Burning and Dodging for Black and White Photography

Example #1: "Burning"
You are printing an image that has a scene, horizon and sky. You print, develop and evaluate your print and find that everything looks great, except that the sky is completely devoid of detail, or has very little depth to it.
This would also apply to a print that is very light in one corner, while everything else is correct.
Example #2: "Dodging"
You are printing an image that is overall good, but one small to medium area is too dark.

"Burning"

"Burning" is defined as adding more exposure to a selected area of the print, to make that area darker, and maybe more detailed.

Steps for "burning"

You have just made a print and have decided that it needs a little "burning".
Your negative should be in the carrier and the enlarger settings should be as they were when you made the print.
Do not put any enlarging paper in the easel.
Practice - Place one of your hands under the enlargers lens, so that you block off any light coming from the lens. Turn on the enlargers light source and project your image onto the easel. Now clasp your 2 hands together under the lens and move and shape them so that the light will only strike the area of the image that will need the extra exposure. This takes a little practice. It will be necessary for you to constantly keep your hands in fairly rapid motion, or you will have a line across your finished print. This technique requires a nice blending of the burned and unburned areas, in order to look completely natural. When finished the actual "burning", you would move one hand up close to the lens to block off all light and then reach over with the other hand and turn off the enlargers light.
Expose a piece of photographic paper as before, turn off the enlarger light, but leave the paper in the enlarger. Leave the safe lights on.
Set the timer for an adequate amount of time, with which to perform the mechanics of "burning", - try about a 1 minute.
Using the "practice" method above, burn the image for 20 to 30 seconds. Your print now has its original exposure time, plus an additional 20 to 30 seconds for the area that was originally too light. For larger prints, since the lens is farther away from the easel, you may have to burn an area for a longer duration.
Process the print and evaluate. If the sky section is now too light or too dark, estimate a different burn time and make a new print.
Reprint as necessary - This is a trial and error process!

"Dodging"

"Dodging" is defined as reducing the exposure to a selected area of the print, in order to make that area lighter. Dodging is generally accomplished using small tools, that you can custom make to fit the situation. Cut a piece of thin cardboard or other opaque material to the approximate size and shape of the area of the print that needs to be "dodged" ("held back"). Tape the material to a piece of coat hanger rod or something similar.

This technique is generally more difficult to master, than is "burning".

Steps for "dodging"

You have just made a print and have decided that it needs a little "dodging".
Your negative should be in the carrier and the enlarger settings should be as they were when you made the print.
Do not put any enlarging paper in the easel.
Practice - Using your "dodging" tool that you made above, turn on the enlargers light and position the tool between the lens and the easel. Move the tool rapidly back and forth, while maintaining the shadow that it is producing over the area that requires less exposure. Maintain this technique for a fraction of the time of the original print.
Using the "practice" method above, make a new print using your "dodging" techniques. Use the same enlarger settings and length of exposure as before, only this time use your "dodging" tools to "hold back" the exposure in the area that printed too dark in the original print.