Share your favorite Dodge/Burn tricks or techniques here...

[bobbysandstrom]

I asked earlier about a burn flashlight device today and someone recommended putting masking tape over a maglite. Great way to diffuse the light. I also cut a filter (appropriate for the burning I needed to do) to fit on the end. I then took some black cinefoil and shaped it into a cone to place on the end of the light. It worked great! There were numerous tight spots that needed attention. The cool part was I could use it DURING the initial exposure where I could see exactly where the dense spots were. I was using this technique for a contact print and it would have been very difficult to find all of the tiny spots any other way.

If anyone has any creative ideas or tricks for dodging/burning whether using masks, diffusion materials with pencils, computer generated masks or what have you, please add it to the list. It would be great to have a consolidated group of techniques and ideas in one thread for future reference.

Thanks

 

[vet173]

I have found this to be pretty handy in some situations. It's more like variable contrast flashing than actual burning though.
Dead Link Removed

 

[noseoil]

Pyrocat HD and minimal agitation. Shure makes printing easier to do. tim

 

[df cardwell]

Long scale film, normal development, minimal agitation.

Two bath developer and fiber paper.

And:

 

[SteveH]

I have a long skewer stick that I affix various pieces of gaffer's tape to the end of it for dodging. For Burning, I cut a hole in an old paper box. Its nice because if allows you to see the image on the box, so you know where you are about to burn in ahead of time.

 

[removed account4]

i do a shadow-puppet theatre kind of thing with both hands --- arms, a fist, fish, funny-bent-fingers (i have a hard time with the doggie). i trip the enlarger with a foot pedal.

my next printing session, i'll be doing one of my favorites, "robin hood" where robin +little john are out of towners and compete in the archery tournament.

i even hum the songs as i print.


--john

highlights from the next show include:

"who's driving this crazy umbrella?!"
"oo de laly - oo de lally! a pox on the phony king of england!"

 

[Donald Miller]

Dye dodging the negative using cocein scarlet or graphite. In lieu of that for the weak of heart creating masks from clear acetate using the two materials noted above or green and blue dyes for VC masks.

Sharp masking of the negative. Unsharp contrast reduction masking.

John, I hear that Leno is considering you for a guest appearance. Look forward to seeing your act.

 

[removed account4]

Dye dodging the negative using cocein scarlet or graphite. In lieu of that for the weak of heart creating masks from clear acetate using the two materials noted above or green and blue dyes for VC masks.

Sharp masking of the negative. Unsharp contrast reduction masking.

John, I hear that Leno is considering you for a guest appearance. Look forward to seeing your act.

don -
i do a mean softshoe (sand-dance) when i process film too ... ...
too bad the lights have to be out

 

[Bruce Osgood]

I use a discarted mouse pad for dodging/burning large to medium-small areas. It is very flexable. The idea came from Les McLeans crumbled cardboard.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Metronome for getting consistant times and a footswitch to turn the enlarger on.

My last burning revelation was to make an insanely contrasty, dense, sharp positive (pin registered) mask and place it above a sheet of duratrans. This can be used to burn in annoying small logs / leaves etc that are at glare angles to the sun by using a burning in card, or to pre-flash paper so it only effects the pure white print values. The flashing option came in handy for lowering pure white sky values behind trees without effecting the subtle values of mist and fall foilage near the forest floor.

Murray

 

[Donald Miller]

don -
i do a mean softshoe (sand-dance) when i process film too ... ...
too bad the lights have to be out

John,

That's what I like about you. That you are multitalented as well as being ambidextrous...whatta guy!!! One of these days I want to be just like you...Is that possible, do you think?

 

[pentaxuser]

I have found this to be pretty handy in some situations. It's more like variable contrast flashing than actual burning though.
Dead Link Removed

Thanks for this reference. I had a look and it seems a pretty good instrument. I had a look at the website but no mention of price that I could find and I note that you suggest it is more like variable contrast flashing than actual burning.

I, for one, would like to hear more from you on your experiences of using it. Example of your prints and how they were achieved would be even better.

I had a very difficult to print from a neg of my wife walking through a shady wood. I could get her in full detail but only at the expense of underexposing the trees and sky. Dodging her image precisely while exposing the rest correctly was near impossible.

It seems that the dauxLite II could cope with this but looking at the website didn't give me a feel for how.

I have written to dauxLite II for more information about stockists, price etc but anything else you can say will be very gratefully received.

Thanks

pentaxuser

 

[Charles Webb]

Don,
The directions for use of the "Complicated Card" seems incomplete.

Ahh a where do the batteries go? ;-)

 

[vet173]

Thanks for this reference. I had a look and it seems a pretty good instrument. I had a look at the website but no mention of price that I could find and I note that you suggest it is more like variable contrast flashing than actual burning.

I, for one, would like to hear more from you on your experiences of using it. Example of your prints and how they were achieved would be even better.

I had a very difficult to print from a neg of my wife walking through a shady wood. I could get her in full detail but only at the expense of underexposing the trees and sky. Dodging her image precisely while exposing the rest correctly was near impossible.

It seems that the dauxLite II could cope with this but looking at the website didn't give me a feel for how.

I have written to dauxLite II for more information about stockists, price etc but anything else you can say will be very gratefully received.

Thanks

pentaxuser

The bottom line is that it will let you get that last 10% what you want out of a print. I don't think it will pull off what you are describing.

 

[Lee L]

I have written to dauxLite II for more information about stockists, price etc but anything else you can say will be very gratefully received.

The "Order" link on the Dauxlite web page lists US stocking dealers. Calumet is one: http://www.calumetphoto.com/ctl?&ac...tTreeSearch.speedSearch.param=06;022;486;608;
The price there is US$179.

Lee

 

[pentaxuser]

The "Order" link on the Dauxlite web page lists US stocking dealers. Calumet is one: http://www.calumetphoto.com/ctl?&ac...tTreeSearch.speedSearch.param=06;022;486;608;
The price there is US$179.

Lee

Thanks for that. There was a reply waiting for me today from the "contact us" on the website. I was amazed until I realised that it was still Saturday afternoon to where I sent the e-mail. Mind you that's still pretty good. I can think of a lot of U.K. sites that would have waited until Monday morning at that time on a Saturday.

Anyway the quote was $165 u.s. but reduced to $150 u.s. if ordering more than one. Plus postage and packing for overseas of course.

pentaxuser

 

[df cardwell]

Don,
The directions for use of the "Complicated Card" seems incomplete.

Ahh a where do the batteries go? ;-)

Charlie

Good question. I have an old model that has a cord to plug into the timer.
But the cord rotted and I can't figure out how to replace it, so I just wave the durn thing around regardless.

I hear an English outfit is making one with Split Fingered L.E.D.s or something. It's all carbon-fiber and stuff.

I'll see if one comes up on Ebay.

 

[Charles Webb]

I hear an English outfit is making one with Split Fingered L.E.D.s or something. It's all carbon-fiber and stuff.
.[/QUOTE]


I know I am sounding like a trouble maker, but I am under the impression that the Comishioner of Base Ball has outlawed Split Fingered L.E.D.s

 

[Sparky]

I asked earlier about a burn flashlight device today and someone recommended putting masking tape over a maglite. Great way to diffuse the light. I also cut a filter (appropriate for the burning I needed to do) to fit on the end. I then took some black cinefoil and shaped it into a cone to place on the end of the light.

Thanks

I PRESUME you're talking about contact printing - and not enlarging... otherwise what you're talking about is fogging... not burning in.

 

[Sparky]

The one I really like is making a reduced photocopy of the contact and cutting it out to make a really selective burn or dodge mask and then float it axially in the light 'beam' going up and down repeatedly so that the area of changed density is really diffuse. It's very accurate too. I use black spray paint to keep the mask opaque (and a bit more rigid too).

 

[bobbysandstrom]

I PRESUME you're talking about contact printing - and not enlarging... otherwise what you're talking about is fogging... not burning in.

That's correct. I've been using it for contact printing only. But, you can use it to do selective flashing with enlarging as well.

 

[Woolliscroft]

One very simple little dodge trick I have been using for years with contact sheets is to find a bit of the paper with no neg on it and put a cigarette pack over it before exposure. It leaves a nice neat rectangular area white for writing in the film details.

David.

 

[df cardwell]

I hear an English outfit is making one with Split Fingered L.E.D.s or something. It's all carbon-fiber and stuff.
.

I know I am sounding like a trouble maker, but I am under the impression that the Comishioner of Base Ball has outlawed Split Fingered L.E.D.s[/QUOTE]

Charlie, my friend, let's drive up to Telluride, drink Margaritas, and shoot the last 6 beatniks with your 8x10.

 

[hortense]

For enlargeing, dodging using a pencil on 0.0003 inch frosted mylar with a diffuser between the mylar and negative when printing works well for me. For burning just cut the frosted mylar where you need to burn. Both these methods are quite precise when pin registration is used.
Masked precision flashing can be done on your easil using Orange Opaque material cut out where the flashing is to be done. A piece of 1/8th inch plastic with a piece of frosted mylar taped on top should be used as difusser. Use a spacer between the edges of the plastic/mylar (i.e., the difusser) to provide better difussion.

 

[hortense]

dauxLite II

Thanks for this reference. I had a look and it seems a pretty good instrument. I had a look at the website but no mention of price that I could find and I note that you suggest it is more like variable contrast flashing than actual burning.

I, for one, would like to hear more from you on your experiences of using it. Example of your prints and how they were achieved would be even better.

I had a very difficult to print from a neg of my wife walking through a shady wood. I could get her in full detail but only at the expense of underexposing the trees and sky. Dodging her image precisely while exposing the rest correctly was near impossible.

It seems that the dauxLite II could cope with this but looking at the website didn't give me a feel for how.

I have written to dauxLite II for more information about stockists, price etc but anything else you can say will be very gratefully received.

Thanks

pentaxuser

"...variable contrast flashing than actual burning." Correct. I have one that I wouldn't have purched it if not for 1/3rd the price but I fine it very useful.