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NE OH Gathering, September 28-29-30, 2012

Here is Jim Brick's take on the zone system. (Don't shoot the messenger)

I contacted Jim and a few others who have published "practical" approaches to the zone system. (the others were Gem Singer and Rob Gray)

Jim said, in response to my request, "Yes, it is I who dreamed this up and wrote it. Not that it was that difficult - it's just common sense. I teach workshops and people were more interested in taking photographs rather than calibrating a film and developer so that they would have control over the process. So I put this together as a quick way to get in the ballpark without having to endlessly photograph gray cards and read the resulting film with a densitometer. And for the most part, it works just fine."


His interpretation of the zone system is quite irreverent, but right on the money in terms of adapting your process to meet your goals.


There are four zones.
Zone Good, Zone Bad, Zone Ugly, Zone Butt Ugly.


To use the system:
Wake up. Get out of bed. Go outside.


Zone Good
It is light overcast, light shadows but good light direction. Normal contrast.
Expose normal (eg: ASA-100 @ 100) develop normal.


Zone Bad
It is dismally overcast, no shadows, perhaps even drizzle. Low contrast.
Underexpose one stop (eg: ASA-100 @ 200) overdevelop 20%


Zone Ugly
The sun is out, sky is clear with puffy clouds, and there are blatant shadows. High contrast.
Overexpose one stop (eg: ASA-100 @ 50) underdevelop 20%


Zone Butt Ugly
The sun is squinty bright, cloudless sky, and the shadows really deep. Very high contrast.
Go in, and go back to bed!. But, if you are a die-hard...
Overexpose two stops (eg: ASA-100 @ 25) underdevelop 30%
 
Tentative Schedule: subject to whims, weather and what ever.

Friday:
Meet our house 7 PM for Dinner. Bring Pizza or what you prefer. BYO Beverage

Saturday:
Meet our house 9 AM Flats, Farm or Ledges have been proposed so far
Meet our house 5 PM for Dinner and Show & Tell
Dinner at Musketeers Bar & Grille, 3027 Brecksville Rd, Richfield, OH.
Tel: 330-659-4111

Sunday:
Brunch 10 AM If it is raining we can move this up to 9 AM and go to rain option B
Richfield Family Restaurant 4793 Brecksville Rd, Richfield, OH 44286
tel:330-659-9862

Rain Option B
The Cleveland Museum of Art
11150 East Boulevard
Cleveland, Ohio 44106
Sunday open 10-5


John
 
Sounds like a great schedule. I wish I could join you, but I am currently held hostage by a number of responsibilities. I hope you have great weather and make some great photographs.
 
New update us photographers always need to pay attention to: "Weather tonight: dark. Turning partly light by morning."
 
daleeman said:
"Weather tonight: dark. Turning partly light by morning."
Click to expand...

Which is a good time to return to your night shooting location to look for lens caps and cable releases. Not that I ever...
 
Toffle said:
Which is a good time to return to your night shooting location to look for lens caps and cable releases. Not that I ever...
Click to expand...

Or figure out where in the woods you are after beeing lost all night after that great night shot. (Michigan June 1974, swore it would never happen again)
 
I'll meet at the flats Saturday morning. Someone heading to the flats, please call or txt to say when and where: four four zero two nine two seven zero nine four.

Jeff
 
Here's hoping that you all are having a good time. My wife told me last night at 9:00 PM that "I ought to go anyway," (even though my car has become unreliable. I wonder what I did to irritate her? Well, what else did I do?) I explained that it is a five hour drive and that I'd get there at 2:00 AM, assuming that I got there at all, and would be up four or five hours later to catch early light and didn't that seem like a lot for what one would hope to be a relaxing weekend? She stared at me, then repeated that she thought I ought to go anyway.

I've got to figure out why she wants me dead all of a sudden. I wonder whether she took out more insurance on me?

Anyway, I went to a local industrial park which just started when the economy crashed. They'd put in the streets, street lights and fire hydrants then the whole thing died. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and I had a great time and think I may have gotten at least a couple of good photos. I hope that all of you had at least as good of a day!

Mike

ps: the car ran fine all day.
 

We will see you at breakfast Mike,
9 AM Richfield Family Restaurant.

John
 
I had a great time being able to shoot! I also realized I need to order more developer before I can see anything I shot yesterday. But I promise to get the good ones online as soon as I can. I loved the farm museum and would love to go back there (probably several times).
 
You don't know the temptation, John...

Mike
 

Come on over. I have Monday and Wednesday mornings, but would be happy to have your company any other time we can predict sun.

John
 
What a turn around. As of Wednesday evening we knew of two people coming for sure. Thirteen ended up coming. Thank you. We had a bunch of fun.

Saturday, Peter, Jeff S, Dale, Chris and I shot down in the Flats. At the end of the day Peter said I looked really tired. I counted film holders and realized I had shot 16 sheets of 7x17. That be a lot for a 72 year old. Jeff S, Dorothy, Beth, Lee G and Sue G spent the day at the Farm also having a great time.

At a discussion of what we might do to make the event more attractive to new people it was suggested that we post scans of the images we made. I would be most appreciative if you who scan, would upload them here or link to some outside page. I don’t do that so I am going to have to ask that others show there stuff, please.

It was suggested that we have a winter event and shoot at night out in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park over the snow and ice. The trail where we hike regularly, six miles from here, is called Horse Shoe Pond, has a several acre pond 100 feet from the parking lot. It might be a good spot. Then of course there is our 1/3 acre pond right outside the door. Sounds cold to me, but when we have a blanket of snow I will post and see who actually shows up.

Any more good ideas for events?

Thanks for coming all 13 of you who made it, and thanks for trying the several who had to cancel at the last minute.

John & Dolly
 
Thanks Jeff B for checking out the wiring on my plate burner. It seems to need a part. I will write Amergraph and see if they still have one. The light works well. It just needs a part to hold one of the two hoses at the vacuum motor. I can use the light and my print frame if I can’t locate the part.

Jeff suggested that once I get into VanDyke production I could do a demo of that to and to our series of Alt Processes demos.

John
 
Dolly and John,
Sue and I had a delightful time at your gathering. We really and truly count you two as a pair of our greatest friends. We had a great time, enjoyed your company, the farm and the friends.
Lee
 
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed. It couldn't have gone better.
John
 
John and Dolly....thanks so much for hosting again. Nice to see everyone and take some photos downtown. The negatives from the flats looks good even though I wasn't nearly as productive as John.
 

Thanks for putting up with all of us again. Looking forward to the next gathering.
 
We all agreed to post some images taken at the NE Ohio gatherings/sites, and John prodded me today, so I'll start with a few from the Western Reserve Farm Museum:


and some from the Cleveland Flats:
 
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