Adams was such a strong proponent of the Zone System that I'd always assumed
he made "straight" prints. (After all, the Zone System is intended to "fit"
the tonal scale of the image to the final print.)
It was only recently that I learned that Adams commonly burned, dodged, and
performed all sorts of manipulations to get the final image he wanted.
We are so caught up in the philosophy of "photography as truth" that we
forget the negative is just the starting point.
Even the Zone System was intended not just as a method to determine
correct exposure, but as a manipulation of the tonal range of the
negative and the final print. Exposure and development was
manipulated to compress or expand the tonal range to meet the needs
of the materials and Adams' vision of the final print.
--
Winsor Crosby
Long Beach, California
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