Black Dogs

stormchaser

Hi, can anyone give me any advice on photographing a black dog? My little hound has beautiful jet black fur, and lovely brown eyes, but my photos just look washed out and dull.
I would really appreciate some advice.
Many thanks!
Karen

bruto

You will probably need to underexpose the dog by a stop or two, especially if it occupies much of the frame. The camera's meter tries to make everything average out to gray. If a large part of your image is black, you will need to darken the exposure. Flash will probably not work well.


There are various things you can do with background and lighting, but not all are available when you want them. Try for a washed-out background with a minimum of distracting detail, and if the background is dark, you can sometimes get a good effect if the animal is lit to produce some highlights.

stormchaser

Thank you so much, I cannot wait to get out there and practice.

Many thanks!
Karen