Technique
Dodging

Also described as shading, dodging a print is simply preventing light from reaching part of the photographic paper for a fraction of the exposure. It is used for lifting detail in otherwise dense/dark areas of the print, such as shadow detail. A hand or a finger can be used but for more detailed work a dodger is needed, at its simplest a dodger is a piece of black card taped to a length of thin wire which is held between the paper and enlarger lens during the print exposure. Moving the dodger around will modify its action, by blurring (blending in) the edges of the dodged area with the remainder of the image. A selection of different shapes and sizes of dodgers refines the job.

Dodging
Dodging

Also described as shading, dodging a print is simply preventing light from reaching part of the photographic paper for a fraction of the exposure. It is used for lifting detail in otherwise dense/dark areas of the print, such as shadow detail. A hand or a finger can be used but for more detailed work a dodger is needed, at its simplest a dodger is a piece of black card taped to a length of thin wire which is held between the paper and enlarger lens during the print exposure. Moving the dodger around will modify its action, by blurring (blending in) the edges of the dodged area with the remainder of the image. A selection of different shapes and sizes of dodgers refines the job.