Transform Your Images by Dodging and Burning

This event is scheduled for September 1, 2026: 6-8pm MT.
Zoom will translate the session time to your local time zone. 8-10pm ET, 7-9pm CT, 5-7pm PT

Free Live Webinar

Dodging and burning—the selective lightening and darkening of specific areas within a photograph—is one of the most powerful techniques for transforming a good image into a truly compelling one. Used skillfully, it subtly guides the viewer's eye, enhances depth and dimension, and creates photographs that feel more natural, expressive, and impactful.

Ansel Adams famously observed, "Dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made in establishing tonal relationships." While the adjustments themselves are often invisible, they can make the difference between a photograph that simply records a scene and one that captures the viewer's attention.

In this comprehensive two-hour webinar, award-winning fine art photographer and educator Eric Hagemann will demonstrate both the mechanics and the artistic principles of dodging and burning in Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Photoshop. You'll learn multiple techniques, discover when each approach is most effective, and develop the ability to "read the light" within an image so your adjustments enhance—not distract from—your final photograph.

Through practical demonstrations and real-world examples, you'll gain the confidence to shape light with purpose, strengthen visual storytelling, and create images with greater depth, mood, and impact. Whether you're new to dodging and burning or looking to refine your workflow, you'll leave with techniques you can immediately incorporate into your own editing process.

Learn More about the differences between Lightroom and Photoshop