]
« Last Edit: April 18, 2022, 06:27:14 pm by deanwork »
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