Photographing Black dogs (and cats)

B&W is difficult! I was taught to over expose the whites by +2/3 to 1 stop and and underexpose the blacks by 2/3 to 1 stop to get proper exposure when using in camera meter which seems different than what is being said here.

I agree expose for the whites as you can recoup the darks in pp better then the reverse pretty cat and nice exposure btw

Thank you Here is two more. I test all my equipment on the cat LOL

I use a different approach, probably wrong. I switch to evaluative metering then look at histogram and adjust with either EV or manual exposure, and make adjustments to shadow, highlights, black level and clarity in LR. Flash isn't very friendly, but sometimes a reflector (and a tranquilized dog) work well. I just shot a dog Halloween costume contest this weekend, unfortunately can't share.

Good luck!

It's easier to wait for, find, or create light conditions which suit a balanced exposure. Especially when shooting a mix of white and black fur.

Diffuse light in woodland, overcast days and the all-time beautiful golden hour before sunset of course. At some point in the day whichever direction it faces we all get nice light through a window.

Or set up a simple home studio for posed portraits. Easy then especially with a light meter. Flash or two, stand, reflector and a shoot through umbrella.

A little thought, planning and effort produces exponentially better results.

Having a cat/dog that sits still long enough to experiment is the way to go ETTR and recover the highlights in post is easiest, with adding in a nice fill flash being the preferred method. I just find it tough to get the fill flash to look right, and not have it look like a pop-up snap snot. Lot of experimenting required!

This was after 10-15 experimental shots. I kept the background over exposed because i like the soft/diffused look it creates. I masked off the cat to bring up the shadows slightly, but not too heavy handed.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/z4ss​Zi

I find a bit of bounced fill in flash helps to bring out detail

1365 x 2048

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I didn't read the whole thread so my apologies if my suggestion has already been posted but I always shot my black Poodle Penny in RAW and lighten up the blacks some. Works well for flat and contrasty lighting. Lots of good looking shots of some beautiful dogs and cats.

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Here is one I took earlier this year

Here's one of my Millie

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/PuDS​yn

Roxie

Fabio

That's stunning photo, lovely lighting and dof.