Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/09/24

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Subject: Re: [Leica] The Dark Zones of the Day
From: Seth Rosner <sethrosner@direcway.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2003 08:18:15 -0400
References: <3F710983.5688A93F@rabinergroup.com>

Hello Mark:

It took me one entire zone just to read through your zones. Now I know why
you are weary by the time you take your 15th aspirin. Also the shepherd and
the calico.

The Navy makes it much simpler. Navy lingo for four-hour segments is
"watches" as in:

midwatch:   0000-0400 (12M-4am)
morning watch:   0400-0800  (4am-8am)
forenoon watch: 0800-1200  (8am-12N)
afternoon watch: 1200-1600  (12N-4pm)
first dogwatch:  1600-1800  (4pm-6pm)
second dogwatch:  1800-2000   (6pm-8pm)
evening watch:  2000-2400  (8pm-12M)

The Navy makes it seven (the two dog watches) so the port-and-starboard
watch crews don't have to stand their watches the same times day after day.
It's been over 40 years so I may not have all of the watch names correct
tho' I think I do.

For your purposes, Mark, you might simply call 4pm-8pm the (single) dog
watch

Seth             LaK 9


I take aspirin every 4 hours for my arteritis. No Bull.
I wake up at 8.
Go to bed at midnight.

This divides my day into six - four hour sextuplicates.

It occurred to me to name them.
And call them zones.
Then it occurred to me they have similarities to the zones i use every
day in Photography.

So here they are! As there are 11 not 6 zones so I'm shy on highlights
as this works out but this really does not make for a depressing
schedule I've found.


12 AM starts a day with Zone I and Midnight,
The blackest black the paper can produce. Zone 0 being the clearest
clear the neg can produce. No ones ever been evil enough to see it in a
print.

4 am is the witching hour. Zone II
It's my Rapid eye movement zone hopefully if I'm not pulling an all
nigher. REM.
Between 4 and 8 am I call my Twilight zone. A hint of tone in the blacks
but no detail to speak of. Until later.

III is  8 am to noon and what I call "Morning." Significant detail in
the shadows. Your threshold zone. HELLO! Drink your Coffee!

Zone IV is Lunch. In my photography i think of it as "more shadow detail
then I'd ever want" which is purposely not logical it's good to have
those in there. I think of it as "between my middle grey and my
threshold zone."

4 p.m. is time for tea. Late Afternoon. It's an average middle grey day,
Zone V. Set your camera at what your meter says and that's what you've
got. Set it at A for average if you've got that on you dial. Ignore your
grey card it's lying.

8 p.m Zone VI is four hours later and for me it's SHOWTIME!!! I like
films - renting them and going to see them but more and more renting
them as the German Shepard likes to be in on things and so does the
Calico. He barks and horses and dogs when they are only 3 pixels across
and not even on the soundtrack. She hides behind the sofa.
It's FAMILY TIME. - the sixth zone. VI! HBO extended!
Open up a stop and it's the average white guys face. And that's what you
do. Ansel says also the average sidewalk in one of his first
photoguides!  Camera meters will secretly be set at this stop instead of
V because  99.9% of all shots are color neg which always likes the
density when it can get it. So if your handheld reads a stop lower than
your camera it's par for the course I never sweat it.
I just think that's why.
My point being that's why all your shots have come out even though you
haven't been opening up one stop when shooting a face.

And we end suddenly there because four hours later it's midnight which
is day two and time for me to slip under the sheets and dream about zone
I although according to plan I've been there since 11 reading.

FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO GO HIGHER!!!!

Zone VII as the dictionary says is one zone higher than zone six and for
me and many of us in black and white is the threshold zone. And perhaps
the most important zone!!! Shame its not on our daily aspirin schedule!
Open up two it's good for you. Close two down and make it brown, you're
not a clown. These are the thresholds to live ones life by. I recommend
them and flossing. If it's not in there you better despair. Life's
unfair.  You've got from two under and two over to work with in black
and white. Five zones to work with. III to VII. I challenge you to
forget that! I think 4 for color neg and 3 for slides. But it doesn't
matter because of all the different colors.

VIII is why you buy a spot meter and is the scintillating sparkley stuff
you don't expect to see detail or texture in although maybe just a
smidgin. Highlights almost or maybe they are highlights. Meter them
carefully and know that you won't see them. If there's texture in there
you can see by squinting and you decide that texture really has to be
there than place it down a zone at zone VII and see what happens to the
rest of the picture. Your shadows you've probably lost but decide if you
can really live without them. Often you can. Most often. Your hights
come first most often.

IX. Nine is the Roman numeral you make with an X instead of a V. It's
not any part of the day and it's the whitest white the paper can
produce. Not the neg. That comes later.  ANd papers vary. NO DETAIL did
you get that? So forgetaboutit! I've never metered for it. Don't know
anyone who has. But this is the internet! I know you're out there!

X makes eleven zones because we have zone 0 which if there is a Roman
numeral for it those brain cells are dead. Specular highlights. Gustav
Glint. They don't make spot meters this narrow so forgetaboutit! I think
of it as "silver" and I'm not thinking of the Lone Rangers white horse
who was zone XII mainly with perhaps some small areas of XIII in a print.
You want to see the hoursehairs don't you?
X is dense areas in the neg you don't expect to see as light areas in
the print unless you burn them which makes the whole print then look all
muddy.
Your eye goes first to the light areas of the print so they are all
important. And the highlights.
Whiter than White. Shout it out! Zone X! Forgetaboutit!

So that's it my day has structure and it's all because of whoever Ansel
Adams stole the zone system from.
Every four hours; you know I'm there! Be there now!

Mark Rabiner
at f 8! Or 8 o'clock!

Don't be late!

Portland, Oregon USA
http://www.rabinergroup.com
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In reply to: Message from Mark Rabiner <mark@rabinergroup.com> ([Leica] The Dark Zones of the Day)