Density and Contrast Control



Minolta Maxxum 9, 24-50mm lens, 1/125 sec at f-8, Fuji Velvia 50. Multipattern metering. Handheld.

You can correct your pictures during enlargements by lightening or darkening parts of the print. To lighten an area, you can block the light during exposure. This is called dodging. To darken an area, you give more exposure. This is called burning in. You can use cardboard cut in different shapes, or your hands to fog parts of the print. Ready made dodgers are available at photo stores at a very low price. Use dodgers for small areas. Keep the wire moving to avoid shadows. You can use your hand or finger if the part you want to correct is in the corner of the print. For large areas in a print you need to cut a cardboard to precise shape, If there is several stops difference between highlights and shadow areas. Hold a card- board few inches above the masking frame. Turn on the enlarger and trace the outline of the area you want to correct. Cut out the marked area. Expose the paper, then hold the card at its original height and expose the paper again. Make sure the area you want to block is not receiving any extra exposure. If you are using variable contrast paper, you can change contrast grade for different parts of the print. Set filtration to the grade of contrast needed for the majority of the image. Expose the paper while dodging the shadow area. Turn off the enlarger and change. Print in the area you dodged, while dodging the rest of the print. For images taken in very contrasty lighting, you can correct exposure if your negative has enough information in both highlights and shadow areas. This can't be done with one printing exposure. You need to make two test prints. Make a print and expose for the shadow areas, and a second print exposing for the highlights. Decide on the total exposure time and dodging time for each area. It is a good idea to make a sketch of the areas you want to dodge for quick reference during exposure. You will need different shaped dodgers for the final print. You should practice timing and dodging prior to printing. Set your timer and begin exposure. Dodge the first area and time it for the required exposure. Move the dodger to the second area and then third, and so on. When the timer turns off, mask off correctly exposed areas and turn enlarger on. Burn in areas where extra density is needed. Turn off the enlarger and process the paper. Note that above procedures are for black and white and color negatives. For printing from transparencies, you need to dodge to reduce exposure and burn in to add more exposure.
 

Recommended equipment: Adorama / Testrite Dodging Kit For Photographic Printing Control Various shapes and sizes made of heavy black plastic material. Rust proof wire and handle. Allows exposure control (to lighten) over small areas when printing. Ilford Multigrade Filters 6x6 The twelve MULTIGRADE filters are numbered 00-5 in 1/2 steps, with the lowest filter number corresponding to the softest contrast. Filters are available in sets of filters 8 . 9x8 . 9cm (3 1/2x3 1/2 inches) and 15 . 2x15 . 2cm (6x6 inches). They can be used above or below the lens and can be cut to fit the enlarger filter drawer. Filter sizes 30x30cm (11 . 8x11 . 8 inches) are available to special order. MULTIGRADE filters are very easy to use: no complicated calculations are needed when changing from one filter to another. The exposure time for filters 00-3 1/2 is the same; that for filters 4-5 is double.