On Photography: Ansel Adams

In this, the second in a series of extracts from writings by photographers, Ansel Adams recalls an encounter with a fellow photographer.

In 1983, while on one of my frequent visits to Point Lobos, I was sitting at one of the picnic benches changing film in my Leica R-4. A middle aged man, obviously a photographer, since he was festooned with several cameras, came and sat opposite me. He expressed astonishment that I was using a 35mm camera. I explained that I was not dedicated to any particular size and that I had used the 35mm extensively. I am often typed as a rigid large-format man in spite of the fact that I have done much work with smaller formats. With the new 35mm roll securely installed, I made a gesture of leaving when he said, “May I ask you a question?” I agreed to talk and relaxed for the inevitable.

His question was, “Mr. Adams, I’ve just read your book The Negative. You developed the Zone System over forty years ago. Do you think it is still effective?”

I replied that the function of the Zone System is to establish a working technique that enables the photographer better to manage creative visualizations. I do not think the Zone System is fully valid in creative photography without visualization of the expressive image before the exposure is made.

He asked, “But do you think the Zone System is necessary? Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Weston did not use it. Historically, the greater part of photographic work was accomplished without it. Why do you think it is so important?”

My answer to this seemed simple. “I think it essential to the beginner and extremely helpful to the advanced worker. I have no doubt that Edward and all the others arrived by empirical experiments and practice to a near-perfect intuitive method of work. In a sense they were obliged to use some applications of the Zone System, whether they knew it or not, as you cannot practice photography without utilizing the principles of sensitometry.”

He said, “I am not making myself clear. I look around me and see hundreds of photographers relying on camera electronics or simply exposing with random repetition, bracketing exposures to cover mistakes. If this seems to be the modern approach, do you feel your system continues to be relevant?”

I carefully considered my reply. I said, “Being trained in music, I was obliged to know my notes, to practice continuously so that the notes, phrase shapes, and dynamics would be securely established in my mind. My playing, therefore, was expressively intuitive, based on a thorough experience with the facts and structure of the scores.

“What you do not seem to understand is that after the Zone System is learned in detail, then it becomes an intuitive process in practice - a way of thinking and applying technical principles while visualization is taking place. If I had to work out the Zone System details from scratch with every photograph, I would fail as a photographer and artist. Visualization is in two principal steps:

“First, image management, which relates to the construction of the image as the lens delivers it to the film, and,

“Second, value management, which relates to the exposure and development of the negative, thereby securing the information for the expressive print.

“With practice this becomes a rapid process, almost entirely intuitive and immediate. I note, with regret, that many of the photographers of the day are not concerned with basic technique. Their work clearly shows this sad fact. There have been many excellent ideas rendered in ineffective craft; the message simply does not come through.”

He appeared thoughtful and I quickly added, “I note you have three different cameras around your neck. Do you really know what you are getting with any of them? Can you see the image in your mind’s eye, so to speak, before you release the shutter? Do you function on a hit-or-miss basis, hoping that with luck something will turn up in the negative or through darkroom labor? If so, I feel sorry for you as this is not necessary if you acquired the knowledge of sensitometry as taught in the Zone System. Yes, I continue to believe the Zone System represents a very important introduction to a fluid craft approach.”

He rose from the picnic table and said, “It’s too late for me. I do not have the time to work it out.” I found I had nothing to say in reply and saw him walk off to the cliffs, stand for a few moments looking at the crashing surf, then walk on until he was out of view. I moved out on the trail with my spot meter in one hand, my camera set at manual in the other.

I wondered if I had started something in his mind that became a burden adding to the spirit of uncertainty so many of us have. I was telling him it would take a lot of hard work, from which there is no escape if one wishes to be an artist in any medium. Musicians practice constantly; most photographers do not practice enough. The siren-call of the hobby obscures the necessary exactions of art. It is easy to take a photograph, but it is harder to make a masterpiece in photography than in any other art medium.

Extract from : Ansel Adams, An Autobiography

Ansel Adams (1902-1984) an American photographer famous for his black & white photographs of Yosemite National Park. developed the Zone System method of determining exposure and contrast in a photograph. His use of large-format cameras enabled him to capture images of high resolution. A founding member of ‘Group f64′, his images are regularly reproduced on calendars, posters and in books.

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