Dodge & Burn - ILFORD PHOTO Darkroom Guides

We really enjoyed working with Rachel to film this series of darkroom technique videos. She is a very talented lady and we were lucky that she agreed to take part in this new series for us. We really hope that you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed filming it in our black and white darkroom at ILFORD Photo.


Dodging and Burning is a simple technique to try yourself with your own darkroom prints, bringing out details in negatives that are sometimes lost in a straight print. You can make masks from many different materials or just use your hands. (Top tip from Rachel is to stick the mask to a thin wire so your hand don't block the exposure).

Makes me feel VERY lazy using a digital camera! Your results are stellar.

Since I am a digital photographer and used dodge and burn with just sliders, it was nice to see how its done in the dark room. Great video and I appreciate that you did not want to sell anything and just inform us.

great work! this is art!

Couldn't you make a test print and then cut out the area you want to burn or Dodge to make a super precise mask? I feel like this would dodge pun intended the issue of the feathering on the edge

a foofa?, The thing is called a "Rocket blower" as it looks like an acme rocket from a disney cartoon

Wow that was cool

Fantastic tutorial, thank you very much!!!

Great video. Weddings are brutal. I've shot many on film years ago. I tried to save time in the darkroom by getting the exposure correct in the camera. I personally would have moved the bride away from the window a smidge or turned her body/right shoulder clockwise knowing that her white gown would be to "hot" close to the window. That scene is high key. It looks as if the final print is to burnt, right shoulder compared to left. Just my opinion. Worked as a photo assistant from 85' to 94' NYC and then a custom b/w manager/printer. Watching this now because my daughter is taking a darkroom class in school and finds it confusing. Ansel Adams was a master at judging a scene and breaking it down into tones or zones while viewing it.

I try to always start with a 15 second exposure just so I have more precision in how much is and is not dodged. With a 5 second exposure even half a second off can make a huge difference.

Great video, I am just getting into film photography and have just purchased a few rolls of 35mm hp5. I have the opportunity to buy a durst Da900 enlarger, which is a condenser type. I have just come across an article that the development time in the tank should be less than if you were developing for diffuser enlarger. I was considering microphen as the developer. I would really appreciate some advice

The Kaiser VPM 6005 System-V is good or not?

I come from the digital era and it's astonishing to see how much of the current lexicon is just borrowed from the film days. In spite all the fancy features Capture One provides me, Dodge & Burn is definitely one of the most powerful and expressive tool out there. Amazing video: thanks for sharing!

After years of shooting film, I just bought an enlarger and am in the process of setting up a darkroom. Incredibly helpful and straightforward tutorial. Looking forward to using Ilford paper!

Hello Ilford Photo! I just want to ask if it's safe to apply a fixative spray (like the Grumbacher fixative) on to a Photographic paper? Let's say after drying period just before mounting and framing process.

Hey! I bought an ILFORD EM10, how can I use it?
Thanks.

What size do you recommend cutting test strips ?

great video, looks like Rachel Brewster-Wright just "dodged" a burn there!!

nice series, but can you PLEASE show us some 4x5" & 5x7" sheet film negative developing and printing, as everyone shows us 35 mm format prints, so it has been done to death, and if you are interested in Large format cameras, knowing what kind of gear to get is important, as it is NOT just the regular 35mm gear.

I like her alot

That’s the coolest thing ever!

Love this!! Can you do a breakdown of your printer papers? I shoot solely on ilford film and print on ilford papers in my business now so this is awesome!

special woman x

Its funny because u will see some people posting comments like people should have the shot right to begin with and not need to edit the photo. The thing they fail to realize is post processing happens in camera to a degree anyways, and editing photos has always been done even before digital. Digital photography just revolutionized the process and gave u even more options.

Thank you, Ilford, you are keeping this old type of photography alive. I have never experienced the age of film but it’s amazing finding out how the things we now do digitally were done in the past. I have even recently got myself an improvised dark room, thank you for igniting the love for film photography in me, Ilford.

Rachel, thanks for the great videos! You make it clear and precise and are helping to open up the joy of film photography to so many others.

BURNING = an extra partial exposure of the printing paper AFTER the exposure.
DODGING = an less partial exposure of the printing paper DURING the exposure
The dodging instruments are made of carton. A quarter size of a credit card.
In four different forms: SQUARE, TRIANGLE, CIRCLE and ELLIPS.
Plus four +/- 30 cm thin rods ( spoke of bicycle wheel, knitting needle, ???)
Make with a plier at both ends of the rods an eye or a hook.
Tape / glue the SQUARE, TRIANGLE, CIRCLE ad ELLIPS to each end of te rod.
Place the DODGERS during the exposure of the paper in the beam of the
projection light. Keep it moving smoothly. The size of th projected shadow
can be altered by rising or lowering the dodger.

The tray with the stopbath is too close to the tray with the developer.
If possible place a "wall" in between to avoid backsplashes into the developer
A carton (tray size) ; make in the middle of the lengthside a 4 inch cut
.Fold one half to the right and the other to the left.
Place the two half under the trays.
The separation wall is finished.

DO NOT WERE JEWELRY IN THE DARKROOM:
NO RINGS NO BRACELETS.

The music makes me nervous.

RED LIGHT in the dark room ?
It should be yellowgreen for non graded paper.
It must be amber for graded paper.
Red light is for ortho film .

You are blowing the dust from the first film stripe to the second film stripe .......

I really love this person giving the lesson! She is amazing.

Killing two birds with one stone in that dodging and burning sequence. Just lit a light bulb for me.

Great shot, both technically and aesthetically.

as everyone can see, the picture showed in the end is not the one you printed during the whole process.

Nice & Thanks :)

Stop it! I'm getting darkroom envy. I'm addicted to these Ilford videos.

Excellently done Rachel. Thanks

Cool video where did you get the black frame where you place the photo? Thanks.

who remembers the kennedy instruments K1..

Rachel ! You are just magical! What a great teacher. It feels like just standing right there next to you absorbing all these little details. My enlarger is on it's way. So I am watching your video for the second time. Hopefully, I will be ready to do some dodging and burning! ))) Thanks so much for the inspiration!

ILford... thank you for sharing Rachel here! She is just super! )))

So I'm seeing ppl print with 5-6sec exposures in f/8 while I need around 30s with the same aperture on my enlarger. Am I doing something wrong? Do I maybe need a brighter lamp?

Cheers. Great to watch

This was awesome. I hope there are more videos like this coming. Really hoping to improve my darkroom techniques. I'm still in the early stages : )

Rose hello Ang Ganda naman ng nasa picture artist thank you pala

I was taught to print in 1978, had a temporary dark room in 1991 (two sessions)! And I’ve just found all my stuff in the attic – glad to see not much is changed I think I might give it a go :-)

thanks so so much for this very clear explaination with a smile :)

Rachel,thank you so much. After watching this I tried dodging/burning for the first time. It will help me improve my prints. Well done ilford

I'm a newb to all of this. I knew that we are to use the grain enlarger to focus on the grain for optimal focus. However, in my limited experience, I had yet to see the grain, and this video did an excellent job of focusing on that aspect...no pun intended.
Is it possible that my use of 100 ASA film; exclusively, has hindered my ability to see the grain? I now know better what I'm looking for.