The Importance of Dodging and Burning Your Photos

The goal in editing is to make your main subject stand out from the background. David edits his image of a seabird against white sand. Using a Lightroom mask, he isolates the bird. By increasing the exposure, contrast and whites through dodging, he gives the bird added prominence.

Next, he masks the background, which isolates the lighter areas. With burning he lowers the exposure, contrast, and highlights. He repeats this technique with the background rocks.

Through dodging and burning, David has focused attention on the seabird. Try this technique on your images.