Fundamentally, photography is all about painting with light. Often it’s the lighting more than the subject itself, that makes an image extraordinary rather than just “nice.” And because of that, photographers pay a lot of attention to both the quality and direction of light when they’re out photographing. Sometimes it means you need to reposition yourself, or wait until the sun or subject is at a different angle, or use external aids such as flashes, reflectors, and diffusers. But while I firmly believe it’s important to take the best image you can in camera, Aperture’s Dodge and Burn enables you to literally “paint with light.”

By using the Dodge and Burn tools you can accentuate the shadows and highlights and add a sense of depth as I did in this shot. At times your eyes see more depth than what the camera captures, partially due to telephoto compression artifacts and other artifacts. By using the D&B tools judiciously, you can restore that depth. It’s important to look carefully at the image and maintain the same lighting direction that you captured. Then, using an appropriately sized brush, carefully paint in a small amount of lightning and darkening. Keep your amount set small and feather set high. It’s better to use several strokes and build up the effect gradually. Using the overlay from the actions popup menu is often helpful, as is toggling the effect off and on. You don’t want to overdo it. Done carefully, you can create lighting effects that will impress viewers with the “perfect” lighting you captured and the depth of your image.

Here's the before shot.

And here's the after with subtle dodging and burning to add depth.