Adding Dimensionality with Dodge and Burn

Fundamentally, photography is all about painting with light. Often it’s the lighting more than the subject itself, that makes an image extraordinary rather than just “nice.” And because of that, photographers pay a lot of attention to both the quality and direction of light when they’re out photographing. Sometimes it means you need to reposition yourself, or wait until the sun or subject is at a different angle, or use external aids such as flashes, reflectors, and diffusers. But while I firmly believe it’s important to take the best image you can in camera, Aperture’s Dodge and Burn enables you to literally “paint with light.” By using the Dodge and Burn tools you can accentuate the shadows and highlights and add a sense of depth as I did in this shot. At times your eyes see more depth than what the camera captures,... [read full story]