Zone System ( Week 6 )

14th March 2014
Chuah Tien Ling
Introduction to Photography
Exercise 3: The Zone System

Lecture : Zone System

Wohoo! Finally and Finally ! The reflection for my previous exercise was really well done. And yes, he still repeat the mistake of what we have done for our ePortfolio. (Kind of annoying, yet is one of an important thing for ourselve in future. hahahaha! ) And like seriously, I admit that I didn't not go and watch the video Mr. Vinod posted due to too much assignment and just came back from trip. (Kind of tired and problem with TIME MANAGEMENT!) Yet, I do really want to say that, I really can understood what Mr. Vinod taught us during the lecture. He is very well a understanding person so he goes with slow and steady just to explain to us. (He also understand that we are kind of rush for many assignment therefore.. we survived with didn't watch or have any idea before lecture!) 

Alright! Back to lecture about zone system!  is a technique that was formulated by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer back in the 1930's.nsel Adams was known for his black and white landscape photographs and Fred Archer was a portrait photographer of Hollywood.  The purpose of the Zone System is to determine a correct exposure and what our camera's metering give us is an incorrect exposure as be say as the light meters are dumb, really dumb! Cameras always assume that all of the scenes has the same tonal values. It is usually gave us zone 4, zone 5 or zone 6 in our picture. 

Therefore, by following the rules of zone system, we(as a photographer) could able to control or get a correct exposure for our photo! 

After that, Mr. Vinod explain about the second exercise that we have to carry by ourselves at home. 
*The way how should we carry out our second exercise. 

Zone system chart
Looks pretty good on my PC monitor, but may look very different on monitors and printers with different brightness curves (gammas).

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

\The zone system begins with a zone chart. 

• Zone 1 is pure black
• Zone 5 can be described subjectively as middle gray
• Zone 9 is pure white

Ansel Adams' description of zones (geared towards black and white printing)

Low values Zone 0	Complete lack of density in the negative image, other than film base density plus fog. Total black in the print. We will omit zone 0 from the remainder of this tutorial; zone 1 will be considered pure black.
Zone 1	Effective threshold. First step above complete black in the print. Slight tonality, but no texture.
Zone 2	First suggestion of texture. Deep tonalities, representing the darkest part of the image in which some detail is required.
Zone 3	Average dark materials. Low values showing adequate texture.
Middle values Zone 4	Average dark foliage. Dark stone. Landscape shadow. Recommended shadow value for portraits in sunlight.
Zone 5	Clear north sky (panchromatic rendering). Dark skin. Gray stone. Average weathered wood. Middle gray (18% reflectance).
Zone 6	Average Caucasian skin value. Light stone. Shadows in snow in sunlit snowscapes.
High values Zone 7	Very light skin. Light gray objects. Average snow with acute side lighting.
Zone 8	Whites with textures and delicate values (not blank whites). Snow in full shade. Highlights on Caucasian skin.
Zone 9	Glaring white surfaces. Snow in flat sunlight. White without texture. (The only subjects higher than Zone 9 would be light sources; they would be rendered as the maximum white value of the paper surface.

Instructions:

1) If the shutter speed is below that 30, please do use tripod.

Exercise 3A Highlights, (Middle Tones and Dark Tones)
1) Choose 3 different subject matters of varying tones.
- An Image that has different shades of White
- An Image that has varying shades of grey (middle tones)
- An Image that has varying shade within a dark area.

(To be more understanding, I have tried this at home again.)

White

Grey

Black

 

3b) Ansel Adams Shot 

Students must show evidence of using the Zone System. Student must produce 1 black & white image that captures depth and richness in tonal value by capturing light, middle and dark tones while maintaining details (texture and tone) in the dark and light areas of the image.

Sketch

Aperture: 5.6
Shutter Speed: 2000
ISO: 200

Reflection: 

(3A)

Like seriously, all I have undestood before carry out the activity was like only 45%. Yet, after we have to complete our exercise for 3A, I was really blurred at first, I wasn't know how to look at the zone system thingy. The first picture of black. I was like "OMG! OMG! OMG! sir, I how is this, how is that and what should I do". Mr. Vinod explained to me step by step.
1) Just take a picture
2) Look at the colour

3) Decide the zone for the picture that my camera think it should be.
4) Decide by myself how the colors should really be (Which zone)

*Adjust the zone by adjusting shutter speed (f-stop by f-stop)

5) Take the picture by the zone I think it should be.

After that, I can like understand 98%. I do noticed that our camera is really smart yet dumb as well. They always gave us as zone in between 6, 5 or 4. It's normal because cameras are counted as machine. Therefore, they couldn't have the sense like human. 

-Let's take the black picture so that I can explain what I have studied. 

The actual colour of the black thing is always like 1 or 2, yet, camera always can just sense it likes zone 4. Therefore, by adjusting the shutter speed, I have controlled the amount of light that should be enter to camera. This way bring the correct colour/zone for photo. Picture looks much real and life! Same goes to the grey and white.

(3B)

So basically, I was blank with the part 2 exercise. I do really give up on it at first just because of not really have a strong basic and understanding when everything combined together. Yet, I guess I do managed to do it. I leaned that I shouldn't depend on camera that much every time take picture. This is because, the picture that I have took and what have I seen is 2 different thing. They always give me things in grey skill. I should have to do planing before taking picture. Nevertheless, instead of keep following the dumb light meter to destroy the photograph that given by camera, I think plan and depend on the subject before take picture with the correct zone is much smart that following. 

General Reflection:

Part 1 is fine. I am able to manage it. Because it is onlt focus on 1 single object. Just that, throughout the part 2 exercise, I was thinking to give up at first, yet, my person is, I don't like to be beat down before I try my best or so easy and fast. I have tried to do more research on Ansel Adams's work. I studied on it. Yes, I do admit that it's hard at first but it is much worth it that you really gone through all the practice and frailer; finally, you get the best one for yourself. I do really put much effort on this. I really like the light control of myself on the stone and the water plus the black background. It's worth! This is want I have gained from the lecture and my research! :)

Screenshot

Feedback:

So basically, I have done a pretty good job. :) I well managed it under the afternoon sunlight. Although I was like kind of nervous will I did it wrongly. I paid kind of much effort on this , now, it is really worth. Thanks for Mr. Vinod. He has shared a lot of knowledge on photographer to us. :)