Photographing a Black Dog
DDDD
have had little luck. I had the same problem with a film camera taking
photos of a black cat several years ago. I know that it is possible and
that I am probably missing something basic. Can anyone give me some hints.
I am getting delivery of a Canon 20D Wednesday and hope that it will prove
better than my present Digital. I have been trying to use my Epson 3100Z,
with little success.
Don Dunlap
Ken Weitzel
Hi Don...
I'm nothing near a photographer, I just take pictures.
LOTS of pictures - every once in a while accidentally get
a good one.
My humble suggestion, though, is to take pictures of the
pup in shady areas. That way you can pull up the black
level (and/or gamma) and have the dog look good without
blowing out too much of the rest.
And if the dog is playing with youngsters, and you have
the option, have them wear darkish clothing - at least
no grandma proud whites :)
Use spot focus and aperture on the dog.
Finally, try bracketing - choose the best.
Take care.
Ken
Phil Stripling
> On Mon, 8 Nov 2004 14:12:20 -0500, in rec.photo.digital "DDDD"
> <som...@some.one> wrote:
>
> >I have a black Lab and have tried different ways to take photos of him and
> >have had little luck. I had the same problem with a film camera taking
> >photos of a black cat several years ago. I know that it is possible and
>SNIP<
> Spot exposure.
Ruff! Ruff! But the dog's not Spot! Ruff!
--
Phil Stripling | email to the replyto address is presumed
The Civilized Explorer | spam and read later. email to philip@
http://www.cieux.com/ | my domain is read daily.
Alan Browne
> I have a black Lab and have tried different ways to take photos of him and
> have had little luck. I had the same problem with a film camera taking
> photos of a black cat several years ago. I know that it is possible and
> that I am probably missing something basic. Can anyone give me some hints.
What is the result? I'm guessing that the shots are overexposed making the
blacks look pale, almost milky grey?
If so it is simply because the meter in the camera believe that an average scene
is 18% grey. Seeing "black" the exposure system believes the scene has less
light than it really does. All white gives the opposite effect... white gets
rendered milky grey too.
If the shot is without flash, then place a white card in the same light, meter
that and then open up two stops on slide film or 3 stops on negative film from
that reading. Set it all manually and go for it. (opening can be done with
aperture or by lengthening the exposure). (If you happen to have an 18% grey
card then use that without any opening/closing of the aperture).
(You could also meter the black fur and close two stops of aperture or speed,
but black fur is usually tricky in this regard... easier to meter white in light).
If the shot is with TTL flash, then, if your camera permits, set it to flash
compensate -2 stops. If you can't flash compensate, then open up the ISO by two
stops (for 100 film, set 400; for 400 film set 1600). Don't forget to set the
ISO properly afterwards.
>
> I am getting delivery of a Canon 20D Wednesday and hope that it will prove
> better than my present Digital. I have been trying to use my Epson 3100Z,
> with little success.
With the 20D you can easilly set exposure and flash compensation as well as see
the immediate effect. Use the histogram to move the highlights as far right as
possible to get maximum detail in the black fur.
Cheers,
Alan
--
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-- e-meil: there's no such thing as a FreeLunch.
YAG-ART
You need either an incident light meter or a a grey card. Meter off
the greay card, lock the exposure and shoot. On the 20D you can /
should also be able to apply exposure bracketing.
David J. Littleboy
"Ed Ruf" <egruf_...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:avhvo09jlo5fmb6sk...@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 8 Nov 2004 14:12:20 -0500, in rec.photo.digital "DDDD"
> <som...@some.one> wrote:
>
Exactly. But that only works if you know what you're doing<g>.
You need to dial in an EV correction of -1.5 or so. Try -1, -1.5, and -2 and
see which works best. The EV correction tells the camera that you are taking
a picture of something that's darker than mid-gray. Spot meters are dumb:
they make everything mid-gray unless you tell them what you want. This is
actually good news: the matrix meter will try to guess what you want, and
since you don't know what guess it will make, there's no way to tell it what
to do.
The 20D doesn't have a spot meter, but the partial meter will work for
subjects with large areas of the same brightness. Sometimes you can zoom in,
set the exposure, and then zoom out.
David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan
BenOne©
> On Mon, 8 Nov 2004 14:12:20 -0500, in rec.photo.digital "DDDD"
> <som...@some.one> wrote:
>
>
> Spot exposure.
DDDD said it's a black labrador, not a dalmation.
:)
--
Ben Thomas
Opinions, conclusions, and other information in this message that do not
relate to the official business of my firm shall be understood as neither
given nor endorsed by it.
Annika1980
First off, get the dog out of the sun and try to get a dark background.
Otherwise, you'll get something like this:
http://www.pbase.com/bret/image/35429442
Here's one that came off a bit better:
http://www.pbase.com/annika1980/image/1594573
Owamanga
>I have a black Lab and have tried different ways to take photos of him and
>have had little luck. I had the same problem with a film camera taking
>photos of a black cat several years ago. I know that it is possible and
>that I am probably missing something basic. Can anyone give me some hints.
Ignore these other fools.
First, you need to identify the problem:
Blurry Photos:
Shoot the dog.
Exposure Issues:
Simply place your black dog next to a white cat.
If you don't have a white cat, spot-meter from an 18% gray object (A
photo of the President can be used for this)
--
Owamanga!
Tony
you are digital you can use the back screen to monitor the results.
You could also get a grey card and start by metering from that, once again
using the back screen to adjust your shooting.
-
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com
home of The Camera-ist's Manifesto
The Improved Links Pages are at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/links/mlinks00.html
A sample chapter from "Haight-Ashbury" is at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/writ/hait/hatitl.html
"DDDD" <som...@some.one> wrote in message
news:7b235$418fc516$45234496$19...@allthenewsgroups.com...
Tony
following the reading will give you a grey dog.
--
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com
home of The Camera-ist's Manifesto
The Improved Links Pages are at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/links/mlinks00.html
A sample chapter from "Haight-Ashbury" is at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/writ/hait/hatitl.html
"Ed Ruf" <egruf_...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:avhvo09jlo5fmb6sk...@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 8 Nov 2004 14:12:20 -0500, in rec.photo.digital "DDDD"
> <som...@some.one> wrote:
>
> Spot exposure.
> ________________________________________________________
> Ed Ruf Lifetime AMA# 344007 (Use...@EdwardG.Ruf.com)
> See images taken with my CP-990 and 5700 at
> http://EdwardGRuf.com
secheese
Take the shot outdoors... on an overcast day... lock exposure to a gray
card.
C J Campbell
disappear into the background. They need contrasting backgrounds. Black
dogs, for some reason, always seem to head straight for the shadows and dark
backgrounds.
If outdoors, expose for the grass, which comes close to being neutral gray.
Avoid long exposures; black dogs generate an enormous amount of digital
noise. Consider shooting in black and white.
It helps if the dog has a brightly colored collar. Closeups of just the head
are good, too.
Brian C. Baird
som...@some.one says...
> I am getting delivery of a Canon 20D Wednesday and hope that it will prove
> better than my present Digital. I have been trying to use my Epson 3100Z,
> with little success.
I found the 10D was very useful for shooting my parent's black lab,
Gabberdoo. The metering was pretty useful, but having quick LCD
feedback and decent dynamic range really helped nail the exposure.
http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird/gabbi
Ok, her name isn't Gabberdoo, but she responds to just about any name
you call her.
--
http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird/
Brian C. Baird
> > Blurry Photos:
> > Shoot the dog.
>
If the damn thing won't sit still, yes!
--
http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird/
DDDD
"David J. Littleboy" <dav...@gol.com> wrote in message
news:cmojiq$cme$1...@nnrp.gol.com...
DDDD
DDDD
"Alan Browne" <alan....@FreeLunchVideotron.ca> wrote in message
news:XXPjd.52858$QQ5.8...@weber.videotron.net...
> DDDD wrote:
>
>> I have a black Lab and have tried different ways to take photos of him
>> and have had little luck. I had the same problem with a film camera
>> taking photos of a black cat several years ago. I know that it is
>> possible and that I am probably missing something basic. Can anyone give
>> me some hints.
>
> What is the result? I'm guessing that the shots are overexposed making
> the blacks look pale, almost milky grey?
>
No, just the opposite. The dog is pure black with no variations in color.
When I get the 20D, I will also get a 1gb Sandisk Ultra II CF. That will
give me plenty of storage to experiment more. I will try your suggestions.
DDDD
DDDD
"YAG-ART" <ri...@here.now> wrote in message
news:e3kvo0tnn73esqceo...@4ax.com...
the bracketing when I get the 20D. Thanks
DDDD
DDDD
"C J Campbell" <christopherc...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:D92dnQnVH48...@wavecable.com...
DDDD
YAG-ART
>
>"YAG-ART" <ri...@here.now> wrote in message
>news:e3kvo0tnn73esqceo...@4ax.com...
>> On Mon, 8 Nov 2004 14:12:20 -0500, "DDDD" <som...@some.one> wrote:
>>
>>>I have a black Lab and have tried different ways to take photos of him and
>>>have had little luck. I had the same problem with a film camera taking
>>>photos of a black cat several years ago. I know that it is possible and
>>>that I am probably missing something basic. Can anyone give me some
>>>hints.
>>>
>>>I am getting delivery of a Canon 20D Wednesday and hope that it will prove
>>>better than my present Digital. I have been trying to use my Epson 3100Z,
>>>with little success.
>>
>>
>> You need either an incident light meter or a a grey card. Meter off
>> the grey card, lock the exposure and shoot. On the 20D you can /
>> should also be able to apply exposure bracketing.
>>
>I have no light meter. It disappeared during one of my moves. I will try
>the bracketing when I get the 20D. Thanks
Um, you have one thats built into the camera. Use a grey card fill
the frame with the grey, lock in the exposure and shoot.
David J. Littleboy
"Brian C. Baird" <nos...@please.no> wrote in message
news:MPG.1bf9e7dca...@news.verizon.net...
> In article <7b235$418fc516$45234496$19...@allthenewsgroups.com>,
> som...@some.one says...
> > I am getting delivery of a Canon 20D Wednesday and hope that it will
prove
> > better than my present Digital. I have been trying to use my Epson
3100Z,
> > with little success.
>
> I found the 10D was very useful for shooting my parent's black lab,
> Gabberdoo. The metering was pretty useful, but having quick LCD
> feedback and decent dynamic range really helped nail the exposure.
>
> http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird/gabbi
Not only are you actually capturing detail in the fur, but note that the
specular reflections in the sunlit shots really help in creating an
appearance of detail.
J...@no.komm
"Tony" <tspa...@nc.rr.com> wrote:
> Truly dumb advice since metering an area of a black dog and then blindly
>following the reading will give you a grey dog.
It's only dumb if the dog is *much* darker than the background, causing
the background to clip. There's nothing wrong with a grey black dog
with a digital recording. In fact, a light grey dog is best, if nothing
clips as a result. The software-darkened image will have much less
noise than you "properly compensated" image, and a higher bit depth in
the shadows (the dog, in this case), making for more usable and
boostable shadows.
--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>>< ><<>
John P Sheehy <J...@no.komm>
><<> <>>< <>>< ><<> <>>< ><<> ><<> <>><
Mike McCloud
"DDDD" <som...@some.one> wrote in message
news:7b235$418fc516$45234496$19...@allthenewsgroups.com...
Why can't we leave race out of it :)
Gene Palmiter
others....I would shoot RAW to make up for mistakes....Put the dog on a bar
stool in front of a light background. Meter on the dog. See if it works.
Here's my thinking....forget about the background....make it something that
can be lost because metering on the dog will mess up the bg. On the stool so
it won't move around. Meter on the dog so that its light enough for
detail...get your darks back when processing the RAW. Blow out the
background.
"DDDD" <som...@some.one> wrote in message
news:7b235$418fc516$45234496$19...@allthenewsgroups.com...
> I have a black Lab and have tried different ways to take photos of him and
> have had little luck. I had the same problem with a film camera taking
> photos of a black cat several years ago. I know that it is possible and
> that I am probably missing something basic. Can anyone give me some
hints.
>
> I am getting delivery of a Canon 20D Wednesday and hope that it will prove
> better than my present Digital. I have been trying to use my Epson 3100Z,
> with little success.
>
> Don Dunlap
>
>
Fred McKenzie
Don-
While everyone seems to think you can adjust a light meter reading and get a
perfect picture, Annika's illustration reveals another way to look at a black
dog!
You will note that only some areas are dark black. Others are almost white,
depending on reflections (glare?) of light off of the fur.
In other words, lighting is the key. You probably wouldn't achieve what you
want with an on-camera flash, but you might have a set of studio lights that
you could move around to bring out the "character lines" in the face (and body)
of the dog. Once you achieve that, you can then use the adjusted light meter
readings for best exposure.
Naturally you don't carry around a set of lights when you go camping, so you
must take best advantage of natural light. Perhaps some kind of portable
reflecting surface would help. Otherwise you will have to take lots of
pictures from different angles, and select the best.
You say you don't have an incident light meter? As a good approximation, you
can take a reflection reading off the palm of your hand, and overexpose by one
stop.
Fred
Annika1980
>While everyone seems to think you can adjust a light meter reading and get a
>perfect picture, Annika's illustration reveals another way to look at a black
>dog!
>
The really hard exposure to nail is a white dog in bright sun. I've had plenty
of practice with The Mighty Jewel, of course.
Here's one with both a white dog and a black dog. Luckily, it was overcast
that day.
http://www.pbase.com/annika1980/image/1537309
DDDD
"YAG-ART" <ri...@here.now> wrote in message
Now I understand what you and others have been saying. I'm dense at times
and have to be told something 2 or 3 times. I will try what you suggest. I
just need to get a grey card - I only have black and white. I'll see what I
can improvise with.
DDDD
DDDD
"Fred McKenzie" <fm...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20041108223659...@mb-m12.aol.com...
Brett,
That is what I am trying to achieve. I never seemed to have gotten the
detail before. You have a 20D I believe - did you use it to take that
picture? If so, what settings did you use?
Don
I will get the 20D tomorrow and then maybe I'll have more luck - with the
help of all of the suggestions that I have been getting.
Thanks everyone!
Don Dunlap
> Fred
>
Ken Tough
>I have a black Lab and have tried different ways to take photos of him and
>have had little luck. I had the same problem with a film camera taking
>photos of a black cat several years ago. I know that it is possible and
>that I am probably missing something basic. Can anyone give me some hints.
Get him wet and try it on a sunny day in the shade. The shiny
highlights will make his fur stand out.
--
Ken Tough
Gadgets
Or a 'black lab' card... meter off some 'dark black' and lessen exposure by
two stops... will give you a very dark grey (black with detail).
As mentioned, low contrast lighting and shooting settings will help, as
would the extended range of a RAW file.
Cheers, Jason (remove ... to reply)
Video & Gaming: http://gadgetaus.com
YAG-ART
Cardboard that comes with dress shirts, or inside of cereal boxes work
in a pinch as a grey card.
DHB
wrote:
>
>
>DODD wrote:
>> I have a black Lab and have tried different ways to take photos of him and
>> have had little luck. I had the same problem with a film camera taking
>> photos of a black cat several years ago. I know that it is possible and
>> that I am probably missing something basic. Can anyone give me some hints.
>>
>> I am getting delivery of a Canon 20D Wednesday and hope that it will prove
>> better than my present Digital. I have been trying to use my Epson 3100Z,
>> with little success.
>>
>> Don Dun lap
>
>Hi Don...
>
>I'm nothing near a photographer, I just take pictures.
>LOTS of pictures - every once in a while accidentally get
>a good one.
>
>My humble suggestion, though, is to take pictures of the
>pup in shady areas. That way you can pull up the black
>level (and/or gamma) and have the dog look good without
>blowing out too much of the rest.
>
>And if the dog is playing with youngsters, and you have
>the option, have them wear darkish clothing - at least
>no grandma proud whites :)
>
>Use spot focus and aperture on the dog.
>
>Finally, try bracketing - choose the best.
>
>Take care.
>
>Ken
>
Ken,
that's the most humble response that I have ever seen & it's a
good way to keep from getting blasted by those that have over active
egos. With that said, I too consider myself an amateur photographer
despite 25+ years in SLR film & 3+ years in digital photography.
However I am always amazed @ how complicated many of the
responders answers become, even when the question is rather simple.
Your suggestion to limit the exposure latitude buy moving the
subject(S) into the shade & selecting more subdued clothing in terms
of tonal esteems is very good advice. However others will be quick to
point out that 1 does not always have such control over the subjects
being photographed.
This is a very common problem that comes up often in several
types of photographic situations where there is need of wide dynamic
rage with regard to tonal extremes. Weddings, sunsets, sunrises,
interracial group photography. In most of these situations the
photographer has little or no control over the location or the
clothing, so he or she must evaluate the situation, select the most
important to keep within the limitations of the dynamic range of the
film or sensor being used.
In the case of a traditional wedding, bride's white wedding
gown & the groom's black tuxedo. If 1 must choose between these 2
extremes it is usually better to not overexpose the white wedding gown
for many reasons, not the least of which is that it may have
sentimental value. In this case, a good/professional photographer
will try to plan ahead & set-up a slave flash to add some fill flash
onto only the groom's Black Tuxedo to bring it into the dynamic range
of the film/sensor. This is where a photographer's assistant can be
very helpful, especially when you consider that you can't recreate the
wedding in you got the exposure wrong.
Back to the original poster's problem. If control over the
lighting is practical, then I would say your suggestions are very good
recommendations & would only add that bracketing up to +1/3 & +2/3 EV
should be enough to restore tonal detail on a black dog. If the OP's
intent is a close-up, exposure compensation may not be needed if the
dog fills enough of the frame. If control over overall lighting is
not possible or practical, I would suggest trying an off camera flash
aimed at the dog.
As stated earlier, I too am just an amateur photographer but
as a retired E.T. I have learned the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep It
Simple Stupid), sometimes the hard way but I now try to apply it
wherever I can, including photography.
Respectfully, DHB
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President,
or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong,
is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable
to the American public."--Theodore Roosevelt, May 7, 1918
Owamanga
wrote:
>In article <41901675...@hotmail.com>, jbr...@hotmail.com says...
>> > Blurry Photos:
>> > Shoot the dog.
>>
>> Rather harsh punishment, are blurry photos the dogs fault ??
>
>If the damn thing won't sit still, yes!
A dead dog makes a far more interesting subject too - especially if
it's posed ninja-style with bits of stiff wire. Ever notice how boring
Annika1980's pictures are?
--
Owamanga!
Brian C. Baird
> Not only are you actually capturing detail in the fur, but note that the
> specular reflections in the sunlit shots really help in creating an
> appearance of detail.
>
> David J. Littleboy
> Tokyo, Japan
It doesn't hurt that Gabbi has a REALLY shiny coat. It's almost
blindingly shiny at times. Bad part - she collects more dust than an
image sensor, so if you want a large print of the dog to look nice,
you've got to go over the picture like a film scan.
--
http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird/
Rita Ä Berkowitz
> blindingly shiny at times. Bad part - she collects more dust than an
> image sensor, so if you want a large print of the dog to look nice,
> you've got to go over the picture like a film scan.
My five month old chocolate lab is so active and quick that he is difficult
to photograph even when he's standing still. I was lucky to get this shot
while shooting macro shots. I was using my D70 with a 105mm Micro Nikkor in
manual focus mode. A split second later and he was up and running. For the
most part I found that it's just as difficult from a color/contrast
perspective to photograph a chocolate as it is a black lab.
http://www.geocities.com/ritaberk2003/eBay/Hound.jpg
Rita
Clyde Torres
>
> "Fred McKenzie" <fm...@aol.com> wrote in message
> news:20041108223659...@mb-m12.aol.com...
> > << Here's one that came off a bit better:
> > http://www.pbase.com/annika1980/image/1594573
> > >>
> >
>
> Brett,
>
> That is what I am trying to achieve. I never seemed to have gotten the
> detail before. You have a 20D I believe - did you use it to take that
> picture? If so, what settings did you use?
>
> Don
Don, it matters not what his settings are, because your settings will be
different, since you will be lucky to duplicate his exact lighting
conditions.
I think you should take the advice of several people above, including
Annika's technique to use cloudy days. Since you will be using a 20D, why
don't you use the AEB feature. This feature is Auto Exposure Bracket, and
it will allow you to bracket the scene with three shots. The first shot
will be in the middle, then the darker exposure, then the lighter exposure.
You can adjust the AEB amount of under/over exposure in the menu when in the
Creative Modes. I'd adjust for ±1 fstop equivalent so that you take 0, -1
and +1 fstop three pictures in a row. The meter at the bottom of your
viewfinder will tell you exactly which exposures you are taking at the time.
Try three quick ones and review the results.
If that's not good enough, try skewing all three bracketed exposures up and
down the darkness/lightness scale using Exposure Compensation. You can only
do this in Creative Mode (except M) and when the power switch is set to the
angled line above ON. Look through the meter, press the shutter button half
way down, and turn the Quick Control Dial on the back CCW or CW to slide the
three AEB exposures left or right.
I believe that using the two techniques above to control exposure, as well
as the techniques mentioned in previous emails, you should be able to get
reasonable exposures of a black dog. I come in contact with dark people
often and use those techniques to photograph them quite nicely.
Avoid contrasty scenes created by the harsh sun!
Clyde Torres
Brian C. Baird
says...
> My five month old chocolate lab is so active and quick that he is difficult
> to photograph even when he's standing still. I was lucky to get this shot
> while shooting macro shots. I was using my D70 with a 105mm Micro Nikkor in
> manual focus mode. A split second later and he was up and running. For the
> most part I found that it's just as difficult from a color/contrast
> perspective to photograph a chocolate as it is a black lab.
I tend to like photographing the dog in mid-to-late afternoon sun. That
way I get a high enough shutter speed to keep any motion blur to a
minimum, and as long as the background isn't a whole lot lighter than
the dog you can get pretty decent results.
Using the flash is difficult unless you can diffuse the light immensely.
Labs are famous for oily coats, and full flash can wreck havoc on the
final image.
--
http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird/
DDDD
"Clyde Torres" <clyde_...@hotmale.com> wrote in message
news:scfkd.24774$As5....@tornado.tampabay.rr.com...
homework to find out how to use what you are describing. My current camera
doesn't have that feature. I will try it and report on my success or
failure. I might find that with the 20D, I have so many more options that I
can do what I want with ease.
Thanks for the info!
DDDD
Christina Barnes
news:MPG.1bfbc7efe...@news.verizon.net:
> In article <10p2mm4...@news.supernews.com>,
> ritabe...@aol.com says...
>> My five month old chocolate lab is so active and quick
>> that he is difficult to photograph even when he's standing
>> still. I was lucky to get this shot while shooting macro
>> shots. I was using my D70 with a 105mm Micro Nikkor in
>> manual focus mode. A split second later and he was up and
>> running. For the most part I found that it's just as
>> difficult from a color/contrast perspective to photograph
>> a chocolate as it is a black lab.
This is a good situation in which it is better to NOT trust the
metering of the camera.
Try taking a photo of something that doesn't include the dog,
but has the exact same lighting conditions. Once you get the
exposure right, note the shutter speed and aperature of that
shot and set your camera to those settings in 'manual' mode.
Now the camera won't be fooled by the dark shade of the dog, and
you should get a better exposure.
And... as another poster mentioned, bracket the shot. I would
also shoot in 'RAW' mode so you can 'tweak' the exposure value
up or down as needed when opening the image.
Lastly, try to get images with indirect lighting from one side
of the other. This side lighting will enhance and hilight the
texture of the fur and definition of the muscles.
--
Christina Barnes
CB Design
Clyde Torres
"DDDD" <som...@some.one> wrote in message
> My 20D is supposed to be delivered today, so I will have to do a little
> homework to find out how to use what you are describing. My current
camera
> doesn't have that feature. I will try it and report on my success or
> failure. I might find that with the 20D, I have so many more options that
I
> can do what I want with ease.
>
> Thanks for the info!
>
> DDDD
DDDD, you are correct in that cameras comparable to the 20D will require
reading the manual and getting acquainted with not just its features but how
to use them. Just as I was getting comfy with my Nikon D70, it went to
Brazil and I had to buy a 20D. It's taken me about two months to get
acquainted with it, in spite of my mastering the D70. It's weird how
similar yet different the two cameras are when it comes to using and
understanding them.
I described to you two technical features that will help you with the
exposure. The others described more artistic methods of doing what you want
to do. Mastering those methods is a lot harder than mastering technical
features, unless you have the knack for it, which I'm sure you do.
Clyde Torres
DDDD
in order and reading the manuals. I have been using a point and shoot
camera exclusively for about 5 years now, having put my Canon film SLR
aside. I have forgotten everything I ever knew about aperture, shutter
speed, ISO, etc. and have to relearn the whole damn language. I hope I'm
not too old to remember everything.
The camera is beautiful and is built exceptionally well. I took a few
photos, but had to use the built in flash and I can already see that I will
have to get a shoe mount flash. I will probably opt for the 420 or the
Sigma EF 500 DG. Someone in the forum mentioned that the Sigma lost
settings every time it was turned off and that they had to be re-input. Can
anyone confirm that, and how much of a problem is it?
I look forward to learning how to use it properly and will post my progress
with my black Lab. I also have two 4 month old yellow Labs, but they are
easy to shoot. I have some great pictures of them.
DDDD
Annika1980
>http://www.pbase.com/annika1980/image/1594573
>
>Thats a superb dog portrait - the differential focusing is impressive;
>the dog's face is very sharp - his name tag is out of focus.
>
>What camera/lens did you use?
You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you. But believe it or not, that
pic was NOT taken with the new 20D or even the Totally Digital D60. No sir,
that pic even pre-dates the fabulous EOS-1V!
I took that one with an old Minolta SRT-101 with your basic 50mm Rokkor lens.
Call Ripley.
Tony
you like. Those of us who do know about photography already know you are an
idiot, and those who don't will quickly learn if they follow your bad
advice.
--
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com
home of The Camera-ist's Manifesto
The Improved Links Pages are at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/links/mlinks00.html
A sample chapter from "Haight-Ashbury" is at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/writ/hait/hatitl.html
<J...@no.komm> wrote in message
news:2ad0p0d30l1ir30so...@4ax.com...
John McWilliams
> Since you no nothing about photography and don't care to learn - do whatever
> you like. Those of us who do know about photography already know you are an
> idiot, and those who don't will quickly learn if they follow your bad
> advice.
>
JPS does indeed know (and 'no', as well) a good amount about
photography, and while he and I have clashed a couple of times, I find
his postings way more informative than yours, better written, formatted
correctly, and spelcuched better.
--
John McWilliams
Scott Peterson
>I have a black Lab and have tried different ways to take photos of him and
>have had little luck. I had the same problem with a film camera taking
>photos of a black cat several years ago. I know that it is possible and
>that I am probably missing something basic. Can anyone give me some hints.
I shoot a lot of dogs and would offer some different ideas.
Dog like labs are a lot of trouble because it's hard to get texture
and detail off of the smooth, flat coat, and that black coat sucks up
light like a sponge.
If you're using natural lighting, you can try to use strong
cross-lighting to bring out shadows and detail in the hair. Try to get
a neutral or low-contrast background.
I've had much better luck using an off camera flash set about a foot
above the camera. This puts brings out any unevenness in the dogs
coat which adds texture and will actually show the shadows of
individual hairs.
I work with Bullmastiff's and the dark coated brindles are almost as
bad as the labs.
I put some up on a quick and dirty web site so you can see some
examples. These aren't great pictures, but they show what I mean.
Most were taken with a Nikon 995 and a Nikon SB-28 flash on a
Stroboframe rotating flash bracket
http://home.mindspring.com/~laserdesign
I hope this helps.
Scott Peterson
--
"Waiter, there's no fly in my soup!"
-- Kermit the frog
378/596
Don dunlap
"Scott Peterson" <scottp4.remo...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:10pdtfh...@news.supernews.com...
Good Photos! I have been concentrating mainly on my two Yellow Lab puppies
for a while and haven't spent much time on the Black Lab. The puppies are
easy to photograph and I have got some great shots of them. I will have to
build a web site to put them on. I think that some of the members of the
group use on-line providers of sites that I could use to post photos. Can
anyone recommend such a site?
Don Dunlap
Rita Ä Berkowitz
news:be97d$419733fc$45234e2b$11...@allthenewsgroups.com...
>
> Good Photos! I have been concentrating mainly on my two Yellow Lab
> puppies for a while and haven't spent much time on the Black Lab. The
> puppies are easy to photograph and I have got some great shots of them. I
> will have to build a web site to put them on. I think that some of the
> members of the group use on-line providers of sites that I could use to
> post photos. Can anyone recommend such a site?
I second that. Great shots! I have been working with my 5-month old
chocolate that doesn't stay in one spot more than a second. This guy is
really a challenge and I'm hoping I could get him to the point were he
enjoys posing. I had him out in the bay swimming yesterday and got some
late afternoon shots.
http://www.geocities.com/ritaberk2003/eBay/hound.htm
As for free image hosting you might want to check with your ISP or
Yahoo/Geocities. Good luck.
Rita
Don dunlap
"Rita Ä Berkowitz" <ritabe...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:10peni9...@news.supernews.com...
Good photos. I used to have that problem with my black lab, but he is
getting older and I have another problem. He no longer displays any
opportunities for good shots. He just lays around and is not as interesting
a subject as my new Yellow Labs. He is still my favorite, but I have to
admit, he is lazy.
I have been experimenting with pbase.com for my photos. I have seen several
of the posters here using that site. It costs $23 a year, but that's cheap.
I am having a minor problem now in that I can't seem to display new
Galleries under the Root Gallery. I know that I am doing something wrong,
and I'll find it soon. Temporarily, I have 3 photos of my puppies at:
pbase.com/dondunlap/lab_puppies
They are not the best for clarity, but I will improve.
Don Dunlap
Don dunlap
URL is:
I uploaded a few photos of my yellow labs but I have manipulated them so
much and had to downsize them because of a slow internet upload limit that
they don't look as good as I had hoped. I'll keep working on it and I am
still learning.
Don Dunlap
"Don dunlap" <dondunl...@direcway.com> wrote in message
news:ee2c3$419766fd$45234e2b$17...@allthenewsgroups.com...
Dr. Joel M. Hoffman
> have had little luck. I had the same problem with a film camera taking
> photos of a black cat several years ago. I know that it is possible and
> that I am probably missing something basic. Can anyone give me some hints.
Basically, you have to think about getting the exposure of the dog
right. Your camera will automatically adjust whatever it meters so
that it ends up gray. For example, if you set the meter on the dog,
the dog will end up gray, and everything else, therefore, will be
overexposed (because the camera had to add light to get the black dog
to come out gray). If you meter the entire scene, odds are the scene
will end up exposed properly, while the dog will be so black you won't
see any detail.
So one option is to meter the dog, and then purposely underexpose.
The other option is to meter the scene, and purposely overexpose.
But with a digital camera, you can check the picture after you take
it, and see if you have detail on the dog. If so, you're fine.
If you really want a good picture, take the same scene twice, once
metered for the scene, and once for the dog, and combine them
digitally. The dog-metered picture will give you detail on the dog
you otherwise wouldn't have, and the scene-metered picture will give
you detail in light areas that you otherwise wouldn't have.
Good luck.
-Joel
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please feed the 35mm lens/digicam databases: http://www.exc.com/photography
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
adm
"Dr. Joel M. Hoffman" <jo...@exc.com> wrote in message
news:SuRGd.647$mh7...@fe11.lga...
> If you really want a good picture, take the same scene twice, once
> metered for the scene, and once for the dog, and combine them
> digitally. The dog-metered picture will give you detail on the dog
> you otherwise wouldn't have, and the scene-metered picture will give
> you detail in light areas that you otherwise wouldn't have.
Difficult to get the dog to stay still long enough to do this though.....
nos...@nospam.com
>> I have a black Lab and have tried different ways to take photos of him and
>> have had little luck. I had the same problem with a film camera taking
>> photos of a black cat several years ago. I know that it is possible and
>> that I am probably missing something basic. Can anyone give me some hints.
<snip>
> So one option is to meter the dog, and then purposely underexpose.
> The other option is to meter the scene, and purposely overexpose.
How many stops would you underexpose or overexpose?
Is this something you might use exposure bracketing then discard the
unwanted pixes?
Also, I guess this is true for taking portraiture of people in black
dresses/tux as well. How do you handle this when you taking pix of people
at wedding or formal occassions?
Henry
Owamanga
Simple: Kill dog first.
--
Owamanga!
Owamanga
Spot meter off their face.
..unless they too, are black - in which case ask them to stick their
tongues out for something to meter off.
<g>
--
Owamanga!
bob
@fe11.lga:
> right. Your camera will automatically adjust whatever it meters so
> that it ends up gray. For example, if you set the meter on the dog,
>
You ever take a picture of a black dog?
I never once got a grey dog in any of my photos of either of my two black
dogs. Not even in closeups.
Bob
--
Delete the inverse SPAM to reply
J...@no.komm
bob <usene...@2fiddles.com> wrote:
>You ever take a picture of a black dog?
>
>I never once got a grey dog in any of my photos of either of my two black
>dogs. Not even in closeups.
Shiny coat?
bob
> In message <Xns95E1E40FC42...@216.196.97.142>,
> bob <usene...@2fiddles.com> wrote:
>
>>You ever take a picture of a black dog?
>>
>>I never once got a grey dog in any of my photos of either of my two
>>black dogs. Not even in closeups.
>
> Shiny coat?
One with; one without. We have a lab mix and a collie mix. The lab is oily
and smelly the day after a bath; the collie can go for months and still be
dry.
stewy
I had the same problem with my black cat. Non-flash would yield an outline
with or without two green eyes. Flash would accent the fur and whiskers too
much. Only in daylight did I get fair pictures but try keeping any animal
still outside and you'll see what problems there are.
Jeremy
"stewy" <st...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:BE12D292.4706%st...@hotmail.com...
I got acceptable results outside, with fill-in flash, and editing the
image's gamma. Probably would have been disappointed had I used film and
sent it to a lab for machine-made prints.
gary_he...@digital-music-guide.com
You may want to read this guide to photographing pets, which I got off
the web.
Have you ever tried pointing your camera at a cat or dog? Their
inquisitive nature will drive them to come right up to the camera and
sniff the lens. You move away and they'll follow. Sit them in a
convenient spot and they'll bounce back. Photograph them? Good luck to
you!
If the above problems sound familiar to you, then you'll want to read
the following tips on photographing pets:
1. Give the dog a bone
One good trick is to give your pet something to take their mind of the
camera. The only problem now is they will be chewing or playing around
and are highly unlikely to look at you, let alone the camera.
2. Use a squeaky toy
I always like to use a squeaky toy to attract your pet's attention.
Place it behind the camera so they look in the right direction. The
bone they're chewing will be more interesting, but at least they will
look up long enough for you to fire the shutter. (act quickly and make
sure you get the shot in the first or second take). They'll soon get
wise or bored of your attention seeking activity.
3. Wait until the right moment
Cats and dogs are easy to catch out when they are sleepy. Time for the
squeaky toy again. Just as they're nodding off squeak the toy and
you'll get a moment of alertness shot and relax.
4. Get help
Try to get someone else to entertain the pet while you walk around
taking the photos. Try to keep the person out of the frame and the
shots will be more natural. Digital photographers could get the person
to hold the animal in place and then erase them later, this is time
consuming but good if you want great pet portraits.
5. Exposure issues
Do take special care when using transparency film, especially if you
fill the frame with a dark or light animal. A pet with a white coat
will look dull when photographed using the camera's meter reading. Open
up a stop to ensure the whites come out white. Similarly a black dog or
cat will look grey unless one stop less exposure is selected. There's
no need to compensate when using print film though.
You also watch out for bright backgrounds that could affect the meter
reading. Try to take the shot with a neutral background that isn't
distracting and, like people photography, avoid trees and telegraph
poles growing out of heads.
Try using a slow shutter speed with flash and panning with the animal
as it moves to create abstract slow sync flash shots and a sense of
action. Use flash to freeze the animal in action. A dog jumping into
the air can be frozen in space with flash. Follow the dog through its
tracks and fire the shutter when its feet are off the ground. Again
have a friend help encourage the dog to do tricks while you move around
and capture the magic.
6. Focusing
Always Focus on the eyes for the attention grabbing shots but don't
forget a dog with a long snout will need more depth of field when
shooting close up to prevent the tip of the nose being out of focus.
Take your shots using a small aperture to avoid this or shoot when
their head is turned to one side.
7. Flash
Pets eyes appear bright green when flash has reflected and can be
removed on prints by using a special touch up pen. Digital
photographers can use the selection tools and colour saturation to
banish the glaring colour.
---------------------------------------------------------
Gary Hendricks
http://www.basic-digital-photography.com
Robert Scott
two stops.
With my D70, I've let the meter do whatevewr it thinks is right with shots
of my black cat. The cat generally looks underexposed in the RAW image, but
post processing enables me to bring out just the amount of detail I want in
the coat.
Good shooting,
Bob Scott
Joe Makowiec
> Dr. Joel M. Hoffman <jo...@exc.com> wrote:
>>> I have a black Lab and have tried different ways to take photos of
>>> him and have had little luck. I had the same problem with a film
>>> camera taking photos of a black cat several years ago. I know
>>> that it is possible and that I am probably missing something
>>> basic. Can anyone give me some hints.
>
> <snip>
>> So one option is to meter the dog, and then purposely underexpose.
>> The other option is to meter the scene, and purposely overexpose.
>
> How many stops would you underexpose or overexpose?
> Is this something you might use exposure bracketing then discard the
> unwanted pixes?
I got intrigued by this, so -
The setup:
Nikon D70, Nikkor 50 f1.8
ISO 200, spot meter mode
18% grey card
(Mostly) black dog
Metered off the grey card with the card filling the frame, and off the
dog with the dog filling the frame.
Direct sunlight:
Grey Card: 1/160 f6.3; EV 13
Dog: 1/40 f3.2; EV 9
Shadow:
Grey Card: 1/40 f3.2; EV 9
Dog: 1/15 f2; EV 6
So it looks like there's about 3-4 stops difference between the black
dog and a grey card reading.
The dog apparently objected to the procedure, because I left her alone
with the grey card, and when I came back, it had two chunks out of it.
--
Joe Makowiec
http://makowiec.org/
Email: http://makowiec.org/contact/?Joe
BC
I've always found it to be very effective for indoors. Just point the
flash toward the ceiling and avoid white backgrounds. After a few
trials you can easily get the exposure exactly right.
http://caldwellphotographic.com/BlackDog.jpg
Brian
www.caldwellphotographic.com