Friday, April 20, 2018

How to Use the Zone System in Photography

How to Use the Zone System in Photography

The Zone System is a photographic technique that was invented by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer in 1941. At that time, most photography was monochromatic and Adams worked out a system for visualization, which he considered to be a creative technique. He believed that you should look at a scene and visualize how you want the tones to look in the image. From that point he could apply exposure science to get the perfect exposure on film. Musicians say that if you can hum a tune, you can play it. Ansel Adams believed that if you could visualize the image, you could photograph it.

The Zone System provides photographers with a method of defining the relationship between the way they visualize the photographic subject and the final results. Although it originated with black and white film, the Zone System is also applicable to color, negative and reversal, and digital photography. The Zone System is still taught today in photography schools and is a relevant tool for digital and film photography and for color and monochrome images.

Read on to find out the basics of how to use the Zone System. Ansel Adams has published many books on the topic as well; if you have interest in exploring it further, see Resources below.

Instructions

    1
    Zone System Gradient

    The simple tool that Adams and Archer developed is this 11-point monochromatic strip ranging from Step 0 to Step 10. The duo discovered that the 11 zones could be corresponded to exposure values. Exposure values refer to the logarithmic relationship between aperture, shutter speed and sensitivity. Sensitivity is the film or sensor's ability to record light. In his book. "The Negative," published in 1948, Adams discusses the scientific relationship between exposure value and the Zone System allowing photographers to calculate how to adjust exposure to compress or expand the zones. Again, this all ties into visualization and knowing how you want tones to be reproduced.

    2
    Zone Descriptions

    To aid photographers in visualization, Adams developed descriptions for each zone. Keep in mind that the Zone System strip is positive, but Adams was working with negatives. The pure black of Zone 0 means that the negative was completely clear. This guide is just as relevant today as it was 70 years ago in helping photographers visualize photographic situations. Knowing that a person with light skin is Zone VII and that my meter is balanced for Zone VI tells me I need to close down one stop to achieve the optimum exposure for their skin. Keep in mind light meters today are much more sophisticated than 70 years ago and it is important to understand the operation of your light meter. In any case, a light meter will not help you visualize a scene, but the Zone System will.

    3
    Contains All 11 Zones

    Adams believed that a good scenic image usually displayed all the zones. Of course he acknowledges exceptions even in his own work. His famous "Moon Rise" image is an example of an image with excellent tones, but not necessarily all of the zones. This is an example of an image that has all 11 zones from the specular highlights in the water to the Zone 0 of the background and Zone 1 of the bear's nose. Look through your images and see how many you have that have all 11 Zones. Keep in mind that textures and details are not available in all of the zones. Photographing fabrics and textures will require you to compress the zones. Reading about and understanding this system will help you in planning and exposing your images.

    4
    Device Independent Color Space

    Although the Zone System was developed for monochrome images, it can be applied to color photography as well. Keep in mind that device independent color models like HSV are based on hue, saturation and value. Value refers to the light/dark part of the color and when combined with saturation controls the density of the image. The logarithmic part of exposure value applies here and so does the Zone System. The greater the value, the less detail will be displayed in the image. It is more complicated than monochrome for sure, but not when applied to visualization. Try visualizing your subject in monochrome and apply the Zone System to that visualization. Many photographers and cinematographers carry a viewer that subtracts color from the scene. This allows them to make initial lighting and exposure decisions before considering the color elements. See Resources below for links to learn more about the Zone System and black and white viewing finders.


How to Use the Zone System in Photography

The Zone System is a photographic technique that was invented by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer in 1941. At that time, most photography was monochromatic and Adams worked out a system for visualization, which he considered to be a creative technique. He believed that you should look at a scene and visualize how you want the tones to look in the image. From that point he could apply exposure science to get the perfect exposure on film. Musicians say that if you can hum a tune, you can play it. Ansel Adams believed that if you could visualize the image, you could photograph it.

The Zone System provides photographers with a method of defining the relationship between the way they visualize the photographic subject and the final results.

Enhance your photography skill,The Top Secret Photography Techniques

. Although it originated with black and white film, the Zone System is also applicable to color, negative and reversal, and digital photography. The Zone System is still taught today in photography schools and is a relevant tool for digital and film photography and for color and monochrome images.

Read on to find out the basics of how to use the Zone System. Ansel Adams has published many books on the topic as well; if you have interest in exploring it further, see Resources below.

Instructions

    1
    Zone System Gradient

    The simple tool that Adams and Archer developed is this 11-point monochromatic strip ranging from Step 0 to Step 10. The duo discovered that the 11 zones could be corresponded to exposure values. Exposure values refer to the logarithmic relationship between aperture, shutter speed and sensitivity. Sensitivity is the film or sensor's ability to record light. In his book. "The Negative," published in 1948, Adams discusses the scientific relationship between exposure value and the Zone System allowing photographers to calculate how to adjust exposure to compress or expand the zones. Again, this all ties into visualization and knowing how you want tones to be reproduced.

    2
    Zone Descriptions

    To aid photographers in visualization, Adams developed descriptions for each zone. Keep in mind that the Zone System strip is positive, but Adams was working with negatives. The pure black of Zone 0 means that the negative was completely clear. This guide is just as relevant today as it was 70 years ago in helping photographers visualize photographic situations. Knowing that a person with light skin is Zone VII and that my meter is balanced for Zone VI tells me I need to close down one stop to achieve the optimum exposure for their skin. Keep in mind light meters today are much more sophisticated than 70 years ago and it is important to understand the operation of your light meter. In any case, a light meter will not help you visualize a scene, but the Zone System will.

    3
    Contains All 11 Zones

    Adams believed that a good scenic image usually displayed all the zones. Of course he acknowledges exceptions even in his own work. His famous "Moon Rise" image is an example of an image with excellent tones, but not necessarily all of the zones. This is an example of an image that has all 11 zones from the specular highlights in the water to the Zone 0 of the background and Zone 1 of the bear's nose. Look through your images and see how many you have that have all 11 Zones. Keep in mind that textures and details are not available in all of the zones. Photographing fabrics and textures will require you to compress the zones. Reading about and understanding this system will help you in planning and exposing your images.

    4
    Device Independent Color Space

    Although the Zone System was developed for monochrome images, it can be applied to color photography as well. Keep in mind that device independent color models like HSV are based on hue, saturation and value. Value refers to the light/dark part of the color and when combined with saturation controls the density of the image. The logarithmic part of exposure value applies here and so does the Zone System. The greater the value, the less detail will be displayed in the image. It is more complicated than monochrome for sure, but not when applied to visualization. Try visualizing your subject in monochrome and apply the Zone System to that visualization. Many photographers and cinematographers carry a viewer that subtracts color from the scene. This allows them to make initial lighting and exposure decisions before considering the color elements. See Resources below for links to learn more about the Zone System and black and white viewing finders.



  • How to use it - Manual SomaPulseSomaPulse

    somapulse.com/how-to-use-it

    Introduction. The SomaPulse Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy system helps to reduce body pain in humans and animals through the application of precisely ...


  • Use - Free image hosting and photo sharing from Use.com

    www.use.com

    Use.com offers unlimited free image hosting - No sign up required! It's easy to upload, link, and share your photos on eBay, craigslist, MySpace, blogs, and more!


  • Missed email, multiple spellings: How Tsarnaev's travel got lost ...

    openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/25/...how...in-the-system?lite

    A Homeland Security officer assigned to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force in Boston was alerted by email that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was traveling to Russia in January ...


  • Howcast The best how-to videos on the web

    www.howcast.com

    Howcast is the best source for fun, free, and useful how-to videos and guides.


  • Wonder How To Show & Tell for Creators & Doers

    www.wonderhowto.com/following

    Wonder How To is your guide to free how to videos on the Web. Search, Browse and Discover the best how to videos across the web using the largest how to video index ...


  • Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the ...

    www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012

    Paranoid Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper of Burpelson Air Force Base, he believing that fluoridation of the American water supply is a Soviet plot to poison the U.S ...


  • The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

    eol.jsc.nasa.gov

    The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth hosts the best and most complete online collection of astronaut photographs of the Earth.


  • xorg - How to fix "The system is running in low-graphics mode ...

    askubuntu.com/questions/141606/how-to-fix-the-system-is-running-in...

    Only for ATI graphics cards. When the message that "your system is running in low-graphics mode" appears: Press Ctrl+Alt+F1 to see the terminal one.


  • Bleeping Computer Technical Support Forums

    www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums

    Welcome to BleepingComputer, a free community where people like yourself come together to discuss and learn how to use their computers. Using the site is easy and


  • Postimage - screen capture software / how to take a screenshot

    postimage.org/app.php

    A powerful screen capture tool. Postimage is a very easy to use application that was especially designed to provide you with a means of taking snapshots of your ...


  • Christian Dating Sites :: How to Pick the Right One for You ...

    www.singleroots.com/best-christian-dating-sites

    There's a lot of information on the web about the best Christian dating sites, but as singles ourselves we've haven't found much of it to be truly helpful.


  • DevX: Your Information Source for Enterprise Application

    www.devx.com

    DevX is the leading provider of technical information, tools, and services for IT professionals developing corporate applications.


  • How To Tech Tutorials

    howtotechtutorials.com

    This tutorial will show you how to search through files in a directory that contain a specified text string. I was using this command to figure out which file in a ...


  • Phen375 Reviews - Results, Good & Bad Points, How To Get It ...

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKqoll-R0w

    HERE'S THE LINK -- http://www.Phen375Tablets.com Phen375 review - covers results, good and bad points, if it works, where to get it cheaper. Phentemine is ...


  • Flickr: Help: Content filters - Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing

    www.flickr.com/help/filters

    What are content filters? Flickr is a global community made up of many different kinds of people. What's OK in your back yard may not be OK in theirs.

  • Linux.com The source for Linux information

    www.linux.com

    Linux.com - For the community, by the community, Linux.com is the central source for Linux information, software, documentation, how-tos and answers across the server ...

  • Mission to Muscle Get Ripped, Lean & Shredded!: Home

    www.missiontomuscle.com

    No Extreme Diets, No Magic Pills, No Living At The Gym Discover The Little-Known Secret Celebrities, Bodybuilders And Fitness Models Use To Stay

  • How to Be (2008) - IMDb

    www.imdb.com/title/tt1057581

    Directed by Oliver Irving. With Robert Pattinson, Rebecca Pidgeon, Powell Jones, Jeremy Hardy. A young man having an existential crisis convinces a Canadian self-help ...

  • How To Organize A Closet: The Ultimate Guide

    getsetorganize.com/how-to-organize-a-closet

    Everything you'll ever need to know about how to organize a closet. Incl. 10 minute makeovers, pimping your closet, small closets, cheap closets and much more.

  • Hear Ye, Future Deep Throats: This Is How to Leak to the Press ...

    www.wired.com/opinion/2013/05/listen-up-future-deep-throats-this...

    The parking garage where Bob Woodward met Mark Felt (Deep Throat). photo: martin_kalfatovic / Flickr We now live in a world where public servants informing the

  • How American Health Care Killed My Father - David Goldhill - The ...

    www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/09/how-american-health...

    After the needless death of his father, the author, a business executive, began a personal exploration of a health-care industry that for years has delivered poor ...

  • Photo Radar Scam - Info on How to Beat Your Photo Radar or

    photoradarscam.com/getout.php

    Defense Strategies, Information to beat Red Light Camera and Photo Radar Cameras Tickets and Citations in Court

0 comments:

Post a Comment