How to Dodge A Photograph
Dodging is much like burning a print, but instead of trying to darken a portion of the picture the object is to lighten sections of the photograph that come out too darkly with normal exposure. This is accomplished by first exposing the print with half of the original amount of time, then expose the picture again while placing an opaque object between the enlarger and the photographic paper in such a way as to block light from the portion of the scene you want to stay light. You can use this technique to fix pictures that dark areas next to very pale areas that become over exposed.
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Things You'll Need
- Darkroom
- Photo Enlarger
- Negative of the picture you want to correct
- Poster board
- Scissors
Instructions
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1
Place your negative into the enlarger's negative carrier, and set your exposure time to HALF of the amount you would need to expose the darkest portions of the picture.
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2
Lay your piece of photographic paper under the enlarger and expose the print. Do not remove the paper from its spot under the enlarger.
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3
Cut a piece out of the poster board that will best cover the areas that you do not want to make any darker.
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4
Expose the print again with the same amount of time as the first exposure. The light should only be shining on the part of the photograph that needs to be darkened.
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5
Take your paper out from under the enlarger and develop.
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Tips & Warnings
As I said in my article on image burning: The process is much easier when you cut the piece of poster board into a specific shape that only covers the areas you do not want to make darker, instead of using a less accurate square shape to cover these spots.
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Comments
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Richard Burke
Nov 27, 2007
Good article. In the past, I have used a technique learned form Jerry Ulesmann which is to create a dodging tool and block the light during exposure by waving the tool over the shadow areas blocking some light. I found the mask technique you describe sometimes left a distinct edge, and this technique when practiced allowed more blending in the shadow areas. Thank god for Photoshop!
