Digital BW, The Print

Wow, I guess I should be careful of what I wish for.  I asked a question, and most certainly received an extensive amount of answers.

Thank you all for enlightening this acolyte.  He is very humbled.

-Laurence
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Paul Roark<mailto:paul.roark@...> 
  To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com<mailto:DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com> 
  Sent: Monday, January 03, 2005 9:36 AM
  Subject: RE: [Digital BW] Re: Zone system (was Annie Lennox)



  Johnny,

  >... I still think you are using the Zone System basically; ...

  Yes, you and the others are correct.  I just prefer language that is more
  directly related to current technology.  Part of my post was intentionally
  non-PC (for traditional B&W types) and a reaction to what I think is an
  excessive deification of certain past masters in our niche.  But, of course,
  I have virtually every book AA wrote.  Even though I never met the man, I
  consider him one of my primary mentors.

  >for how is the histogram produced but by exposure. Proper exposure 
  >is the exposure that produces the desired tones (histogram values).
  >...an initial exposure must be made that will contain 
  >the values for you to manipulate in Photoshop or another program.

  Exactly.  I call this my "information capture" stage.  One must capture
  enough of it -- which includes the highlights to shadows.  I'm a fan of the
  1 degree spot meter, but the modern cameras virtually do this automatically,
  and if people have good digital cameras (I don't), I think they can examine
  the histograms right on the spot to be sure they have not clipped the ends
  of the range.

  >Another feature of learning the basics of the Zone System is that you 
  >can previsualize the final print,

  This is where I think the Zone System never helped me much.  It reminds me
  of some of the composition talks I give and the relevance of the "rules of
  composition."  I love Weston's comments on them: "To consult the rules of
  composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of
  gravitation before going for a walk."


  >...All of us must develop 
  >some kind of discipline to enable us to relate to the scene before us 
  >to produce the final print.

  Yes, I agree.  It is a very personal and individual thing.  If the ZS helps
  one, that's great.  I find a necklace with orange and polarizing filters
  hanging on to be my most valuable tool.  I used to also have small framing
  masks on that necklace to block out the context that will not be seen in the
  final photo.  But if the camera viewfinder is handy, that works, and that
  plus fingers is what I now use to do an initial "framing" of the scene.

  Some think the Zone System is also an aid to communication.  It helps us
  talk about the different levels of brightness in the scene or print.  Here,
  however, we already have conflicting language -- for example, the 100%
  (black) to 0% (white) ink load versus the 8-bit 0 (black) to 255 (white)
  scale.  The "Zones" are yet another system, and one that is less directly
  related to the current technology.  I see it as a potential source of
  confusion for new B&W printers.

  True, next week a new technology may come along and make what we are doing
  this week obsolete, but I think I'll worry about that next week.

  Paul
  www.PaulRoark.com<http://www.paulroark.com/> 


   




  Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, and other resources as they are often being updated.

  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint>

  If you wish to receive no emails or just a daily digest, or you wish to unsubscribe, please edit your Membership preferences by visiting this same page.

  Please follow these basic guidelines:
  - As threads develop, trim off excess portions of earlier messages to keep them short.
  - Good manners are required at all time. No personal attacks or flames. Hostile, aggressive or argumentative users may be removed from the membership without notice.
  - Keep your posts and threads related to the group topic of digital B&W printing. Users who persistently make off-topic posts may be removed from the membership.
  - By posting on this forum you agree to abide by the group rules and guidelines, and to abide by the actions and decisions of the group Owner and Moderators. See "Group Topic, Rules and Guidelines" in the Files section:
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint/files/<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint/files/>

  BY PARTICIPATING IN AND/OR POSTING MESSAGES TO THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO! GROUP YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT THE "OWNER" AND "MODERATORS" OF DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, GOODWILL, USE, DATA OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES (EVEN IF THE  "OWNER" AND "MODERATORS" OF DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES), RESULTING FROM: (i) THE USE OR THE INABILITY TO USE THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP; (ii) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR DATA; (iii) STATEMENTS OR CONDUCT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP; OR (iv) ANY OTHER MATTER RELATING TO THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP.
   
  Yahoo! Groups Links



   





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]