Preface to the Fifth Edition

One important question I had to consider before beginning this edition was: Why would the Zone System be relevant to photographers for whom film and developers are becoming distant memories?

(Interestingly, as I write these words, it has been less than a week since the very last roll of Kodachrome film was processed in a photo lab in Parsons, Kansas; and Polaroid materials, most especially our beloved Type 55, are no longer being manufactured.)

One good answer would be that, not long ago, anyone passionate about photography had no choice but to work with film and chemicals in darkrooms. That’s all there was. But, from this point forward, it’s going to become increasingly true that artists working with film are doing ...

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