The early chapters are devoted to a discussion of light, film and exposure. What follows is a detailed discussion of the zone system, chapters on natural and artificial light and at the end is an extensive chapter on the darkroom and its equipment.
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A master-class kind of guide from an undisputed master. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Adams is a clear-thinking writer whose concepts cannot but help the serious photographer. NEW YORK TIMES
About the Author
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) was one of the great artists and environmentalists of the twentieth century. In a remarkable career spanning more than sixty years, he made over 40,000 photographs. Adams was a master teacher as well as a master photographer, believing that his approach to photography was universally applicable. From 1955 until 1984 he conducted annual photography workshops, first in Yosemite and later in Carmel. But his most important and lasting contribution to the artistic, practical, and technical aspects of black-and-white photography was through his legendary technical series (revised several times since the initial publication in the early 1950s):The Camera, The Negative, and The Print.
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Ansel Adams (1902 - 1984) was the most honored American photographer of the twentieth century. Through his exhibitions and publication of his work, his writings, and his leadership in the Sierra Club, Adams was also a prescient and highly effective voice in the fight to preserve America's remaining wilderness.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
91 of 93 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the book I turn to for the heavy duty technical data on the most important aspects of photography, but guess what? This is probably one of the most readable and easy to digest technical books on photography you are ever likely to read or need. Adams has a way of making mysterious worlds within Photography accessable. I will admit though that this book is not for the absolute beginner, though having said that those who want to stretch a little could find much that is of use without having too much knowledge off the mark.
When I looked at the three books of this series, The Camera, The Negative and the Print, I waded into each wanting to choose only the best one from the series. I quickly realised that neither of the other two had what The Negative had and I have subsequently realised that this was by far the best choice for me. The negative deals with Visualization and image values, Light and Film, Exposure, The Zone System, Filters and Pre-Exposure, Natural Light, Artifical Light, Darkroom processes, Dark Room equiptment and procedures and value control in processing.
This book is an absolute must for intermediate photographers who have mastered the basics and want to take a step up into the world of greater control over their imaging with an eye to developing and processing their own film and prints. Everything you need to know about getting your images right before you even hit the shutter is in this book, all you need to do now is accentuate the positive by going and buying The NEGATIVE!
45 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There are a number of good reviews here, and I recommend to you especially the one by S. White. This is a great book, a classic that is important both historically, because it defines the zone system as no other work can, and practically, because it gives you the best combination of practice and theory available in print (at least that I have found). For the uninitiated, in the "zone system" you stop thinking about "the" one correct exposure for a photograph (which is usually the correct exposure for a single subject in the photograph) and instead think about the range of exposures needed across a scene with a variety of subjects with different colors, textures, and light characteristics. This approach is made possible by the observation that a one-stop shifts in exposure, in black and white photography, ultimately create 10 "zones" for aesthetic purposes - that is, the full range of grays between black and white can be associated with 10 stops of exposure.
I don't want to make this review just an echo of the praise offered by others, so let me point out several things about this book that may be helpful if you haven't yet decided to purchase it:
First, the zone system advocated by Ansel Adams is the most influential approach to taking black and white photographs out there. There are advocates and detractors, and this book is inspired in part by Adam's advocacy of this technical and painstaking technique. Because he is an advocate, he works very hard to make the system comprehendable, while retaining fidelity to its technical and intellectual side. He also does not give you the full story on the criticism of his method.
Second, even if you are not going to "follow" the system, this book will give you an understanding of the process by which light becomes a photograph, and insight into how meters (whether built into the camera or not) and film interact with objects that are colorful and textured. This insight is indispensible, and better explained that anywhere else I have read. Whatever you think of the zone system as a method for taking photographs, it is a fantastic educational method.
Third, some have commented that the information is most useful to those using view cameras and not working with 35 mm roll film. I disagree. While view cameras can give you the ability to deal with each negative separately in a darkroom, today's automatic and, yes, digital cameras can give remarkable flexibility once you understand the ins and outs of the zone system and how exposures work. With today's camera's capable of giving you a honeycomb display of exposures over the entire photograph, taking multiple exposures on one roll can get you much the same impact as manipulating exposures in the darkroom. Today's cameras also allow you to re-roll and switch films mid-roll, so it is now possible to do astonishing things in the darkroom using Adams methods and a 35 mm camera.
Digital SLR cameras can be even more readily adapted to these methods than View cameras, since they give instantaneous displays as well as the ability to make a detailed analysis of an exposure. Because Ansel Adams fully explains his method and its technical underpinnings, it is possible to really apply his teachnings to modern technology. At some point, we need to revisit Adams' contributions in the modern world, but I suspect we will discover when we do so that he was well ahead of his time.
I don't want to make this review just an echo of the praise offered by others, so let me point out several things about this book that may be helpful if you haven't yet decided to purchase it:
First, the zone system advocated by Ansel Adams is the most influential approach to taking black and white photographs out there. There are advocates and detractors, and this book is inspired in part by Adam's advocacy of this technical and painstaking technique. Because he is an advocate, he works very hard to make the system comprehendable, while retaining fidelity to its technical and intellectual side. He also does not give you the full story on the criticism of his method.
Second, even if you are not going to "follow" the system, this book will give you an understanding of the process by which light becomes a photograph, and insight into how meters (whether built into the camera or not) and film interact with objects that are colorful and textured. This insight is indispensible, and better explained that anywhere else I have read. Whatever you think of the zone system as a method for taking photographs, it is a fantastic educational method.
Third, some have commented that the information is most useful to those using view cameras and not working with 35 mm roll film. I disagree. While view cameras can give you the ability to deal with each negative separately in a darkroom, today's automatic and, yes, digital cameras can give remarkable flexibility once you understand the ins and outs of the zone system and how exposures work. With today's camera's capable of giving you a honeycomb display of exposures over the entire photograph, taking multiple exposures on one roll can get you much the same impact as manipulating exposures in the darkroom. Today's cameras also allow you to re-roll and switch films mid-roll, so it is now possible to do astonishing things in the darkroom using Adams methods and a 35 mm camera.
Digital SLR cameras can be even more readily adapted to these methods than View cameras, since they give instantaneous displays as well as the ability to make a detailed analysis of an exposure. Because Ansel Adams fully explains his method and its technical underpinnings, it is possible to really apply his teachnings to modern technology. At some point, we need to revisit Adams' contributions in the modern world, but I suspect we will discover when we do so that he was well ahead of his time.
40 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Ansel Adams expressed more with B&W then most can even DREAM of doing with color...
This is my second foray into learning the basics of exposure through the Zone System, and who better then The Master himself to lead. He has taken a fairly technical system and made it a breeze to grasp. No misleading sidebars or relationships here. Just the facts. Much better then my first indoctrination. No matter how deeply you wish to delve into his techniques, even a redimentary understanding of previsualization before exposure will improve ones photo making, even in color. An outstanding reference. The entire series, Book 1: The Camera, Book 2: The Negative, and Book 3: The Print are invaluable additions to a personal photography library.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Another masterpiece from the master!
I bought this book to read the next step of Adams' series, and it did not disappoint by any means. I am a professional photographer, but I have only developed a few dozen rolls at... Read more
Published 1 month ago by DOBrien
Excellent reading
If you are serious about understanding what goes into the making of an excellent photograph then this book is a must have. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Bruce Ellingwood
I think i've got what I wanted.
I bought this book for the photos inside. They seem to be well printed, adjusted as closely as possible to the right greyscales. Good. I need time to study it.
Published 6 months ago by Yu Jiao
Buckets of wisdom in every page even in this digital age!
Great read, Ansel Adams shares his wisdom and knowledge in the Negative, the second book in a three-part series. Read more
Published 14 months ago by D. Mantilla
Ansel Adams' The Negative is the Best
Not much to say. You want to know everything about the Zone System or exposure, this is IT.
Published 20 months ago by Bruce A. Fichelson
The best photography books on the market!!
This is the 2nd book in Ansel Adams photography series. I really cant stress enough the importance of reading all 3 of these books and reading them in their proper order. Read more
Published on October 22, 2009 by OrangeCrush
BEST IN DEPTH EXPLANATION OF THE ZONE SYSTEM
I decided to buy this book after I gave a try to Ricardo Aronovich's "Exponer una historia", a book that makes a farily simple explanation of the Zone system for cinematographers. Read more
Published on August 23, 2009 by Cesar Diaz
One of the best book in teaching photography
The core of this book is probably the zone system. Before reading the book, I had heard many comments on how complicated and inpractical this system is. Read more
Published on May 28, 2009 by Z. Cheng
Master of non digital photography
If you are interested in photography and in making excellent photographs whether digital or traditional film its important to read Ansel Adams. Read more
Published on November 17, 2008 by J. golden
An excellent technical reference
Concisely written in Adams' own scholarly style, "The Negative" is a valuable resource for photographers learning the foundation of technically correct (as opposed to generally... Read more
Published on August 7, 2008 by Gary R. Higgins
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