Introduction to Photography - Final Printing
Final Printing
The final stages of printing an image involve using the techniques I vaguely touched on in the last post - Dodging and Burning. To dodge is to keep light from penetrating a specific portion of the image. To burn is to add additional light to a specific portion of the image. When used together, these techniques are extremely effective in correcting lighting in poorly exposed, or difficult negatives.
Using your initial test sheet of exposure time from part 1, you may be able to get an idea of how much additional time you may need to add to a given part of an area which is underexposed. Underexposure is the technical term for when there is not enough light (blown out of too light) hitting a specific region of the photo. Likewise, Overexposure if the technical term for when there is too much light (very dark, or blacked out) hitting a specific region of the photo. Keep in mind that these guidelines only pertain to traditional black and white photography.
Dodging:
Create a simple dodging tool is a lot easier then you might imagine. By unfolding a paper clip, or another small longer pliable stick, and taping or gluing it to a small piece of cut out cardboard, you can make a very useful and inexpensive burning tool. It is useful to make multiple sizes of these "tools" to reuse for various prints over time. Because each print in unique, and tweaking the lighting in every print is different, having multiple dodging tools is very useful.
The purpose of the dodging tool is to block light from hitting the overexposed portion of the image. You do this by exposing the paper with the correct exposure time, and quickly moving the dodging tool over the area in question. Because anything hindering the light from reaching the paper is going to create a lighter image, it is important to remember to move the tool around as you are dodging the image to avoid creating jagged white lines from where the handle was on your final print, or over dodging to create an unnatural feel. Dodging generally works out a lot better if you are using a longer exposure time. Due to the nature of this assignment I did not touch on lens settings or equivalency scales, but altering those scales is very important in rendering a properly dodged area in your final print. These are subjects you will need to become familiar with in order to print, and they are covered in all basic photography classes, and in most books.
Burning:
Burning is basically the same concept as dodging, except in reverse. To burn is to add more light to a specific area of the image - while keeping the extra light away from the complete print, whereas dodging is to subtract light from the final exposure time. A cheap and easy burning tool is also very simple to create. Simply poke a small hole in the center of a piece of cardboard, and customize it as necessary for your particular print depending on the size of the area you need to burn in. Burning is a process that takes much care and practice to master efficiently. It is very easy to over-burn an area, and create a very unnatural, unflattering photograph. Always be careful to avoid the "halo" effect, which is when you burn an area outside of where you intended, only slightly, just enough to create a slightly darker area bordering the burned section. Burning is always done AFTER the initial exposure. Burning, like dodging, takes a lot of patience and practice to master correctly. It is important to try and stay relaxed and not overwhelm yourself when you are learning. When done correctly however, it is a relatively easy way to "fix" the imperfections of your image due to overexposure.
After you have mastered the art of printing your image, agitated it through the chemical process, cleaned, and dried your final print, it's up to you where you go from there. Many people don't understand the complexity involved in traditional darkroom photography. Hopefully this little blog has helped its readers understand what we really go through, on a very introductory level. Remember, there is always more then meets the eye. I have only touched on most of this stuff, but have at least attempted to give you an idea of what is actually involved.
Below are some useful links to Basic Photography information, advice, and suggestions. I hope you found what I've written to be educational, and interesting. Thank you for reading.
Some Basic Elements of Photography - by Chuck Doswell
Photography Basics - By Andy Lim
The Black and White Darkroom
The final stages of printing an image involve using the techniques I vaguely touched on in the last post - Dodging and Burning. To dodge is to keep light from penetrating a specific portion of the image. To burn is to add additional light to a specific portion of the image. When used together, these techniques are extremely effective in correcting lighting in poorly exposed, or difficult negatives.
Using your initial test sheet of exposure time from part 1, you may be able to get an idea of how much additional time you may need to add to a given part of an area which is underexposed. Underexposure is the technical term for when there is not enough light (blown out of too light) hitting a specific region of the photo. Likewise, Overexposure if the technical term for when there is too much light (very dark, or blacked out) hitting a specific region of the photo. Keep in mind that these guidelines only pertain to traditional black and white photography.
Dodging:
Create a simple dodging tool is a lot easier then you might imagine. By unfolding a paper clip, or another small longer pliable stick, and taping or gluing it to a small piece of cut out cardboard, you can make a very useful and inexpensive burning tool. It is useful to make multiple sizes of these "tools" to reuse for various prints over time. Because each print in unique, and tweaking the lighting in every print is different, having multiple dodging tools is very useful.
The purpose of the dodging tool is to block light from hitting the overexposed portion of the image. You do this by exposing the paper with the correct exposure time, and quickly moving the dodging tool over the area in question. Because anything hindering the light from reaching the paper is going to create a lighter image, it is important to remember to move the tool around as you are dodging the image to avoid creating jagged white lines from where the handle was on your final print, or over dodging to create an unnatural feel. Dodging generally works out a lot better if you are using a longer exposure time. Due to the nature of this assignment I did not touch on lens settings or equivalency scales, but altering those scales is very important in rendering a properly dodged area in your final print. These are subjects you will need to become familiar with in order to print, and they are covered in all basic photography classes, and in most books.
Burning:
Burning is basically the same concept as dodging, except in reverse. To burn is to add more light to a specific area of the image - while keeping the extra light away from the complete print, whereas dodging is to subtract light from the final exposure time. A cheap and easy burning tool is also very simple to create. Simply poke a small hole in the center of a piece of cardboard, and customize it as necessary for your particular print depending on the size of the area you need to burn in. Burning is a process that takes much care and practice to master efficiently. It is very easy to over-burn an area, and create a very unnatural, unflattering photograph. Always be careful to avoid the "halo" effect, which is when you burn an area outside of where you intended, only slightly, just enough to create a slightly darker area bordering the burned section. Burning is always done AFTER the initial exposure. Burning, like dodging, takes a lot of patience and practice to master correctly. It is important to try and stay relaxed and not overwhelm yourself when you are learning. When done correctly however, it is a relatively easy way to "fix" the imperfections of your image due to overexposure.
After you have mastered the art of printing your image, agitated it through the chemical process, cleaned, and dried your final print, it's up to you where you go from there. Many people don't understand the complexity involved in traditional darkroom photography. Hopefully this little blog has helped its readers understand what we really go through, on a very introductory level. Remember, there is always more then meets the eye. I have only touched on most of this stuff, but have at least attempted to give you an idea of what is actually involved.
Below are some useful links to Basic Photography information, advice, and suggestions. I hope you found what I've written to be educational, and interesting. Thank you for reading.
Some Basic Elements of Photography - by Chuck Doswell
Photography Basics - By Andy Lim
The Black and White Darkroom
posted by Christina at 2:00 PM
3 Comments:
You old timer, you. How easy it is to forget how complex a process is the "simple" taking of a photograph! Even the handful of things you mention here convey that there is much more to it than meets the eye, and yet you really have not mentioned the many things you have to have "instinct" for. We take for granted how much is done by machines now, but that convenience comes at the cost of mediocre, uncropped, undodged, unburned photos. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
I had no idea photography was that complicated. I mean I always thought it was a simple "click" and go type of thing but now I can tell its quite an art.
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