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4.47 of 5 stars
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) produced some of this century's truly memorable photographic images and helped nurture the art of photgraphy through his cr... read full description

reviews

Aug 17, 2007
Puguh rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I wouldn't be able to say "i've finished reading this book'. This series: "the Camera", "the Negative", and "the Print" is a Bible for darkroom printer, so I go back and forth to this book.
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Apr 14, 2011
Joanna rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Because it is rather on the technical side for me (I have never taken a photography class or read a photography book, other than my camera manual [Panasonic DMC-FZ50]), I wanted to review the chapters I've read thus far for myself, and I figured while I was at it, I might as well begin a long book report. Although Adams discusses film photography rather than digital, most elements are also applicable to digital photography (and you'll have to forgive me for skipping over those that are not).
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Jan 30, 2008
andreas rated it: 5 of 5 stars
This is the most brilliant book I've read in quite a while, and it's not even a book-to-be-read in the traditional sense. It details, in lucid writing and with the help of countless photographs, Ansel Adams' philosophy of photography. It's all in one word, pre-visualization - but what would you really know if you read that word?

The book deals almost exclusively with black-and-white photography and mentions color only in passing. It was written before the advent of digital. Neverthele More...
Dec 26, 2011
Mountainman rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Another book by the master of black and white photography. If you are curious about the NEGATIVE and how to perfectly expose your photographs with EXTREME precision, this is your book. The famous ansel adams ZONE SYSTEM is fully explained. The zone system makes this book necessary to black and white photographers. A must read after "the camera".
Feb 07, 2010
Jedrek rated it: 4 of 5 stars
The best of the Ansel Adams books I own, even if most of this material is better found on the internet. A lot of the chemicals and materials covered aren't really available anymore, especially the thick emulsion films. Good coverage of the Zone System though.
Jan 16, 2011
Aimee J rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Love this book but unfortunately school reading has halted my investment in this read, but will make time for Ansel Adams... one of my favourite artists of all time.. Timeless beautiful awe-inspiring photos.
Oct 12, 2007
Gwen rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Of the three Ansel Adams books, I find this one to be the most helpful. I was suprised at this because the technology of photography has changed so much since it was introduced.

Most of the book does not (unlike the first book) focus on the mechanics of the actual negative, but it relies on how light interacts with it. So it goes over the zone system - every photographers joy and bane - and then natrual and artifical lighting situations. For all practicallity, this will be the most he More...
Mar 28, 2009
Sheik rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Film may becoming obsolete, but this information will help with understanding how digital cameras emulate film, if you know what you are doing.
Apr 22, 2011
wassonii rated it: 5 of 5 stars
In the preface, this book is referred to as a 'master class in book form'. Indeed it is. Invaluable information from a master with film photography.
Apr 01, 2010
Mansoor rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Learned more from this book than any all the other photo technique books combined.
Feb 10, 2011
Carlos rated it: 4 of 5 stars
This is the second in Adams' series on photography. It was written before the advent digital photography, yet it is still worth reading. It can be a bit technical and geeky, and one can quickly scan over much of what pertains to the chemical processing. More importantly, Adams gives a thorough presentation of his Zone System, which he came up with 40 years earlier as a solution to figuring out exposure. For that alone, this book is a must read.
Dec 05, 2007
Brian rated it: 5 of 5 stars
He admits he's a creative scientist early on, which is fine by me, since photography is barely an art and photographers are the least likely to become artists. The photos inside are pristine, but you'll never find them in wall calendars or on t-shirts with his deified name underneath in some heavily serifed font. This is real photography. This is search and destroy. Voila.
Sep 08, 2009
Shawn added it
Got this from the library. It looks like it's a bit too skewed to film (of course, it's Ansel Adams). I was hoping it was more of a composition technique book, but a lot of the book looks like it talks about film development/lens filter technique. I'll know more about it when I get into it.
Jun 06, 2008
Eric rated it: 5 of 5 stars
As near a bible as there can be in photography, Ansel Adams' definitive treatise on how to expose and process negatives properly. The basic principles still apply in digital formats.
Sep 01, 2008
Michael rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Though almost everything I now shoot is digital, this is a must read for all wannabe photographers. Adams will enter your soul as you practice.
Apr 13, 2009
Steven rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Good info about exposure, but the technicality can be a drawback at times.
Feb 11, 2012
Dannii rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Feb 11, 2012
Sergio rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Feb 10, 2012
Ken is currently reading it
Feb 09, 2012
Ian rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Feb 07, 2012
Anton rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Feb 06, 2012
Xroper7 rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Feb 04, 2012
Ashkhen marked it as to-read
Feb 03, 2012
Inga rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Feb 01, 2012
Anthony marked it as to-read
Jan 29, 2012
Aaron is currently reading it
Jan 29, 2012
Jeremy rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Jan 27, 2012
Michael rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Jan 27, 2012
Zlata added it
Jan 26, 2012
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