Last time I discussed the importance of establishing your correct film speed and development time. It’s necessary whether you use the Zone System or not. I also mentioned Maximum Printable Density (MPD). I love MPD along with another deceptively simple approach to making good exposures and have used both techniques as an easy to use replacement to the classic Zone System.

As before, the following is taken from a previous entry.

When I was younger, my exposures were often incorrect. The results were not what I wanted, or the negatives required herculean measures to extract a good print. I heard about the Zone System and then read Ansel Adam’s book The Negative.  I couldn’t get it but mercifully found Fred Picker’s Zone System Workshop. Everything soon fell into place and all was well in my photographic world.  If you don’t own this book, it’s worth tracking down.

Key point going forward – if you don’t make correct exposures when you are in the field you have wasted your time with all your testing. The first thing on the road to exposure success is to understand that your meter is dumb and sees the world in grey – 18% grey to be exact.  That’s Zone V in the Zone System.  In the Zone VI Workshop Picker uses the example of making pictures of white and black horses using the recommended meter readings for each one.  Looking at the results, both horses are grey.  Once I saw this it all clicked.  Simple and brilliant!  The point is that aiming at your subject and relying on what your meter says may get you acceptable results but not the fidelity you are seeking in your final print.

Most Zone System guys will tell you to expose for the shadows, placing your shadow area on Zone III.  In a slight variant Bruce Barnbaum recommends placing shadows at Zone IV for greater shadow detail. 

An alternative and easy method is to hold a grey card (Zone V) in front of you, take a meter reading of it and set you shutter speed and aperture accordingly. Everything in the scene will fall into place.

My method is to do one of two things. When I am in a fast moving situation such as when making candid photographs, I take a reading of the palm of my hand, making sure there are no shadows falling upon it and open up one stop to Zone VI from what the meter says (Zone V), because Caucasian skin is Zone VI.  Then I keep making pictures without checking the light until it changes. Fast and easy and no need to carry a grey card! If I am photographing a static object like a building and there happens to be white clouds in the sky behind it, I take a reading of the brightest portion of the scene (in this case, the clouds), open up three stops to Zone VIII and make the photograph. Also fast and easy, and the heart of Fred Picker’s Maximum Printable Density (MPD) user-friendly variation of the Zone System. Note for all serious Zone System photographers: I only use Normal development times and don’t worry about making exposures for Plus and Minus development. I agree with Picker that changes in paper contrasts obviate this, but for others this may be a useful procedure.

Once you have done your film speed and development time testing, and feel confident in your ability to make good exposures you are on your way. Depending on the situation, a  simple reading of the palm of your hand/grey card or use of Picker’s MPD system takes much less time and thought, allowing you to concentrate more on the picture itself. It certainly works that way for me!

Unfortunately, many photographers treat the Zone System as a religion that takes serious and ongoing study to unlock its many mysteries. There have been weeklong workshops focused exclusively on the intricacies of the Zone System and for many becomes akin to cult worship.  The point of the Zone System is to make sense of sensitometry and apply it in order to make properly exposed negatives that developed correctly enable expressive prints. Nothing more; nothing less! The key is to find an easy and understandable way to incorporate its principles in support of your work.

Now that we have got all this out of the way, go out and make some damn good pictures!

Stay well,

Michael