Using Zones for Black and White Photography: Exploring Photography with Mark Wallace: AdoramaTV

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Learn how to use zones of light to convert color photographs to stunning, high contrast, black and white images. In this episode Mark Wallace explains his abbreviated version of Ansel Adam's Zone System. Mark explains the five zones of exposure and demonstrates how to manipulate them using Lightroom 5.
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Mark’s Previous Episodes:
How Color Influences B&W Photography: Ep 232: Digital Photography 1 on 1: Adorama Photography TV
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50 Shades of Black: Ep 133: Exploring Photography with Mark Wallace
• 50 Shades of Black: Ep...
Getting it Right in Camera: Ep 235: Digital Photography 1 on 1: Adorama Photography TV
• Getting it Right in Ca...
Digital Photography 1 on 1: Episode 67: Lighting for Black and White Photography
• Digital Photography 1 ...
Digital Photography 1 on 1: Episode 41: Dynamic Range: Adorama Photography TV
• Digital Photography 1 ...
Digital Photography 1 on 1: Episode 33: Histograms: Adorama Photography TV
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Digital Photography 1 on 1: Episode 24: Understanding Stops: Adorama Photography TV
• Digital Photography 1 ...
Check out Adorama's latest contest here for great prizes!:
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[@YouDontTalkAboutFightClub]

Mark always says so much in a way we all can follow and understand. Loved this episode on the zone system. I've always needed a simple and usable breakdown I could apply to my photography. Thanks Mark!

[@jimblackie5476]

This just transformed my B&W work from mediocre to outstanding. I can't thank you enough for helping me understand tones and the zone hack you devised!

[@michaljesensky4201]

Perfect explanation. Easy to follow and fun to watch. Mark's videos are my favorite.

[@gpdoyon]

I loved all of your tips! Black and white with so much contrast and textures---amaaaaaazing!

[@markcunningham8788]

Really appreciated this video guys.. i love that no matte how much you use Lightroom, you learn different things and techniques frequently...thanks!

[@johnc3826]

Once again, Mark, you have shown a new way to me to unlock the power and versatility of Lightroom. Your videos are the best! Thank you for taking the time to post these videos during your travels.

[@cahayaislamic5066]

O

[@egolloher]

Just seeing this now, and I am LOVING all the tips! Makes so much sense and I'm putting it to use as we speak!

[@cyrille8693]

I've seen (a lot !) of videos on editing photography and this one is def in my top five. Thanks for those awesome tips ! I'll never look at a locker the same way again 😊🙏🌈

[@katarzynabuksinska1305]

Hi Mark, thank you so much for explaining black and white photography en Lightroom!!! After your class I definately know more :-) Thanks and have a great day!

[@michaelmcphee2930]

Finally someone has put together a contemporary digital approximation of the Zone System. Thanks Mark

[@MacClellandMan]

I am glad to hear others applying the principals of Zone System to digital photography. The Zone System Ansel Adams explained was not about getting high contrast images. It was about control in order to serve creativity and to be able to anticipate how tools, light, film, paper, chemicals, temperature, and time could be manipulated to bring into the concrete what begins in the imagination. Adams wanted to take the guess work out photography. If he wanted to reduce contrast, hold shadow or highlight detail, etc., he used his system. He was brilliant technically as he was creatively.

[@hobbiesandfxtrading]

Thank you so much for this tutorial!! Really helps me a lot as a beginner. More power Mark!

[@ChristopherWalrath]

I really like this system. One thing to bear in mind. Make sure the photograph has all of the details you want in the final image. If a portion of the photo is washed out or blackened out, it will stay that way in post. Great video. Thanks.

[@heinzhagenbucher4714]

Hi Mark. Thanks for this very helpful and interesting video. I'm looking forward to try it out soon. Have a great day.

[@HumbertoAbed]

Great tutorial!! been watching lots of videos on how to convert to BnW and edit but yours is really great. Thank you

[@M123OCT]

I am the perfect person on whom to road-test your video, simply because I am a beginner when it comes to manually adjusting a camera. And, after watching quite a few videos, I would say yours is the clearest. Even the tip about adjusting ISO last is really helpful. 👍 Cheers.

[@cutterjohnston5668]

This an excellent LR video for a LR newbie working on a B&W video clip in After Effects and Premier. The B&W mograph has been taken up 10 notches. THANK YOU!

[@CloudKnife]

I just re-edited my last shoot which I did black and white. I was feeling a bit deflated about my first edits but after watching this video I like my shots again. Thanks a lot for the great tips :)

[@JasonPatz]

Great information. Clearly and concisely explained. Thank you Mark!

[@GeofPowell]

I learned some good tips for adjusting B&W shots in Lightroom.

[@johncharlesgray4913]

Wow! Just came across this 8 year old video and learned a great deal about enhancing b&w images. I found the luminosity section at the end particularly useful. Thanks!

[@chetbowman6714]

Great video, well explained and demonstrated. Very practical

[@chakibabi-saab9203]

Thank you for this video.. Brilliant. I am really going to practice this technique from now on.

[@JohnJohnson-bo5sv]

this is great! I am in a East Texas summer and so much of what I see is Harsh light and contrasty shadows. This gives me a new approach. I will look into the more detailed vids you mentioned. thanks

[@Adorama]

*Mark Wallace is in Peru with your latest photography tips!* Learn how to use zones of light to convert color photographs to stunning, high contrast, black & white images. adr.ma/1nOl4se

[@TVRDAFT]

Ansel Adams zone system has always been brilliant to use. In the early 1900's he was the master.

[@AltonaBeach]

I go back to when all my photography was all and only B&W. Maybe I will start all over again., Thank you, a great video.

[@BrotherBloat]

excellent video as usual, Mark!

[@coyote7106]

Thank you fot this video. It is what I really needed to go further. These are small tips extremely important end usefull but one cannot find easily and quickly alone.

[@jorgelvs30]

Mark, Thanks for this great tutorial.

[@RichardHamilton79]

Really helpful as a beginner Mark, thank you!

[@baharam98]

This video was great and extremely helpful. Thanks!

[@CoryLievers]

This is great, thanks. I'm going to try this on my next black & white conversion.

[@christophermason7735]

That was a really good video. You have given me some great ideas on how to process my B&W.

[@johnkraemer5505]

Very good overview! Thank you for sharing!

[@sambarnett3820]

Awesome video! So much knowledge.

[@gewglesux]

very detailed!! thanks for the upload!

[@brokenrohit2101]

Excellent tips, just entering in black and white photography.

[@MrJonpeters]

A really great tutorial yet again Mark as I love converting to B&W. I think its very popular today. I'll certainly put your lesson into practice. How's the trip going btw? When do you expect to finish it?

[@wolfharley1]

This is just what I needed for education... thanks

[@marclabro]

nice tuto ! helpful workflow ! i am fan of sylver efex pro2 but this requires a huge tif/psd from lightroom so if we can do the job in raw under LR, it is always welcome.

[@keddycheng8406]

that was really helpful for me, thx for sharing!!!

[@rdauld]

Excellent Mark. Just getting into B&W and this is really helpful !

[@Adorama]

rdauld Sounds great! Please let us know how it works out for you.

[@KmalSadek]

This is such an awesome video about B&W. Thanks much

[@murugan1960]

its may very advanced tutorial in the aspect of black and white photos

[@kochavigivoni5814]

Mark, like always, very good tutorial! I love B&W.... Tank you

[@ianpalmer6449]

Simple, stunning, superb

[@luishreyesbarrios84]

Amazing simplification!

[@stefanhansen5882]

This might be six years old, but I just found it, and I am glad I did. Thanks a lot!

[@hart5483]

awesome video! thank you! by the way, when i edit picture, how should i set my monitor's brightness? should i set it in the middle? or should i max my screen brightness? any other paramater on my screen i should adjust before editing a picture?

[@harshnama1]

Very useful video. Thank you 🙏

[@markharris5771]

I really like the photograph of the lock, that's the sort of shot I prefer to do on film.

[@oraghz02]

hey Mr.Mark Wallace interesting interpretation ! see you next one !

[@maircraft4079]

A good and simplified application of the zone system using lightroom. Easier than Ps using selections.

[@sumittyagi5]

Learnt something good and important today. Thanks

[@spallan100]

love your video's Mark

[@Frames_films]

really nice, very useful tips.

[@user-vn2xx6kx3b]

Soo beautiful video I wondered if still there is a way to do this process by apps that don't have black and white adjustment capability. Only exposure, highlight and shadow? eg. Adobe Photoshop Express

[@aykegaze2672]

Very interesting topic. Bravo

[@aidanmcknight3111]

Thanks for this...fantastic

[@mamuphotographer7647]

Your film helped me a lot. thank you very much. Black and white is really magical

[@Moodboard39]

Yea

[@hawg427]

I just had flashbacks from when I went to Photo school in Daytona Beach Photography School. We had to study The Zone System for 6 Mos. but of course when I went there we had to shoot using 4x5 view cameras :-) I wonder if Ansel would have gotten into the Digital scene. Photographers today just don't know how lucky they are getting to use post production. I had to do all my stuff in a darkroom. LOL This is so much easier than shooting 4x5 and having to develop ea. neg. by itself. Good video :-)

[@JohnKorvell]

I hover my cursor over areas of the image to check where my zones are. White shows up in the 90's / black close or at zero. This helps me control (especially) if any whites are getting blown out totally or if some pixels remain. I also click and hold on the histogram to shift zones a bit. Last, I use the color temperature slider to do some fine tuning when the image is already B&W.

[@lowe_h_seger]

Bear in mind that values below 7 in the black areas will not print any details, keep it at seven or above. While white should be below the 250 value to print any details. Generally you would like to have some tonality in a sky and not the same white as the paper itself which you are printing on. Keep the values within these numbers your prints will look a lot more professional and expensive. If one wants to push limits and being very abstract and/or graphic with their work, that's fine as well of course.

[@hajmanek]

Great video, many thanks, from now my B&W photos looks different :)

[@canturgan]

It's the tone system. Good information.

[@stanleyprendergast2133]

This is so great

[@mahmoudabdulhalim6247]

very informative an very nice video good job mark.. can u help me please in my choice between d750 and d810 i really like the d810 but the files size is so BIG and 1/4000 ss in the d750 i do not like it..i am interested in wedding photography so mr mark what is your advise to me thank you

[@gardnercalibuso]

Great tips! Thanks..

[@NMalteC]

Nice video. Have you ever considered using the 'Y' key to show the before and after side by side?

[@lukasschonleitner2617]

Great video !

[@nelsonted1]

I didn't notice the pink bow until the before and after at the end of the shot. That would have been a cool photo with a little pink in the bow!

[@rmgstudios0912]

Amazing video

[@gazlw1175]

Thank you very much..

[@chrishuang8763]

With the Lumix GX9 I bought recently, I just shoot in L Monochrome D for B&W and RAW (in case I needed colour later). Very easy.

[@bivboy10]

cheers Mark very good mate

[@mhsvz6735]

Thank you.

[@hitmancorporation]

I was going to watch a movie on Netflix, but then this video distracted me and got me all interested in playing around with some B&W photography again... also this ISN'T THE ZONE SYSTEM! Oh wait... never mind. Taught me a lot - thank you.

[@HandlethatJandal]

Very interesting, thx

[@amaitra]

Great video - don't see him in the channel any longer

[@OwenEDell]

I was always taught that you want to eliminate any clipping of the whites if you're going to print, in order to avoid having spots on the paper that don't have any toner applied. When I see those red spots it makes me uneasy. Thoughts?

[@32ndFoto]

Very helpful..

[@oguzbenice7423]

Excellent !

[@1967davidsrebrnik]

I remember when at school in the 80s we studied the zone system, it was quite complicate. We had to take into account the temperature and time of the film developing. We had to prepare a series of test to determine how we'll process the whole picture from the shot until the print. Well it wasn't as easy as lightroom 🤣🤣🤣

[@tamiraloni4092]

Very interesting.

[@ATATASHIGA]

where is the image of the old run down house for sale in spanish from? It looks incredibly familiar!

[@daspeed07]

Very cool

[@sumitagg1]

Can you use this for color images?

[@cosmiccomic3744]

amazingggg

[@dipbhattacharya]

12:59 - where can I find this option in photoshop cc ? can anyone give me the path ?

[@MikeyColon]

Awesome

[@arielc.wilson1126]

Hi, what is the music played in this video? Thanks!

[@jinyingzhan927]

i have a question. some photographer says a picture should not get into a clipping point because when in printing, it won't print the detail if the dark or highlight side is clipped on histogram. How do you address that issue when you work on dark and highlight?

[@aleksandartrpkov8550]

Hi Mark. Did you mention that it's RAW photos that you are editing?

[@arijitbiswas2065]

Nice.

[@swccbakersfieldca2076]

Good video

[@TheOsfania]

Adams' original prints were not very high contrast. Most of the high contrast stuff of his that you see now were reprinted by him in the 1960s and 1970s. He chose more contrast as he got older.

[@Geers7Omoorstay]

Mark, I have very good experience with your videos and your cognitive quality, so I venture to consult you if you have a workflow suggestion for me to try to replicate the content of this video in Photoshop exclusively (without resorting to Camera Raw, whose operations are similar to Lightroom)

[@MrK30674]

Great beard!

[@ilja.kirsunov]

But is sitting infront of a PC still photography? Just my opinion...

[@ejazahmeddars5166]

hello sir, how to make dslr pictures look like film?? thank you.

[@terencetsy]

EJAZ AHMED DARS buy a leica m9.