PHOTOGRAPHY EXPOSED

by John Peters A.R.P.S.



  

DODGING (LIGHTEN PARTS OF THE IMAGE)

One half of burning / dodging, one of the most important parts of editing for the experienced photographer. Not a technique for the beginner, but an important process to lighten or emphasise the good parts of an image. Burning and dodging are techniques that were used by the previous generation of photographers when plates or film negatives were the medium of the day.

Check out the old carte-de-visitestyle photographs when dodging was used extensively to remove or lighten the corners of a photograph, to improve its overall appearance. I use AFFINITY PHOTO for all my burning and dodging. There is a burning / dodging tool specifically for this and the size/style of brush and the degree of burning / dodging can be controlled. I recommend starting with a low setting on the dodging, say 25%, the brush size can be set accordingly. Avoid sharp edges by feathering the brush (controllable).

TOP TIP Remember, dodging as burning, should never be obvious. Start light, you can compare before & after versions of the photo to check the effect.


First test image
An example of a Cart-De-Visite photograph where dodging in the background, the corners specifically, helps retain the eye and improve the image by not having a distracting background. The same effect can be achieved by burning in the background.

TOP TIP When editing or dodging, enlarge the photo by 400%. This makes editing work more accurate and easier too, give it a go, try it.