Digital BW, The Print

on 2/8/02 8:05 PM, Alan Zinn wrote:

> At 01:04 PM 2/8/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>> Alan Zinn wrote:
>> 
>>> I think the confusion lies in that MW published the  "Zone System Manual  -
>>> Ansel Adams Zone System as a Basis of intuitive Photography." (1967) He
>>> based it on his experiences teaching it at MIT and RIT. Nowhere in the book
>>> does he take credit for inventing it with Adams.
>>> 
>>> AZ
>> 
>> Nor did anybody on this list say he did or should take credit for it, what I
>> said was he was an early pioneer of it, in as much as Edward Weston and some
>> others were. I don't see why that's so difficult for some to accept - (do we
>> need to get into the semantics of the word "pioneer"?) - probably has
>> something to do with the perception that Adams and Weston were gods and all
>> others mere mortals.
>> 
>> Todd
>> 
>> 
> 
> Geeze Todd, why get so het up - MW is sometimes, not surprisingly given the
> popularity of the book, incorrectly given credit for developing it is the
> simple point. One could maybe say he was a prominent pioneering popularizer
> of the ZS. I wonder how many books he sold and how many editions?  I got
> mine in '68.
> 
> AZ
> Maker of Lookaround panoramic camera.

I get "het up", because at the earliest mention of MW, Harvey suggested
Minor was too young to have been part of it, and in spite of my showing that
Minor was only 6 years AA's junior, and worked as his assistant, and his
name is often quoted second to Ansel's in the histories of the Z system,
people keep presenting "evidence" trying to distance Minor's participation
in it's development.

The best I can ascertain is that the ZS was a concept that more than a
couple were trying to work out, Ansel was at the forefront of codifying it,
and Minor was at the forefront of disseminating it. But the notion that
Ansel worked it all out by his lonesome, and secretively from his assistant,
I believe to be erroneous.

Perhaps an analogy might be Cone with PiezoBW. Jon didn't code the driver
himself, but he is certainly a pioneer in the process.

Basically it comes down to this, Minor da man, give da man his due. Until da
man get his due, I get het. ;-)

Todd