Ansel Adams’ classic book trilogy

“I hope that my work will encourage self expression in others and stimulate the search for beauty and creative excitement in the great world around us.” – these words became Ansel Adams‘ credo, best known for his black-and-white photographs of the American West. He is the author of famous trilogy prints, “The Camera”, “The Negative” and “The Print”. Moreover, he is also famous for his Zone System that helps photographers to determine proper exposure and adjust the contrast of the final print. Ansel Adams was the co-founders of the Group f/64 that specialized on sharp-focused and carefully framed images.

The Camera
This book can be seen as a major book on photography techniques. It is aimed at broad audiences, and unveils all aspects of photography from the ability to understand already-captured photos to the ways of determining the lens type. The Camera helps beginner- photographers to expose their creative potential.
The Negative
The Negative is the second book devoted to the creative approach of film development procedure. The first pages highlight discussions about the light, film and exposition. Then comes his Zone System where he talks about natural and artificial light and photography equipment and how to create a dark room for film development. This book is an excellent resource for those who work with film photography.
The Print
His last trilogy book covers all details of photographer’s work such as toning, bleaching, burning, dodging, and designing and furnishing of a darkroom. This book full of interesting tips for photographers is the final step that logically ends the trilogy.

All photos © The Ansel Adams Gallery