Shel wrote:
My first suggestion would be to get two books by Ansel Adams: The Negative
and The Print. Those books are a great starting place, even if you don't
like Adams' work or accept some of his theories.
I couldn't agree more. When I returned to darkroom work after a twenty year hiatus, I read those books cover to cover, then reread them. Like Shel said, even if you don't subscribe to all of the zone system particulars, you will understand the exposure/darkroom equation if you fully comprehend Adams' writings. And you'll find that you incorporate elements of his thinking in your work. You'll find yourself analyzing shadow and highlight areas of a scene with a new understanding of how they will transfer to film. In the darkroom, you'll develop a strategy for dodging and burning a print that might never have occurred to you had you not been exposed to the Adams methodology.
Paul
