Dodging, Burning and the Expressive Print

The Negative Is the Score

The negative holds the information, but the print controls what the viewer sees. Two basic operations allow this local control:

• Dodging holds light back during the base exposure. This makes an area lighter in the print.
• Burning adds light after the base exposure. This makes an area darker.

Keep tools moving constantly. A static card leaves a hard line, whilst continuous movement blends the tone smoothly into the image.

Counting in Stops

Local adjustments rely on clear arithmetic.

• A one-stop burn doubles the total exposure. On a base of 12 seconds, add another 12 seconds.
• A half-stop burn multiplies the total by about 1.41.
• A third-stop adjustment multiplies exposure by 1.26.
• Dodging 3 seconds from a 12-second base leaves 9 seconds. 12 divided by 9 is 1.33, giving roughly 0.4 of a stop less light (0.4).

Common pitfall: thinking local exposure alters the negative. It only changes this single sheet of paper.