The Practical Zone System, 4th Edition

 

 

CHAPTER 1

“WILL IT COME OUT?”

 

During a portion of a fourteen years experience as an amateur photographer, I always supposed that a good judgment, combined with experience (the latter implying the generous use of time and plates), would eventually enable me to obtain a good negative every time I exposed a plate…. That was my greatest mistake

…From “My Greatest Mistake”.

—by William Bullock

Bulb and Button Magazine, Sept. 1900

Introduction

The loneliest people in the world are probably photographers in darkrooms waiting to see if their negatives will turn out the way they would like. Add to this the frustration of trying to make a fine print from a bad negative, and it is easy to see why uncertainty about photographic technique can ...