The Practical Zone System: A Simple Guide to Photographic Control

California photographercollege teacher Johnson was a friend and follower of the late Ansel Adams, whose development of the ""zone system'' for black-and-white film exposure and processing was a major contribution to American photographic art. The author here undertakes instruction in that system without ``highly technical explanations that confuse.'' Clearly and logically, with illustrations and helpful diagrams, he tells how to ``pre-visualize'' a picture and explains zone system requirements of contrast control, using a zone scale of gray areas linking the subject to shutter-speed and exposure choices, and similar analysis of elements in a scene to be coordinated with later developing and printing. A basic photography primer and glossary of terms are appended for reference. This is a job well done, but as is perhaps inevitable, the subject remains complicated. (April)