Pixiq

…Continued from Part 1

Note: Please go back to Part 1 if you haven't read it. It wil be easier to understand this post.

The following is one of many important concepts to understand regarding the Zone System.

Generally, a meter reading is taken of a small portion of the scene that you want to "place" on the scale. Placing a middle grey value, means taking a reading of the subject where you want middle grey to appear in your negative. A rock, clear blue sky or a card called "a gray card" usually works well. When we place the reading on the scale we place it at Zone V. We do so knowing that a reading from the rock or the gray card is exactly what a meter is meant to measure. Meters only read middle gray, which is also Zone V. If we apply the same thing to a white object we should realize that the reading of a white object will make the white object middle gray as well. As a matter of fact, any subject you meter will be read as if it were middle gray.

So, how do we use the measurement?

It is actually pretty simple. We can use either the rock object to take our reading or we can use the white object to take our reading. In fact, you can read nearly any subject one you want as long as you place it to the correct tonal value on the scale. A white is placed at Zone VIII or VII, a black with texture is placed at Zone II, A bright reflection would fall atzone XI (these areas are small and difficult to measure), caucasion skin tone is placed on Zone VI and so on.  The trick is that we only need to read one of them and then apply the measurement by placing it on the scale as a Zone V reading. Once we place that one tone, the rest will fall where they should in the final rendition of the image.

Once we realize an exposure based on a Zone V (5) reading, we now look at the subject we measured  and decide where it really sits on the scale. A white object that shows detail that is visible such as a white shirt or a white wall, will be approximately a Zone VIII (8). This is called placing the reading at Zone VIII. In order to make an exposure that will render the detail and show the subject as white (once printed) we need to open up the exposure to allow more light to expose the negative which later on in printing produces the textured white in the final print.

Note : Notice that the greys towards the white end of the scale in the example image are nearly nonexistent. Also see that the blacks indicated here as the dark areas inside the building are too small to measure. We ignore these areas and simply read from something hat is easy to place.

Understanding that each zone is 1 EV (exposure value or f- stop) from its neighbor, we now need to open up 3 stops in order to correct the reading. To expose the film, we would need to open the aperture or alter the shutter speed to make the correct exposure. We would increase the exposure by a factor of eight which is three stops. Doing so, will ensure that the Zone VIII subject is white with texture in the final photograph.

Understanding this, we can now see that we can read anything in the scene and place it on the scale as if it were a zone V and then we open up or stop down to compensate rom Zone V to the tone which actually matches the subject.

The H and D Curve

In the mid to late 1800's Hurter and Driffield developed a graph system showing the dependence of the optical density of a photographic emulsion on the logarithm of its exposure to light. They produced the characteristic curve, also known as the H and D curve that most digital users might be familiar with in Photoshop or Lightroom to alter contrast and tone. H and D were the first to state the relationship between density and exposure on photographic plates.

Ansel Adams and Fred Archer invented the Zone System based on their knowledge of the works of Hurter and Driffield.

I have used both the Zone System and HDR. I fully appreciate the work that Ansel and others contributed to photography and to this process. I am an HDR Photographer. I am captivated by the possibilities. It is how I now see the world and is how I produce most of my photographs in recent years. Like most photographers we are recently new to the subject. We are all beginners.

This post is simply an comparison overview of these two techniques of tonal capture. While they seem similar, there are major differences in method as well as outcome.

I would suggest that every photographer reads more about how both HDR and the Zone System work. Understanding exposure is critical to the success of either system and a solid understanding will greatly improve your photography. Much writing has been done on the subject of exposure. and the Zone System is a big part of that discussion. This has been a short, in a nutshell introduction to both HDR and the Zone System. There is much more to learn, especially if you are interested in using either one. When it comes to producing a high dynamic range, HDR is considered  by most practitioners to be the digital equivalent of the Zone System. I believe it is superior in that it allows us to make images that seem to be much more like our own vision when used correctly.

To be honest, I personally find that most HDR being done today is atrocious. While it can be used to get many different looks, there is a current tendency to dismiss most of what is being produced due to poor use of the process. There is a certain distaste for the HDR method in part due to a general misunderstanding that many "photographers" have about exposure, light, brightness, color, and other photographic situations. When used well, HDR can produce extremely beautiful and natural looking results. There is general dislike for those "HDR" images that are way too saturated and contrasty. For the most part, they tend to be more about the process than they are about subject. The subject is the most important part of an image. We need to enhance the subject, not overpower it with process.

There is plenty of great HDR on Google+, Flickr and other photographic places on the web to look at. There are tons of bad ones too! Look for the good stuff and try to mimic what you see.

I will write much more about HDR over time.

In the meantime, I have many other posts on this site  that speak to HDR.

Please note: There are many other practices that are associated with the zone system such as pre-visualization, expansion and reduction exposure and development techniques, spot metering techniques, and more that I hope to cover at some point in future posts.