The negative
exposure and development
by Ansel Adams · first published 1948
6mentions
5recommended by
5HN commenters
2010–2023first – last mentioned
100% recommend
Why HN recommends it
Part of Ansel Adams's three-volume series on the craft of photography, it explains the fundamentals and key concepts behind exposure and film. Recommended for anyone wanting to learn beyond automated digital settings.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"This handbook ... has taught ... how to use film and the film development process creatively ... Anchored by a detailed discussion of Adams' Zone System and his seminal concept of visualization ... Beautifully illustrated with photographs by Adams as well as instructive line drawings"--Back cover.
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…interested in more about how photography works. [1] https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/products/d... [2] https://photographylife.com/what-is-iso-in-photography [3] https://www.amazon.com/Negative-Ansel-Adams-Photography/dp/0...
on “Tempe Police Release Video of Uber Accident” ↗Just sharing: If you want to learn photography, buy yourself a film camera and read those two books. Ansel Adams: The Camera https://amzn.to/3gMyCa5 The Negative https://amzn.to/3U88fsN The rest is just practice.:)
on “Photography for Geeks” ↗…filters, Canon/Nikon, good "glass", etc. For the most part digital cameras have automated what was essentially a master craft. If you get really interested in the old school, Ansel Adams's The Camera, The Negative, and The Print are great to flip through. Photoshop and similar tools are incredibly powerful (and dangerous). Composition is the artistry of the photograph. There are a lot of easy things to get you…
on “Photography: What are your easiest beginner tips?” ↗…skill behind photography, because there is not all that much technical skill to learn. Only if you take a relatively shallow, digital-oriented approach. Ansel Adams' legendary trilogy (The Camera, The Negative and The Print) are still essential reading if you truly want to understand the photographic process. I broadly agree with your main point - most of the images on that site are trite and uninspired.
on “Photo School” ↗I have only read The Negative, but from it I get the impression that Ansel Adams is really good at boiling things down to fundamentals and understanding the key concepts involved in things (much like I gather Elon Musk can be, I suppose).…
on “Ansel” ↗…straight off the about page sums it up. There are concerns: 1) "Wow" is what teaches? There seem to be two major paths to learning from experts: If they are dead there are books. Review: The Camera, The Negative, and The Print by Ansel Adams. Highly technical from a master who had a nervous breakdown after putting everything into his art to for a showing. Still not a great starting point for the novice. They…
on “Show HN: The Bastards Book of Photography” ↗