Zone System, simplified - Farzad's 5-stop approach

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2.8. The standard gray paint factory and how it relates to the meter in your camera
Since the gray paint is a combination of black and white paint, it can be converted to any other shade of gray by increasing or decreasing its white content. What this means is that if we start with some gray paint and add white pigment to it, the tone of the gray paint turns into a brighter shade of gray. By using the same logic, if we start with the same gray paint and take away some of its white, the gray turns to a darker shade of gray.
We can apply the same logic to the gray tone that is produced by our camera.
Since any gray paint is a combination of black and white, this 18% gray image tone is also a combination of black and white. Therefore its tone can be changed to brighter or darker shades of gray by increasing or decreasing its white content, the light that it is exposed to.
2.8.1. Changing the 18% gray image tone into darker shades of gray by decreasing its white content
The standard 18% gray image can be changed to darker shades of gray by decreasing its white content. The reduction of the white content of this tone can be achieved by decreasing the amount of light entering the camera.
This can be done by closing-down the aperture or using shorter exposure times than the normal exposure. An example of this is closing-down the aperture from f-4 to 5.6 or changing the shutter speed from 1/30 to 1/60 sec.
2.8.2. Changing the 18% gray image tone into brighter shades of gray by increasing its white content
The increase in the white content of this 18% gray image tone can be achieved by increasing the amount of light entering the camera. This can be done by opening-up the aperture or using longer exposure times (slower shutter speeds) than the normal exposure. An example of this is opening-up the aperture from f-11 to f-8, or changing the shutter speed from 1/125 to 1/60 sec.

2.9. What does the term "middle" mean in photography?
Although the term "middle" could mean different things to different people, in photography it has a special meaning. The easiest way that I can explain it without losing you in mathematical details is to give you an example of 5 familiar consecutive shutter speeds. These speeds can be found on the speed dials of many newer cameras. As you can see in the illustration, I chose 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000 and 1/2000 sec. Now let's assign these shutter speeds to your fingers. Please look at the Diagram 2.9.0.
The logic of explaining the term "middle" is important and will be used shortly to build other shades of gray for our Zone System.