What are the best Ansel Adams books?

[Bill Burk]

The large hardbound Range of Light sitting on my shelf is my favorite, but I thoughly enjoy all the rest of them that are there. The holies and not-so-holies.

Friends gave me a signed copy last year. It didn’t have the picture I was looking for but I brought it out and will look at it now.

 

[Bill Burk]

About 160 lines per inch duotones, appropriate for such big pages.

 

[Vaughn]

Friends gave me a signed copy last year. It didn’t have the picture I was looking for but I brought it out and will look at it now.

A friend also gave me a signed copy, signed to him in March of 1981, and given to me several years ago. But I have another copy signed by my mother as a gift to me, dated February 1981. It is not in great shape...anything I have owned and used for 35+ years bound to have marks...but it would be the one I'd keep if one had to go.

Plate 32 -- my personal favorite. I remember sitting in front of this print at the Weston Gallery, my first looking at a 'real' AA print. Plate 96 -- been working with that tree and what remains for a long time:

 

[vickersdc]

I'm currently reading Ansel Adams The Eloquent Light and I'm enjoying it so far (picked up for just a few pounds from our local charity book shop and it's hardback too!).

 

[jtk]

IMO the best is "Artificial Light Photography," autographed by Ansel after I helped him load a few hundred pounds of hypo into his van (Chevrolet Suburban?).

He dealt with Adolph Gasser Cameras in San Francisco, buying his heavier stuff from our warehouse on Clement St. I was working there specifically because a friend told me Ansel and other regional big names shopped there.

I actually think that book is better than his others because it addresses his professional practice, which was advanced in many ways beyond his scenic photography.

 

[Arklatexian]

When I was a kid shooting 135 format, if I shot different scenes with significantly differing development requirements, I would leave four blank frames between the sections of film needing different development. I never left less than twelve frames in any section so (yes) I wasted some film... but I wanted some room for error and wanted the film to stay on the reels. Before development, I loaded the rolls of film back into the camera and advanced to the approximate areas of unexposed film and cut in the middle. The point is, it can be done.

But... I responded regarding the "sheet film only" posts regarding the "Zone System".

Your comments brought up a question that I have about "wasting film by testing". I know what my answer is but what would yours be? Is film truly "wasted" when you use it for testing and are able to or even not able to use the results? As for earlier comments by others, of AA's earlier books now being obsolete, as to equipment and materials, I look at my camera/darkroom equipment and see equipment that AA could have used during his lifetime. Film is still pretty much still film (B&W), chemicals are about the same (some of us use D23, Ansco 130,). These are useful even though they weren't "discovered" yesterday. Developers, such as D-76, Rodinal, etc. which were around even before AA was born or shortly thereafter. That is one of the things I really like about film photography is its rich history that we can still experience.......Regards!