And to think that I was all set to send Judy a complementary copy of my
zone system book when it comes back from the printer in a couple of
months. After reading this, I'll just let her buy her own copy (or
continue to dwell in the valley of zone I darkness :-)
Seriously, having an opinion such as the one above is fine, but it
would be more interesting to hear some discussion to back it up.
Otherwise it sounds more like the zone system is an ex-lover who jilted
you. Of course, I'm still waiting for Judy to tell me the mysterious
"two reasons" why 99 out of every 100 platinum prints are just "f/64"
wannabes... :-)
The zone system is a tool which you can use or misuse as easily as a
step tablet. Both tools have areas in which they are more useful than
the other. In my experience, having a step tablet (I've never used the
Stouffer model, but one of my most prized possessions is a Kodak type 3
calibrated step tablet of 30 or so separate densities) is very useful
for printmaking processes where you have already produced a source
negative. The zone system is better adapted for "live" situations where
you are out shooting in changing light. To say that one method stifles
creativity while the other enhances it is to misunderstand the purpose
of the tools. In fact, one of the things that makes the zone system so
charming for me is the empirical way it allows photographers to relate
the objects and tones that they actually see to the mechanical processes
of exposure and development. The step tablet has always been a "step"
removed from this process for me, as you have learn to relate the
densities on the tablet to the real world tones and objects that appear
in your images.
Carson
Carson@ileaf.com