Shooting a black dog

[deejay65]

I have an all black, shaggy dog and I am having trouble getting a good shot of the dog because of the contrast to the sorrounding area. I would appreciate any suggestions. I have a Canon Xti with the usual lenses.(The one that came with it and a 75-200 Canon f5.6.)

[mortar]

I was just getting ready to post the same question somewhere:)

I just can't seem to get a good crisp shot of my Cockers black face, unlike my Boston where he takes much better shots.

I'm sure I need to catch her in some better light.

[Beal9]

Take it for what it's worth because I am myself still learning...

But what's worked for me (black dog below) is to focus on the eyes just like you normally would, preferably shoot them outdoors or in natural light, and shoot in raw to adjust the white balance/ color tone later in photoshop. Mine sometimes gets a blue tint to her depending on the light, so I like to remove that...

Indoors, I've always had a hard time with it, but have had better luck recently now that I've acquired a 580 ex II flash and can bounce it off of the ceiling.

The other thing you might try is to purposely slighly over expose.

Just based on my experience, but I'm sure others can offer their advice as well!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/abeal/Raven/imageCACTKIU1.jpg

[deci]

Don't have a black dog - but a black cat. You need plenty of light, so each of the hairs is well defined, bounced flash if you have one can only help and a slightly longer exposure time than you would normally give it ( you can do this in PP if you shoot in RAW, there should be enough leeway for a slight adjustment without spoiling IQ). Check out the last half of this slide show/gallery, and feel free to post any crits, 'cos like you I'm still learning (Be warned, I'm coming from a digital art background) :)
http://black-cat-gfx.co.uk/cats/index.html

[Kuzco]

I have an all black, shaggy dog and I am having trouble getting a good shot of the dog because of the contrast to the sorrounding area. I would appreciate any suggestions. I have a Canon Xti with the usual lenses.(The one that came with it and a 75-200 Canon f5.6.)

*Disclaimer* Beginner with no formal training.

I've found setting the camera to spot metering can help. Often times when trying to capture my black-tri Mini Aussie in action, I get a nice landscape with a black dot in the middle. Across the board, I've had great success with a spot meter right between the eyes. With the spot meter, if you peg the dog right in the middle, the camera should adjust for the dark dog.

You can read a brief description from wikipedia Here. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metering_mode)

I'm sure using a flash is a whole different ball game, but I don't have any fanciness in the flash department. I work with natural light exclusively. Maybe when I have money I'll enter the whole flash game :D

[ebondanes]

When shooting a black dog, you have to set the exposure on the dog, not on anything lighter around the dog. If you expose for the lighter areas, you will always end up with a dark blob for the black animal. However, be prepared for the background to be lighter/washy, because you're blowing that when you set the exposure on the black.

This shot was taken outside on a beautiful fall day with some lovely soft sun.

http://juliefordphotography.com/gallery/d/33-2/Lexi+-+B_amp_W.jpg

This is a color shot taken on the same day. You can see how the background is washy, but I'm after a shot of the dog, not the background.

http://juliefordphotography.com/gallery/d/135-2/Lilac+Bitch-3152.jpg


I have other indoor OCF that I could share, too, if you like.

[ceegee]

One thing that works is to dial in some exposure compensation to slightly over-expose the shot. You'll get more detail in the lowlights that way.

[silverhalide]

One thing that works is to dial in some exposure compensation to slightly over-expose the shot. You'll get more detail in the lowlights that way.

Huh? I would have thought that to properly expose a black dog, you want to under-expose. (Obviously not so much that you lose details though.)

[alt4852]

Huh? I would have thought that to properly expose a black dog, you want to under-expose. (Obviously not so much that you lose details though.)

if the subject is the dog, then you want it to be properly exposed and since it's most likely darker than it's surroundings, the image as a whole will be overexposed.

[ceegee]

Huh? I would have thought that to properly expose a black dog, you want to under-expose. (Obviously not so much that you lose details though.)

No, if you under-expose the frame the dog will just be even blacker (less detail). To get the right exposure on a dark-coloured subject, the rest of the pic will usually need to be slightly over-exposed.

I shoot dog agility, and usually dial in a bit of + compensation when it's a black dog that's running. It works fairly well.

[rox1e6]

Am I a total amateur in that I just like to use good natural light, my nifty fifty on my Rebel Xti and a little PP in Elements to help with the shadows!!?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3640/3346149315_1e91eb73e9_b.jpg

[reddyroc007]

i'm a beginner as well so thats my disclaimer. i have a black cat which is an indoor pet so i'm stuck shooting with indoor light. when i take pics of him i've always dragged the shutter a bit to get good texture and detail on the cats fur and its always worked well. by dragging the shutter in crappy indoor light i've had to use a tripod to avoid camera shake so obviously i get the shot while he is sitting and staring at me with puzzled eyes with no movement. good luck.

[JackLiu]

First of all the camera meter looks at subjects as 18% gray. When the subject is dark, ie, black dog, cat, etc., you want to set your meter to "+" the exposure by 2/3-to-1 fstop. That should give more detail to the image.

[tdodd]

If you shoot a black dog against a background of green grass then set a manual exposure by metering off the grass (without the dog in area of the scene you are metering from) and setting the exposure for a centred meter reading. That should get you something like this....

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/Sw5qhiFtQZI/AAAAAAABL3s/d7d08auc2HM/s800/20090420_160200_6933_LR.jpg

This has had no edits other than white balance. If you want the dog a little brighter then just set the exposure a little above the centre of the meter - perhaps +1/3 or +2/3 at most.

As you can see from the shadow on the dog's tongue and the grass beside him, this was a fairly sunny day, but there was some haze dulling the sun's strength. The exposure here was 1/1250, f/8, 800 ISO, which is an exposure +1 1/3 stops brighter than standard "Sunny 16".

If you were shooting in bright sunshine and had something of importance in the scene that was very pale or bright, such as a white dog, you would probably have to meter off the grass and set an exposure at approx -2/3 in order to hold details in the white fur without blowing them.

The beauty of using manual exposure is that so long as the lighting doesn't keep changing you can adjust your composition as you like, or even track a moving animal, without constantly worrying about your autoexposure getting thrown off. The other nice thing about manual exposure is that if you see your image is a little too bright or too dark you can easily tweak your exposure and know exactly how the image will be affected. You are not at the mercy of the vagueries of autoexposure metering as your composition may alter from one shot to the next.

[Karl Johnston]

That's a great shot, tim

[tdodd]

First of all the camera meter looks at subjects as 18% gray. When the subject is dark, ie, black dog, cat, etc., you want to set your meter to "+" the exposure by 2/3-to-1 fstop. That should give more detail to the image.
Actually that's the wrong way round. If you meter a black dog then, as you rightly say, the camera will try to make the dog appear grey. Thus the camera will already be trying to overexpose the dog. If you then go and increase the exposure even more you will end up turning your black dog a light grey.

What you should do is to tell the camera that your subject is darker than grey and thus set an exposure below the centre mark. To keep detail in a "black" subject you should expose it at approx -2 stops. If you want to pull out more detail then maybe -1 stop would be better, but you really do not want to set a positive exposure compensation for a dark subject.

You also need to be mindful, when making these adjustments, of exactly which metering mode you are using and exactly what tones you have in the part of the scene which you are metering. e.g. evaluative metering will look at the whole scene, with emphasis on the area near the active focus point, but you need to be careful of the tones that surround your dog within the frame. If you use partial or spot metering then you will have more control over what it is that you are metering and will thus have more control over the exposure and adjustment of exposure compensation.

Here is an example of five shots of my black laptop bag using spot metering off the bag and setting exposure compensation at -2, -1, 0, +1, +2. As you can see, there is detail even in the shot at -2. The shot at -1 has more detail but already we see that other areas of the scene are starting to look quite bright - something white or shiny could easily blow the highlights. As we continue through 0 EC to the positive EC examples you can see that the exposures with positive exposure compensation simply are not correct. At a pinch to 0 EC shot might be useable but the case really is no longer looking black and everything else in the scene is overexposed.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/ShEilAlDCwI/AAAAAAABFUk/nYVn6HHkisE/s800/20090518_095541_0007_LR.jpg

Here is the histogram and the clipping warnings for the shot at 0 EC. The wallpaper is a sort of dirty pink abstract patter - nowhere near white. You can imagine how blown out something white would be - even a white patch on a black dog.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/ShEkqwB1a9I/AAAAAAABFUs/XhKHbzXBTd8/s800/20090518_100456_0008_LR.jpg

[blk_buttafly]

I'm totally new but the 1st shot was of course with a flash and the 2nd was natural light. The 2nd is def. out of focus and she ran away before I could capture a pic for the 3rd time.

http://i445.photobucket.com/albums/qq171/tishax2000/Xsi%20Test%201/IMG_0064.jpg

http://i445.photobucket.com/albums/qq171/tishax2000/Xsi%20Test%201/IMG_0065.jpg

[tdodd]

I'm not sure the second shot is as much out of focus as it is blurry. i.e. I don't think it's poor focus. Your shutter speed was only 1/15 instead of 1/60 that you used in the first example. At 1/15 you are suffering from camera shake and possibly subject movement as well.

Of course, the first image used flash while you were in Program mode, which is why you got the faster shutter speed. I note also that your ISO was 400 for the first and 800 for the second. In other words your exposure for the ambient light was 3 stops dimmer in the first image. In practice that means that pretty much all the lighting came from the flash, not the room lighting, so although your shutter speed was 1/60 (still quite slow) the real illumination, from the flash, probably only lasted around1/1000 of a second. Thus camera shake and subject movement is completely frozen in the example with flash, and completely blurry in the example without.

[Todd Lambert]

Yeah, I've got three boxers who I've become accustomed to shooting. The worst one being a darker brindle coat.

Recently acquired a English Black Lab who is solid black. It's been interesting trying to photo him vs my three boxers.

I've had to overexpose the scene a bit to get him right.

http://lambertphotography.com/forums/IMG_3386.jpg

[Baselerd]

You can also try and take a few burst shots at different exposures and combine them into an HDR image.

[suecassidy]

With animal photography, the life is all in the eyes, and if the eyes "go black", they are lifeless. It is so much easier to get decent light when you photograph an animal outdoors, but if you have to do it indoors: Bounce your flash off the ceiling and have a large plexi mirror angled in front of the dog or cat. A pillow will hold it at the right angle. This will really add some sparkle to the eyes and show the texture of the fur. OR photoshop the catchlights into the eyes, and lighten the iris while you are at it. It makes all the difference. Another tip: don't bath the dog immediately before the shoot, it will strip the natural oils from the fur. Spot wash any dirty areas, face, eyes and then give it a good thorough brushing before you shoot to distribute the oil. The fur will shine!!!

[blkdogak]

For still shots I have used a spray bottle and LIGHTLY mist water over the dog, not right on coat, let the moisture fall on the dog and take the picture.

[usdave1t]

I have been trying to get a good shot of my black lab mix, Ebony, for a while. This Saturday she was kind enough to lay out in the sun for me and I got this.....
http://usdave1t.smugmug.com/Pets/My-Dogs/Ebony/762493508_Eqz4X-L.jpg
Possibly the best shot I have taken of her and I was quite pleased. CC welcome

[GSeries1]

Yeah, I've got three boxers who I've become accustomed to shooting. The worst one being a darker brindle coat.

Recently acquired a English Black Lab who is solid black. It's been interesting trying to photo him vs my three boxers.

I've had to overexpose the scene a bit to get him right.

http://lambertphotography.com/forums/IMG_3386.jpg

nailed it though....

[tdodd]

Dave, the shot looks nice and sharp and you have captured the detail in the dog really well. The exposure is just a shade high, which is good for the dog's fur, but makes the brickwork and grass look a little bleached. Depending on the software you have available you might just be able to tweak that a little.

The more disappointing thing is the composition. The first thing that hit me was that you have not captured the eyes. If you'd waited till the dog looked at you, or purposely attracted its attention, I think the photo would be much stronger. Even if you didn't have direct eye contact, simply to see the eye, especially with a catchlight, really lifts a photo. Secondly, you have cut through the front paw, leaving no room at all in front of the dog, but you have left a space behind him. It is usually better to leave a bit more space in front of anything that has a front and back end, and to leave less space behind it. This applies to people, animals, cars, trains and so on.

I certainly don't mean to be harsh but I hope my comments will help you the next time. Here's an example or two....

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/Sw5rORoR-8I/AAAAAAABL5s/PcEx0Ab31v0/s800/20090727_145445_0806_LR.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/Sw5rdNJ_fII/AAAAAAABL6Y/z2nbFfo_v4g/s800/20090819_160932_2211_LR.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/Sw5rkYhwmuI/AAAAAAABL6s/dOrnGA6Zmds/s800/20090820_165834_2085_LR.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/Sw5r9ChzlpI/AAAAAAABL78/RgFd8SmMZBY/s800/20090925_102135_3178_LR.jpg

I really think that getting the eyes, well lit if possible, is quite important. If I don't get a good look at the eyes in a photo I will usually bin it. There are exceptions, of course, but I like eyes. :)

[GSeries1]

Fantastic shots...

[tdodd]

Fantastic shots...
Cheers. :) One more....

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/Sw5qsDoIrnI/AAAAAAABL4I/SWNYwsKTJX8/s800/20090516_170812_7249_LR.jpg

I know the cropping is odd for this shot but I like to view my pictures on my HDTV and prefer to fill the screen when possible, so I'll often crop to 16:9 when I can get away with it.

[GSeries1]

Cheers. :) One more....

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/Sw5qsDoIrnI/AAAAAAABL4I/SWNYwsKTJX8/s800/20090516_170812_7249_LR.jpg

OK, now that's just FU&*ing scary.

[tdodd]

Actually he was a very friendly dog, sadly run over and killed last November. :(

I'm so glad I have plenty of photographic memories of our time together. More here - http://picasaweb.google.com/EezyTiger/Zippy?authkey=Gv1sRgCLmT1qWf0q_FlQE#

[usdave1t]

Dave, the shot looks nice and sharp and you have captured the detail in the dog really well. The exposure is just a shade high, which is good for the dog's fur, but makes the brickwork and grass look a little bleached. Depending on the software you have available you might just be able to tweak that a little.

The more disappointing thing is the composition. The first thing that hit me was that you have not captured the eyes. If you'd waited till the dog looked at you, or purposely attracted its attention, I think the photo would be much stronger. Even if you didn't have direct eye contact, simply to see the eye, especially with a catchlight, really lifts a photo. Secondly, you have cut through the front paw, leaving no room at all in front of the dog, but you have left a space behind him. It is usually better to leave a bit more space in front of anything that has a front and back end, and to leave less space behind it. This applies to people, animals, cars, trains and so on.

I certainly don't mean to be harsh but I hope my comments will help you the next time. Here's an example or two....

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/Sw5rORoR-8I/AAAAAAABL5s/PcEx0Ab31v0/s800/20090727_145445_0806_LR.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/Sw5rdNJ_fII/AAAAAAABL6Y/z2nbFfo_v4g/s800/20090819_160932_2211_LR.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/Sw5rkYhwmuI/AAAAAAABL6s/dOrnGA6Zmds/s800/20090820_165834_2085_LR.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/Sw5r9ChzlpI/AAAAAAABL78/RgFd8SmMZBY/s800/20090925_102135_3178_LR.jpg

I really think that getting the eyes, well lit if possible, is quite important. If I don't get a good look at the eyes in a photo I will usually bin it. There are exceptions, of course, but I like eyes. :)

Thanks for the comments, and I certainly appreciate your advice. I am quite new to the photography world so am still learning. I may have another shot that gets the eyes - if so I will post. I didn't even notice I had cut off the front paw ARGHH!!

BTW - your shots look awesome!

[usdave1t]

OK, here is another one where I have got her looking at me (almost!) I have also used a layer mask in GIMP so I could adjust the exposure of the grass and wall to make it look more natural (I hope).
http://usdave1t.smugmug.com/Pets/My-Dogs/Ebony2/762676875_7dr9E-L.jpg
CC Welcome

[tdodd]

Thanks for the comments, and I certainly appreciate your advice. I am quite new to the photography world so am still learning. I may have another shot that gets the eyes - if so I will post. I didn't even notice I had cut off the front paw ARGHH!!

BTW - your shots look awesome!
Cheers :)

If I can sum up my approach, which generally yields good results....

- I use manual exposure so that I can control the exposure precisely and not have it jumping about as I change my composition;
- I try to shoot with bright, "cheerful" lighting, and mostly try to position myself with the sun somewhere behind me. It doesn't have to be dead behind me, but maybe at around 45 degrees over either shoulder.
- I use a long focal length (200-400mm for those above), to narrow the angle of view and to isolate the dog from the background.
- If you want to focus attention on the dog, rather than the clutter behind him/her, keep the aperture wide open to reduce DOF and to further reduce the distraction from behind.- Almost always try to get the eyes, with a catchlight in them if possible. The catchlight is easier if you have the sun over your shoulder somewhere, but not too high in the sky. Then the eyes come alive.
- I usually compose so that there is more space in front of a subject than behind. It is better to give a sense of space where the subject is looking, or going, rather than behind it.
- Try to get low down, on the same level as the dog. I really hate shots where people just lazily stand over their pets and take pictures of the tops of their heads. We're looking for a new rescue dog at the moment and scouring websites for potential candidates. So many of these poor creatures have their prospects limited by the most dreadful photos that do nothing to show the animal at its best. What's that all about?


Of course, sometimes you don't have sunshine, and sometimes you can shoot on purpose without the eyes, but the "easy" shots tend to come when you have a warm, vibrant scene and you capture the windows to the soul.

Here are a couple of shots that don't fully comform to the plan above....


Grey day - no shadows, little contrast, very flat - I still got the eyes though ;)....
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/Sw5qNZ2FFiI/AAAAAAABL2o/bOTOu1nzZmY/s800/20090302_130509_1399_LR.jpg

No eyes at all, but see how I have left space in front of the dog, to show where he is looking. It's a shame there is nothing really visible there to show what has his attention but he was watching birds. Unfortunately I could not get them into the frame. Also, even though we are on the dark side of the dog, he is silhouetted against the bright water behind, so the scene has strong contrast and looks bright and punchy, rather than having a bunch of dreary shades that just blend in with each other....
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_4_R8TkwT74w/Sw5r7_z_GDI/AAAAAAABL74/T4nluMN0twk/s800/20090925_094000_3135_LR.jpg


Keep practicing and please do post back to show us how you are getting on. :)

[tdodd]

OK, here is another one where I have got her looking at me (almost!) I have also used a layer mask in GIMP so I could adjust the exposure of the grass and wall to make it look more natural (I hope).
http://usdave1t.smugmug.com/Pets/My-Dogs/Ebony2/762676875_7dr9E-L.jpg
CC Welcome
Sorry, I only just discovered page 3 and saw this. Yes, definitely an improvement. You might try getting down just a little lower, but you're on the right lines. The wonderful thing about photographing pets is they don't have expectations or get bored as you fiddle about tweaking and adjusting things, so you should have ample opportunity to practice some more. Good luck :)

[suzychalupa]

Here is a pic of my Pug that I took. It was early afternoon and pretty sunny. The background is overexposed but he looks pretty crisp. Taking pictures of him is always a challenge, not just because he is so dark, but he has that smashy face and wrinkles that can make his face look like a blob in most photographs.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj243/IrishRider13/Bosque%20del%20Apache/IMG_0040.jpg

[jimmy_racoon]

I try to get a natural setting with a contrasting background and some decent natural light.
These beautuful black dogs are tough to capture but worth the effort!

This is Jake and he rarely leaves his masters side.

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Exposure: 0.125 sec ( 1/8 )
Aperture: f/1.8
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3254/3556288513_d55a447f24_b.jpg

[katodog]

You guys all have it easy, black dog on grass, black dog against wall, etc.. Try black dog against white snow, now that's the real test...


http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a399/katodog/IMG_0201a.jpg



This was simply the 40D and 28-300mm L under natural light. I just bumped up EC +1 and all is well.

[tomjd]

I think this one came out pretty good because of the natural lighting. -outside,fairly bright, mid-day but cloudy so no harsh light. Also adjust exposre up slightly and played with contrast a little. I have much better luck outside than inside as I have zilch for photography lighting or flashes
http://www.pbase.com/tomjd99/image/119913355.jpg

[rox1e6]

My friends black lab Roxy...in the snow!! Good light is essential :D

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/4194990917_0f20393a59_b.jpg

[GSeries1]

Here is a pic of my Pug that I took. It was early afternoon and pretty sunny. The background is overexposed but he looks pretty crisp. Taking pictures of him is always a challenge, not just because he is so dark, but he has that smashy face and wrinkles that can make his face look like a blob in most photographs.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj243/IrishRider13/Bosque%20del%20Apache/IMG_0040.jpg

Did your dog run head first into that brick wall behind it? :lol:

[suzychalupa]

Did your dog run head first into that brick wall behind it? :lol:

HA! Poor Elliott. What he lacks in a profile he makes up for in personality. :)

[Meanderthal]

The fun starts when needing to get three dogs, of which one is black. Sometimes I have a Sammy as well :). In the attached, straight from my XSi with Tamron 17-50mm 2.8 set in Center-weighted average metering, shows the two non-black ones correctly. If I set for the black one, the other dogs are over-exposed. A little PP helps. BTW, I am experimenting, sometimes in Manual, sometimes in Av; sometimes Spot metering , sometimes exposure compensation... Whatever the situation seems to call for.

[rhettbigdaddy]

Here is a pic of my Pug that I took. It was early afternoon and pretty sunny. The background is overexposed but he looks pretty crisp. Taking pictures of him is always a challenge, not just because he is so dark, but he has that smashy face and wrinkles that can make his face look like a blob in most photographs.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj243/IrishRider13/Bosque%20del%20Apache/IMG_0040.jpg

Who doesn't love a black Pug!

Here's Frank

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad156/rhettbigdaddy/frankieface.jpg

[Gatorboy]

Get a light meter and set your camera manually to the "proper exposure" of the light falling on the animal, then it doesn't matter if you are shooting a white, black or plaid dog.

[tdodd]

Get a light meter and set your camera manually to the "proper exposure" of the light falling on the animal, then it doesn't matter if you are shooting a white, black or plaid dog.
In principle I'd agree with you, but in practice a black dog usually benefits from about a stop of extra exposure if you want to pull out details, especially in the shadows. As the owner of a black dog I learnt through experience that a nominally correct exposure just doesn't cut it. Here is an example, with my dog front lit by bright sunshine. The exposure is 1 stop brighter than a "Sunny 16" exposure, yet despite that pale, reflective foreground the dog is only just about right, exposure wise. At 1 stop darker it would be a miserable shot.

EDIT : I added another, again 1 stop over "Sunny 16".