Photographers have been retouching their photos since the early ages of photography. It seems that "in camera" doesn't often reflect your vision. I find that people are more beautiful than the camera allows. Light doesn't always draw the eye where it can discover the gem. Where eyes are shadowed by the brow in camera, the eye sees the colour and the texture. Through dodging and burning, the eyes can become that mirror to the soul...or they can become cloaked in more darkness to create a deeper mystery.
It began for me in my little darkroom in the little tiny bathroom many years ago. Tape and garbage bags covered all the possible light leaks. I used wire and paper to create lightness and darkness and bring out the beauty within a photo. Now, using digital means, the dodging and burning of the past becomes even more important and controlled.
Learning how to properly dodge and burn a person was much harder than I thought. I am a hairdresser and makeup artist...it should be easy enough. But I over-did so much. I changed the face too much. Who knew that lightening and darkening parts could completely change a face shape? Straighten a crooked nose, lighten up the shadows beneath the eyes. Where do the natural highlights go? Where do the shadows need to be?
I have spent hours upon hours working on this. It has changed the way I see light and makeup.
Why aren't there better YouTube videos demonstrating this?