Beginning Photography using the Stop System

You will find Beginning Photography using the Stop System a good way to begin your carreer in photography, a good way to take the first step.

The first part of this book does not deal with how to expose film in a camera, but rather, what to do with the film after exposure. It provides a step-by-step procedure for loading and developing film, and for printing the negatives. It assumes little or no experience in developing or printing. We have tried to make the book as friendly as possible and have deferred any detailed information to the appendix.

The second part of this book provides a simple, efficient and intelligent procedure for making test prints in the darkroom, and for test exposures in a studio or outdoors without the need for a light meter. The procedure is called the Stop System.

It was devised by Pierre-Yves Mahé and has been used extensively in teaching photography at Spéos, the Paris Photographic Institute. It has been highly successful. Students on their first day in the darkroom are able to make excellent black and white prints.

Pierre-Yves Mahé is the founder and director of Spéos, the Paris Photographic Institute which offers photographic programs in English and French for University students, beginners and professionals. Prior to forming Spéos, he was an advertising photographer for several French companies. His recent work involves computer imaging, image transmission and distant learning in collaboration with the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Richard D. Zakia was professor of photography for 32 years at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. Prior to Joining RIT he worked as photographic engineer at Kodak. He has authored and co-authored several books on photography and perception including The New Zone System Manual with Minor White and the Zone Systemizer with John J.Dowdell III. Along with Dr. Les Stroebel he is co-editor of the 1994 Focal Encyclopedia of Photography.

Gordon Brown is graduate of RIT and worked for Eastman Kodak for 33 years specializing in Photographic Education and Black and white products. While at Kodak he was instrumental in bringing many B/W products to market, particularly Kodak Technical pan film and Kodak T-Max film ( he even thought up the name ). He was authored a variety of pamphlets and articles, and has taught numerous Zone System workshops throughout the United States. He is currently serving as a Kodak Ambassador giving photographic lectures throughout the United States.