The Print: Contact Printing and Enlarging

I purchased this book as part of a collection of books by Mr. Adams on photography - to learn more about the subject from his perspective. I thought the book would come as pictured with its dust jacket. It did not. It didn't match the other two I also bought.

The book is excellent. Although these techniques are not widely applied today, with appropriate experience and thinking this knowledge can be applied and transferred to modern software like Adobe Photoshop. It can help relate modern and classic photography printing processes (traditional vs computerized). One little remark would be for the publisher. The paper the book is printed is gloss with quite a high reflectance index. This results in making reading the book at certain angles quite impossible for your eyes.

This is one of a few books in this Ansel Adams series. He discusses a number of aspects of the print, it's limitations, and many techniques that can be used to exploit print characteristics. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is at all serious about B & W photography whether developing your own prints or not.

The last of a three book series, this volume provides comprehensive instructions detailing the developing process. Chapters on mounting and displaying photographs are at the books end completing the readers education. This book written by Ansel Adams, made famous for his B & W photographs, will disapoint any reader interested in the art of color photography. This three book collection is a must for any B & W photographer.

Despite the heavy emphasis on chemical and paper, this book's essentially about cropping, contrast control, and presentation. These are the core topics you'll need to master even if you only do digital photos. All the better if you use PhotoShop, because it recreates the controls (like burning and dodging) of a darkroom.One thing that may be disappointing is the focus on black and white. Color control is crucial in making color prints and intimately tied with contrast.The three books in this series can be read independently, but together provide a complete clinic from positioning the camera to displaying a final print.

Stop using this from the library... Just buy it and get it over with!!Ansel's fantastic images and stories combine with his technical discussions to provide the perfect insight into how to become the necessary craftsman. His uncompromising approach into printmaking and photography are clear and simple examples that any novice should at least start with. There are other books out there - but no better start than this. Enjoyable and instructive at the same time!