Ansel Adams books

mr. mohaupt · May 17, 2011

Hey gang,
Well I own " The Negative" and " The Camera" is in the mail and when I finally have enough space for a wet darkroom I will purchase "The Print." What I am wondering is; are the books by John Schaefer worth picking up.
I am interested in "The Basic Techniques of Photography" book 1 and 2. Do AA's books cover the same stuff?

On amazon you can pick them up used for around $5. I would just like to order them all at the same time to save on shipping.

Thanks,
~M

36cm2 · May 18, 2011

Schaefer's books do a great job of summarizing what Ansel's series covered while updating it for modern tools and materials. I recommend Schaefer's instead of Ansel's for someone just starting out, but prefer Ansel's once you have a good foundation. I would recommend either, but not necessarily both. Buy something else, like maybe Barnbaum's Art of Photography.
Leo

mr. mohaupt · May 18, 2011

Leo,
Thanks for the info I will check out that book before I make any further purchases. What does Barnbaum's book cover? I comprehend the zone system and am picking up multiple backs for my Mamiya so I can shoot N-1, N, and N+1 to further my understanding and also get the most out of my film.

~M

Jim Noel · May 18, 2011

Schaffers books are OK, but there are mistakes in them which could cause a beginner problems.
Barnbaum's book is his methods which will certainly confuse a beginner.
Best to get one author and stick with him - Namely Adams. The later series is simple to understand and although the film data may be out of date, the fundamentals are there and can easily be understood.

36cm2 · May 18, 2011

Everyone has their favorite books and practitioner/teachers on this board. For me Barnbaum's book opened the floodgates in terms of understanding how to utilize black and white negative film's wide dynamic range to the greatest effect through zone placement and compensating development (N-1, N, N+1). It made a real difference for me. I have the original version, which relayed a ton of information with virtually no pictures; the new version is updaed and probably even easier to follow.

I would note again that others on this board, most of whom are more experienced than I am, will surely recommend other books. One of APUG's MVP contributors is Ralph Lambrecht. Although I don't have his book, "Way Beyond Monochrome", most here will certainly agree that it's one of the most comprehensive and helpful books on the market. Ralph is also an incredible source of help here, so if you have questions on something, he's likely to answer them. Best of luck to you whatever you read and, more importantly, with whatever you photograph.

Leo

RalphLambrecht · May 18, 2011

Leo

Thanks for the nice words. If ~M is a bit more specific about his interests, I'm sure there will be a flood of book suggestions. I currently have about 250 photographic books in my library and more than happy to suggest a few that fit the bill. However, I don't have many that could be had for $5.

mr. mohaupt · May 18, 2011

Ralph,

I just went to your website and took a look at your book. First off it is beautiful! As for what kind of books I am looking for? Well I wouldn't consider myself a beginner anymore but I am always learning and want to learn more. I love how technical "The Negative" is and actually find it clear and concise. I was just looking more books to expand my meager library of about 10 books. The books I have range from text books to technical books to just some beautiful picture books.

I might be reading between the lines here but I see nothing wrong with my paying $5 for a used book from an online retailer or even locally. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...?ie=UTF8&qid=1305737317&sr=1-1&condition=used or http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...?ie=UTF8&qid=1305737317&sr=1-5&condition=used)

One of the retailers there is the SD area Goodwill.

In the end maybe just another approach or another's view/take on the zone from selecting a camera to exposing to developing. Updated with newer film's and or different developers.

~M

36cm2 · May 18, 2011

~M, I think you meant to address your post to Ralph. If I published a book encompassing my photographic knowledge it would be about 4 pages long and the photographs would be of far lesser quality!!!

Leo

Christopher Walrath · May 18, 2011

I was gonna throw WBM2 as well. I lived on Adams' trilogy but Ralph and Chris' book is an awesome addition.

mr. mohaupt · May 18, 2011

Thanks Leo and sorry about that .

RalphLambrecht · May 18, 2011

36cm2 said:
... If I published a book encompassing my photographic knowledge it would be about 4 pages long. ...

Nothing wrong with that if it gets you there or provides a solid foundation.

RalphLambrecht · May 18, 2011

mr. mohaupt said:
... I love how technical "The Negative" is and actually find it clear and concise. ...

In that case, stick to it. It's the source for the Zone System. Many others have interpreted too much into it.

Phil Davis' 'Beyond the Zone System' is another must-have resource for me.

mr. mohaupt · May 18, 2011

Ralph,
Thanks for recommendation I will also check out Davis' book. I do plan on purchasing your book too in the future because it seems like you cover what I love the most; the hybrid process. Your website is stunning.

~M

RalphLambrecht · May 18, 2011

mr. mohaupt said:
... I do plan on purchasing your book too in the future because it seems like you cover what I love the most; the hybrid process. ...

Well, I hope you'll never find it for $5.

I have seen used prices of up to 20 times the cover price though.

mr. mohaupt · May 18, 2011

Funny you mention it but I noticed your used book price is HIGHER then new!! Makes no sense

~M

RalphLambrecht · May 18, 2011

Let's hear from others about some other book recommendations for you.

doughowk · May 21, 2011

Adams' trilogy as well as his "Examples..." are a must have on any photographer's shelf.
Lambrecht's book may be a heavy read (took me a couple of months to finish); but will prove to be a primary resource as we move up the learning curve.
Barnbaum explodes many of the photo myths while clearly setting forth his vision and techniques.
Some other books that are also of value:
Anything by Tim Rudman is of value whether one of the Master Series or learning Lith printing.
Les McLean "Creative Black & White Photography" is especially good on split-grade printing.
Arnold Gassan "Exploring Black & White Photography" is a good textbook.
My favorite, though, is Barry Thornton's "Edge of Darkness" because he comes across as such a humane individual (our loss when he died early).

RalphLambrecht · May 21, 2011

doughowk said:
Adams' trilogy as well as his "Examples..." are a must have on any photographer's shelf. ... Anything by Tim Rudman is of value whether one of the Master Series or learning Lith printing. ... Les McLean "Creative Black & White Photography" is especially good on split-grade printing. ... My favorite, though, is Barry Thornton's "Edge of Darkness" because he comes across as such a humane individual (our loss when he died early).

I have the above and agree with the statements made.

mr. mohaupt · May 24, 2011

doughowk said:
Adams' trilogy as well as his "Examples..." are a must have on any photographer's shelf.
Lambrecht's book may be a heavy read (took me a couple of months to finish); but will prove to be a primary resource as we move up the learning curve.
Barnbaum explodes many of the photo myths while clearly setting forth his vision and techniques.
Some other books that are also of value:
Anything by Tim Rudman is of value whether one of the Master Series or learning Lith printing.
Les McLean "Creative Black & White Photography" is especially good on split-grade printing.
Arnold Gassan "Exploring Black & White Photography" is a good textbook.
My favorite, though, is Barry Thornton's "Edge of Darkness" because he comes across as such a humane individual (our loss when he died early).

Nice! Looks like I have enough suggestions here to keep me purchasing books for a while.
Holy Cow though Edge of Darkness comes in at $59.99 used for a paper back $211 for the hard back. The reviews are glowing and I would love to have one but that might have to be a Christmas gift this year Really though I would love that and Ralph's books for Christmas I think with those books plus the Adam's trilogy I would have a pretty good base for a while to refer to.

~M

Jim Jones · May 26, 2011

Photographers who are beginning to assemble a library of books on and by Ansel Adams should be aware that he issued the original five book Basic Photo series between 1948 and 1956. It was reissued in 1970. He began writing the three book series in 1977 with Robert Baker. It lacks the flavor of Ansel's original writing, but retains the nourishment. The Ansel Adams Guide by John Schaefer is even further removed from the master.

RalphLambrecht · May 26, 2011

I have a copy of this five-book series, but mine is copyright 1968.

(it's for sale, by the way)

mark · May 26, 2011

Tim Rudman's Photographer's master printing course was invaluable to me. around ten bucks used from Amazon.

Another vote for examples along with Adam's three books.

Barnbaum was good for a simplistic explanation of the ZS. That was about it.

Ansel Adams books

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