Need some help please

[mmeyer]

I'd like to take some photos of my pooch who happens to be a black lab. I've seen some really great black lab photos here, most notably Cheryl's, that I was hoping you guys could give me some ideas so I can get the detail that the others have. I always get a black shiny blob.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Mike

[WifeKidsandDog]

The best time I've found is late in the day and have your back to the sun. The low sun on the dog will pick out the detail and put catchlights in his eyes and it's easier to meter. I normally set +1/2 EV late in the day and adjust depending on what I see on the LCD. But it depends on how much the dog is filling the frame -- the more black, the more you have to set a -EV. If the dog is filling the frame, I've set my EV at -1 or even -1 1/2.

It's much easier to use flash but sometimes they can look very flashed with the coat looking shiny and harsh but if you've got an external flash and bounce it, you can get much better results.

I rarely use ETTL with flash, it's easier for me to just put it in manual and take a couple of test shots, then adjust.

Hope that helps a little.

Cheryl

[finnbay]

I have the same luck as you, Mike. Thanks Cheryl for the tips - your lab shots are superb!

[mmeyer]

Thanks a lot Cheryl. I was hoping you'd put in some advice. I have a SB800 flash coming in the next couple days so I'll be anxious to try that and the late day sun. I might have to drug him to get him to sit still.

Ken, I'm glad I'm not the only one with that problem. That type of shot seems to kick my butt. Hopefully I'll get one to work out.

Mike

[WifeKidsandDog]

It's been trial and error for me - and luckily my dog is kind of patient. He knows the click the camera makes when I put in the CF card -- and he comes running when he hears it.

But natural light in the late sun is probably the way to go as you really don't have to change your metering so much.

[Steve Foss]

I do what Cheryl does with exposure compensation. Shooting a properly exposed image of any subject radically lighter or darker than it's background usually will require a use of either manual settings or exposure compensation, and a close look at the histogram after a few test shots will be a big help.

Letting in-camera metering handle a black subject on a pale background is asking for a certain amount of trouble.

In consistent light, once you get your exposure compensation dialed in and check the histogram to make sure the dog is exposed just right and the background isn't blown out, you can switch to manual and duplicate the aperture/shutter speed settings. That way (and again as long as the light remains consistent), you'll get perfect exposures of your dark subject no matter how large/small it is in the frame or which background it moves in front of.

As an example, if I'm shooting that dark subject against snow and in consistent light, I just meter against the snow using evaluative metering and use EC to push the histogram to the right just short of the snow being blown out. That ensures that my snow won't be blown but my shadows (the dark dog) will be as bright and full of detail as the sensor can allow. Then I switch to manual and duplicate the settings and I'm ready to go with some test shots of the dog. It's a controlled setting, so test shots should be no problem. If after some test shots I need to tweak a little, I will, and then it's down to business with the confidence that each image will be exposed as well as possible.

[Dbl]

The only other thing I would add would be to add a white poster board or a reflector if you own one off to the side and behind the dog out of the camera frame to help with highlighting the fur a bit. I also would give my meter off the hand trick, that will get you close on a black dog. Inside shooting can be much easier to control the dog and the lighting so you might start out there and them move outdoors. Cheryl as you folks have seen has really done some outstanding work with her lab Paris so I am embarrassed to show these shots but I hope it helps you get successful results. These were all manually metered.

Here are four examples that are not good, could have used some fill light in the first one. I used selective coloring on the eyes and collar.

The next two I was experimenting with balancing the flash with ambient because of the colors at sunset. I had a very short window of time and blew it! I didn't get enough flash dialed in. They both needed at least 1 maybe as much as two more stops of flash only. These were shot with the 300/2.8 and the flash off camera and triggered with PW's. Again these were failed attempts, I am only showing them to help you guys get better results. I wish these would have turned out better. I had the backgrounds I wanted just failed to execute.

The last is an example of a shot taken in the warm sunset no additional lighting with a wet dog, note my avatar, works well at that size not so good at this size. This really would have benefited from a reflector camera left which would have put reflected sunlight on the left side of the dog and added a catch light to the dogs eye. These are all the same dog, my British Lab... Wilson. I actually have done some successful shots of a few other black labs but don't have model releases for them

[WifeKidsandDog]

Dan,

That first shot is beautiful, I love the light falling in just the right place across the eyes. And I really like the rim light effect in the third image.

Your last shot is a scenario I've found just about impossible to pull off in natural light -- light sky and dark dog -- so I generally try to get the dog in front of greenery or frame it so I'm avoiding sky.

I taught myself the strobist 'crosslighting' technique and I find that can come in handy for that type of scenario. This pic which I posted here a few weeks ago, I used that technique. I still haven't got a complete handle on doing it yet but it can really add some nice lighting effect.

I should add I used the 580ex and I like this "crosslight" technique as you just use the bare strobe so you're not worrying about umbrellas flying away. Plus you need all the strength from the strobe to counter balance the sun.

[Dbl]

That is a great shot Cheryl, I agree with the bare strobe, with black dogs it seems you need all the power you can muster! Note my failed attempts above to get enough light. I hope Mike you picked up a tip or two to help with your dog shoot. Can't wait to see some results!

[mmeyer]

This has been great information. Thanks very much to all of you. I will be giving it a shot this weekend. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks again

Mike

[WifeKidsandDog]

 Originally Posted By: mmeyer

This has been great information. Thanks very much to all of you. I will be giving it a shot this weekend. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks again

Mike

Have fun with it Mike and let us know how it turns out. I've heard great things about the Nikon flash and the commander system. Dan had a great suggestion above about the reflector -- you can do a lot with one flash and a piece of foam core board.

[finnbay]

Checking through some photos and found this one I took this fall. One of the few where I got some detail on my lab.

[Dbl]

I like that shot Ken.