Books

Ansel Adams' Trilogy

by Maurizio Agelli
Ansel Adams (1902–1984) was one of the most renowned photographers of the 20th century and arguably the greatest landscape photographer of all time. Beyond his invaluable collection of images, he is also known for developing a precise methodology that meticulously covers every step of the photographic process.
Ansel Adams ca 1950, photo by J.Malcolm Grany, Public Domain (from Wikimedia Commons)
To describe the three fundamental stages of this process, in the early 1980s, Ansel Adams published a trilogy of books: The Camera, The Negative, and The Print. These volumes focused respectively on capturing the image, producing the negative, and making the final print. Published in the early 1980s, the three books were the culmination of a teaching experience that began in 1940 at the Art Center School of Los Angeles. During this period, Adams had produced several instructional texts which, after a thorough process of revision and refinement, evolved into The Camera, The Negative, and The Print.

The Camera

For Ansel Adams, the first step in creating a photograph is visualisation, i.e. the ability to mentally pre-visualise the exact image before pressing the shutter. Learning to “see as the camera sees” is crucial, making it essential to understand the key aspects of how cameras work and how to use them effectively. The Camera, published in 1980, takes on this ambitious task.

The book provides a detailed overview of different types of cameras, starting with the most basic: the pinhole camera, which uses a small aperture instead of a lens. It then examines 35mm cameras, both rangefinders and SLRs, medium format reflex cameras, both single-lens and twin-lens, and finally, large format cameras.

Adams also explains how shutter speeds and apertures influence exposure, how subject distance affects perspective, and the role of lenses and tripods. A dedicated section explores camera movements, an essential technique for correctly using large format cameras.

Many of the concepts discussed in The Camera remain relevant in the digital photography era, making it an invaluable read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the technical foundations of photography.

The Negative

Published in 1981, The Negative is the most extensive volume of the trilogy and focuses on the second phase of the photographic process: creating a negative from the image captured by the camera.

Translating the tonal range of a real-world scene into a scale of grey densities on film is a complex task. To address this, Ansel Adams developed the Zone System, a method that allows photographers to precisely control the tonal range of the final image based on a pre-visualised outcome. The Negative is the definitive guide to this technique.

In addition to the Zone System, the book covers the use of contrast filters and how different lighting conditions, both natural and artificial, affect the tonal scale of the negative. Adams also provides practical guidance on darkroom film development techniques.

While The Negative is particularly valuable for those who continue to work with black and white film, its principles remain useful even in digital photography, offering insights into exposure, contrast control, and tonal manipulation.

The Print

The third and final book in Adams’ celebrated trilogy, The Print, is entirely dedicated to the art of photographic printing. First published in 1980, this 200-page volume, filled with examples of Adams’ work, remains an essential reference for those interested in traditional darkroom printing. Compared to The Negative, which establishes the theoretical foundation of the Zone System, The Print is more practical in approach.

The book covers all aspects of the printing process and is a treasure trove of expert advice. In the early chapters, Adams discusses how to design and set up a darkroom, describing his own workspace, which included two large-format enlargers, one of which was an 8×10″ custom-built model mounted on rails!

A later section is dedicated to the mounting, preservation, and exhibition of prints, recognising these as integral steps in the photographic process.

Even in today’s digital world, The Print remains a timeless resource, offering insights into tonal control, composition, and presentation that are still highly relevant.