On Thu, 13 Jun 1996 Judy Seigel wrote:
> And by the time you get that straight, the sun has set. <
>By seeing *and having
printed one million times* this little strip[Stouffer step tablets]
I have its values -- in transparency and in the print -- readily in mind,
or my mind's eye. I see them in cyanotype, in different sorts and colours
of gum, in platinum, etc.<
I agree but why stop here, we don't really need the Stouffer wedge either,
all that is necessary is to apply critical judgment of what does or does
not constitute print quality, from the artists personal viewpoint,if it
looks right it is right.
However having said this, at the initial stages of acquiring these skills,
the zone system can be useful in the basic understanding of the nature of
print quality, it is not as Judy states simply a matter of :--
>the major benefit of zonism is plus or minus development.<
but the precise placement of the exposure values of the subject, onto the
characteristic curve the negative [ D /logE] as photographic density, in
such a manner, that when printed the maximum in photographic print quality
is obtained, it is the extraction of this quality that is the major benefit
of the zone system.
Having reached this understanding , the zone system can be discarded,
learn , absorb, discard , reinvent, and progress, that is my personal
philosophy, in respect of creative image making.
>So when digital takes over the world, it may end that business of
"subtract VI from XI for V stops," proving that every cloud has a silver
lining.<
Digital has already overtaken the world !!!, it should not be seen as as a
cloud, but in fact a new dawn for both ancient and modern :--)
Cheers,
Pete