What book or books are the foundation for your film and print developing?

Sully75 · May 7, 2010

Just wondering what book or set of techniques you rely on most for exposing, developing and printing. I'm mainly concerned with the first two. I have a mish-mosh of skills picked up mostly from some not that complete classes I've taken. I've also read Henry Horenstein's Basic Photography and Beyond Basic Photography (maybe I'm messing up the titles, but his two B&W books). I'm not sure if I'm going to be a full on zoner, but have a 5x7 camera and I would like to have more control with that and just know what I'm doing more than I do now, hopefully in the most efficient way.

Any suggestions?

Ian Grant · May 7, 2010

Very easy, Developing by Kurt Jacobson, which ran to 18 editions, and is still the best book on the subject along with his other book Enlarging.

Ian.

removed account4 · May 7, 2010

i was given henry h's book as a gift years ago
and still look at it from time to time, answell a's the negative and a full course manual
for the ny institute of photography from the 1940s ...
i don't have any other technique / instructional manuals, it is all through personal experience ...
school/classes and assisting commercial, architectural and portrait photographers when i got out of school ...
i do read "stuff" by people like df cardwell, charlie webb and ralph lambrecht ... ( and others ! )
their advice and expertise is probably better than any book you can buy. apug is lucky !

Shadowtracker · May 7, 2010

For exposure, developing and printing - Barry Thornton's "Edge Of Darkness" - I think it's out of print and Barry died a few years ago. Beyond Monochrome is the other one I like most. Those two are my basis. Adams is good to read (The Negative, The Print)but don't get bogged down in the math presentation; it does make sense the way he explains it but it's not the only way to understand zones.

Rodex · May 7, 2010

Since I'm in my beginning stage I'm looking for books in the library here. Can't find a lot though. I found one book called "Zwartwit Ontwikkelen en Afdrukken" in the library. (translated as B&W Developing and Printing.) I have still to read the biggest part of it. Anyone a good suggestion for books that are easy to find on eBay and are good for beginners?

Sully75 · May 7, 2010

Rodex, check amazon.com used...they tend to have more used books and cheaper than ebay. Not sure about foreign shipping but they probably would do that too.

TSSPro · May 7, 2010

I havent gone far beyond AA's Print and Negative. I tend to find something and stick with it and not look for alternatives, I am going to look into some of the other books that have been mentioned.

PVia · May 7, 2010

Tim Rudman's books for printing and toning...also his lith books.

The out-of-print Darkroom series from Lustrum Press is a window into the masters workflow.

Kirk Keyes · May 7, 2010

"Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs" by Ansel Adams. More than just technique, but some of the thinking behind it.

Also, "The Art of Photography: An Approach to Personal Expression" by Bruce Barnbaum. You can order the latest edition directly from Bruce.

Mike Wilde · May 7, 2010

I was self taught from Vestal's 'Craft of Photography'. I have since read H.Horstein, and it too is a good learning book, simpler, but I think with less in it than Vestal.

Tim Gray · May 7, 2010

I like Vestal. A bargain too used. Tim Rudman's and Les Mclean's books are great too.

Thornton's book was an interesting read with a couple good tidbits, but he goes off on the sharpness thing a bit too much for me. Still, there's some useful sections on a couple techniques.

Tom Kershaw · May 7, 2010

Tim,

I have the Thornton book 'Edge of Darkness' which I rarely read. I'd go as far as to suggest that Thornton doesn't really offer anything particularly interesting in that book.

Tom

Ian Grant · May 7, 2010

Tom Kershaw said:
Tim,

I have the Thornton book 'Edge of Darkness' which I rarely read. I'd go as far as to suggest that Thornton doesn't really offer anything particularly interesting in that book.

Tom

Many would disagree with you, but I don't

Ian

paulie · May 7, 2010

i personally write my own book as i go, i do not read any info i would rather learn as we do best by our failures

Tom Kershaw · May 7, 2010

paulie said:
i personally write my own book as i go, i do not read any info i would rather learn as we do best by our failures

- that approach wouldn't work for me. The latest reading project is tackling Phil Davis's 'Beyond the Zone System'.

Tom

Tim Gray · May 7, 2010

Haha. Well, it contained a nice description of unsharp masks as well some hints on how to align your enlarger.

I will say I was expecting a lot more from some of the talk it gets.

Rodex · May 7, 2010

Tom Kershaw said:
- that approach wouldn't work for me. The latest reading project is tackling Phil Davis's 'Beyond the Zone System'.

Tom

For me neither. I don't know where to start then. Books are always very good for learning I think. The most authors are experts at what their writing a book about most of the time. Who doesn't want to learn from an expert

CBG · May 7, 2010

Anything by Tim Rudman, the basic photo series by Adams, the Darkroom Cookbook, and the Film Developing Cookbook are my most primary printed sources. Adams, I read long ago and rarely actually open the pages of nowadays, but he was the first to make available a coherent system of understanding the whole sequence from light to film to developer and negative to print. After all those, now, it's the internet for me.

MattKing · May 7, 2010

If you are asking about "foundation", in my case it would be the various Kodak "How To" publications.

Of course, when I first read them, they were current, and available either in the stores, or directly through Kodak.

Both the Colour and Black and White Darkroom Dataguides (also Kodak) continue to be useful.

With respect to more recent work, "Way Beyond Monochrome", and "The Photographer's Toning Book" get the most visits.

I revisit the Ansel Adams trilogy from time to time, but mainly for the perspective (pun not intended).

RalphLambrecht · May 7, 2010

I learned the most from AA's trilogy and Beyond the Zone System by Phil Davis. David Vestal's books offer good practical advise. But now, I use my own notes instead. They are a collection of what I learned from books, others and my own tests.

paulie · May 7, 2010

reading books about creativity is uncreative, at best you will be a clone of what went before. surely photography is about individuality and finding a look or approach which is unique and not predetermined by the crappy zone system and ansel adams boring pictures.

do yourself a favor and covet your creative accidents , use them as a strength and not as your weakness. thius way you might just create something original for once.

and for gods sakes stay away from rocks on beaches ,fence posts, fluffy clouds, random fruit, tree roots, tractor wheels, tea cups, etc etc etc these pictures make me want to kill myself

Chazzy · May 7, 2010

paulie said:
reading books about creativity is uncreative, at best you will be a clone of what went before. surely photography is about individuality and finding a look or approach which is unique and not predetermined by the crappy zone system and ansel adams boring pictures.

do yourself a favor and covet your creative accidents , use them as a strength and not as your weakness. thius way you might just create something original for once.

and for gods sakes stay away from rocks on beaches ,fence posts, fluffy clouds, random fruit, tree roots, tractor wheels, tea cups, etc etc etc these pictures make me want to kill myself

You forgot sunsets and waterfalls.

RalphLambrecht · May 7, 2010

paulie said:
reading books about creativity is uncreative, at best you will be a clone of what went before. surely photography is about individuality and finding a look or approach which is unique and not predetermined by the crappy zone system and ansel adams boring pictures.

do yourself a favor and covet your creative accidents , use them as a strength and not as your weakness. thius way you might just create something original for once.

and for gods sakes stay away from rocks on beaches ,fence posts, fluffy clouds, random fruit, tree roots, tractor wheels, tea cups, etc etc etc these pictures make me want to kill myself

Photography is a combination of art and craft. There is nothing wrong with learning the craft of photography from books. No need to reinvent the wheel or repeat all the mistakes already made. Then use the craft and be creative.

R gould · May 7, 2010

My favorite book, and the one that i refer to and read the most is Creative Elements by Eddie Ephraums, I also find the Black and White Handbook by Roger Hicks and Francis Shultz is used a lot,Richard

paulie · May 7, 2010

craft lol, a crap boring picture printed well is still crap.

just shoot from a interesting perspective dont worry about craft, leave that to the scrapbookers, middle age women waiting to retire and die.

cathedral roofs, lonely little abandoned houses, tree in field, moody sky shots, flowers (make me sick), passport photo portraits lol, sheep, bird in distance , wine/champagne bottle, water reflections. ......just shoot me im feeling sick

What book or books are the foundation for your film and print developing?

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