# Dear photographers: tips please



## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

I'd really like to get a good photograph or two of all three of my dogs. I'm going to work with them on sitting together--practice with treats, etc. But it's hard to get all three in one place, still, at one time. My other issue is I have two large, light-colored dogs and one small dark one. The lighting is a challenge. 

Any helpful suggestions for me (other than to use Photoshop)?


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## akgolden (Jun 18, 2011)

1st. Trying to get 3 dogs to sit together is like trying to heard cats. Just when you get one to listen the other two get distracted. I managed to get all 4 (my two and parents two) to stay still but I was holding 4 dishes full of food for them. Using treats or some sort of reward is going to be your best bet though. Also make sure they have had plenty of exercise and are a little wore out. If they are all full of energy the treats could get them excited and jumping. 


2nd.. I know all to well the light and dark dog issue with photos. I have a golden and a chocolate lab. My golden is a breeze to get detail with, my lab just vanishes in my photos. A good speed flash or some natural light through windows will help but you have to watch out for harsh shadows when you start adding other light sources. 


What kind of camera are you using? Adjusting the ISO will help some but it's going to be a little tough to get both the light and dark color dog with a good balance. A little PS tweaking might be needed to get the desired look. Unless you have a full studio setup with lights and background and what not. A light background will help with the darker dog standing out.

I would try setting your WB a little high to capture the darker dog and then tone down the picture once you get it into PS


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## akgolden (Jun 18, 2011)

Like this picture. My Golden shows up excellent with just natural light but my lab's face is a little dark and hard to get any detail out of. I haven't played with it in PS yet but I should be able to get her face to show up a little better


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## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

I only have a golden and I am a newbie at photography, but I would guess the only way is through post processing. Getting detail on the black dog would mean blowing out the rest of the photo and getting the Goldens properly exposed might mean underexposing the black dog. Perhaps this is where center weighted metering comes in if your camera has the option, but like I said, I am a newbie, so I'm not sure. My only experience with high contrast photos is in landscape photography, in which I use GND filters and post processing is a must.


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

Thanks all. I had one shot where I almost had it right. But I had Tess (small black dog) on the wrong side, away from the window. I think I'm going to try for a time of day when the sun is coming in through one window, and see if I can't position her in the sunlight with the Goldens just out of the sunlight. We'll see! I may end up just pulling together three good head shots of them. I was hoping for a decent group shot for the holiday card. 

I've been practicing giving them treats as a group so they get used to waiting their turns, and I think that will help a lot on photo day. Again, we'll see! 

Anyone else have any ideas for me?


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

Taking them outside on a cloudy/overcast day helps a lot. This is Quinn, Tucker and Mandy. AKA the 3 amigos


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I'm not as good as some of the other people here, but one thing I do with Jacks and Arth when posing them for Christmas pics is -

1. When you take the pic in the house, use your finger or a treat to keep them from looking directly at the camera while also getting the face forward shot. Especially if you are posing in front of the tree and you've turned the lights down low to capture the Christmas lights. 

That should be all you need if you have a very nice camera. 








<- This pic was taken with my cheap point-shoot camera, and unfortunately even with my pointing a finger to the side and getting the dogs to look that way, I still got the little orphan annie eyes... 








<- This was taken in heavy shade with the same camera, but the lighting was better as far as preventing eyeflash. 

2. If one or two of your dogs know stay - USE IT. And train a good 10 second wait for the other dog. 

3. Do not try to take the perfect picture. I take about 50+ pics and delete over half of them when I'm done. 

4. If you want a natural pic (the dogs not sitting or laying there) get used to sitting outside and waiting with the camera cued up and ready. 

5. And I agree about thinking ahead about the setting and what brings out your dog's colors, what would wash out or block your dogs, and what you do not want to have to clean up later on with photoshop.  <- That above pic with the three boys had to have an open bathroom cropped out on the one side and a garbage bag cropped on the other. 

6. Look at your pics between shots to see what came out right for one dog and see what you can adjust? 










^ With this picture I loved how Arthie came out because the lighting and pose worked for him, but wasn't crazy about how I set Jacks up.


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## Pup (May 12, 2012)

Natural lighting! Take them outside and see how that works, like stated before, on an overcast type of day. I have a light colored dog and a dark dog as well.

Outside shots: 


















Inside pictures (without flash):


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

Thanks everyone!


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## rik6230 (Jan 8, 2008)

OutWest said:


> My other issue is I have two large, light-colored dogs and one small dark one. The lighting is a challenge.
> Any helpful suggestions for me (other than to use Photoshop)?


Three suggetions: 

-Use a grey card
-If you don't want to use a grey card use spotmetering
-Always shoot in RAW if the light is difficult

This is not really complicated. Read the articles and you will understand.


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## Otter (Feb 23, 2011)

I agree with what Rik posted.
The grey card can be a big help with exposure as well as setting white balance in post.

To get a perfect exposure on a dark dog and a light dog can be difficult. The camera's meter tries to balance it out. You will likely need to compromise some and clean up in post (dodge here, burn there kinda thing).

When I go to Hunt Tests and/or WC WCX events, and it's sunny, I almost always underexpose Goldens a tad. I do this to not blow out the highlights too much of the lighter fur. When I shoot the darker dog, like black labs, I will overexpose a tad. Generally.

We have the same problems shooting field sport, like football and soccer. In these types of sports, one team generally has light jerseys and the other dark jerseys. The meter and/or digital sensor doesn't have the dynamic range to get it all right, so you either expose for one, compromise, or what I do, try to expose for the highlights. I try to limit blown highlights. Sometimes called "blinkies" if your camera's LCD shows 'Highlights'. You can't recover blown highlights in post, but you can pull back some details in shadows or underexposed areas. This is why I tend to underexpose, slightly, light colored dogs like light Goldens.

A lot depends on the camera and software you are using too.

Two tips I would like to offer are:
#1. *Get down on the dogs level! * Don't shoot down at them. Everybody whether using a $6000 D4, or a $200 point and shoot, or a cell phone will benefit from that tip

#2. Do it when the dog(s) are *tired*. Do it after having exercised them. Not when they are excited to eat or play.

One more...
#3. Takes lots of shots. Pick the best one(s).

Wait, just one more...
#4. Again, I don't know what camera or lenses you have available, but if you can, try using a fast lens. Something like F2.8, 1.8, or so. Shoot at a wide aperture. This will help blur the background (shallower depth of field). I like to use my 300 2.8 when shooting dogs - I love what it does to the background. The longer lens also help by getting you away from the dogs and then you might not be the focus of their attention. You can then have somebody pose/handle the dogs.

Good luck.


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## rik6230 (Jan 8, 2008)

Otter said:


> Wait, just one more...
> #4. Again, I don't know what camera or lenses you have available, but if you can, try using a fast lens. Something like F2.8, 1.8, or so. Shoot at a wide aperture. This will help blur the background (shallower depth of field). I like to use my 300 2.8 when shooting dogs - I love what it does to the background. The longer lens also help by getting you away from the dogs and then you might not be the focus of their attention. You can then have somebody pose/handle the dogs.
> 
> Good luck.


(It is not what Joe says) but many people think that a longer lens gives a more blurry background. A common misconception. Read here and here
The lens compression is maybe a little bit confusing

But back to the main question; the light and dark dog. (dynamic range)
Read Ken Rockwell. A good tip from this article; use a flash.

In this picture I used a flash. (of course spot metering) Wedding photography; Dark suites and light dresses. I controlled four spots in photoshop and in every spot there was color information (between 0-and 254)


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## cisobe (Feb 22, 2010)

Looks like everything has been more or less covered... spot metering, and exposure compensation for either the dark or the light dog... If you spot meter the dark dog, set your exposure compensation to -1 to -1 2/3 EV if you're spot metering the lighter dog set your exposure compensation to +1 to +1 2/3...

If not, shoot RAW and use Lightroom 4 lol, or Adobe RAW converter... the adjustment brush is awesome (lets you paint smaller portions of your photo and adjust exposure in that one spot)...

But getting it right in camera makes things a lot easier in the end...


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## MyLady Heidi (Jan 16, 2013)

My best suggestion is never ever be without your camera when you are with your dogs or taking them out. My dogs see me putting on my boots and picking up my camera and they know we are going out. I take pictures of everything they do and typically shoot almost every imagine with a speedlight to eliminate the shadows, my go to configuration is shooting aperature priority F10, auto iso, I use a long lense outside so I can zoom in and I lock
 in the speed to never drop below 200 and then I let the camera figure out the rest. I go back and forth between spot metering and central focus and try to use a single spot focus, which I always focus right between their eyes. WB drives me insane at times, I use a custom setting in the snow but prefer more of a golden look which I get from the cloudy setting. Lighting is absoletely everything in photography, I love the golden light, right after sunrise and as the sun is sinking in the sky. I try to get down as low as possible to shoot from the dogs point of view. I bought a fast prime lense for myself for Christmas so I can virtually sit right in front of my dogs and shoot with no flash at aperature 1.8 and get a great blur and only a tiny field of focus. 

I have not photograped a black dog extrensively but have photographed white swans, which offer the same challenge in losing detail, this is where that golden light worked to my advantage. The swan family I followed was so familiar with me they would come swimming over when I whistled. They loved the whole wheat bread I would bring them also.

Good Luck.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

1) Pay attention to composition until it becomes second natures. Ideas like the rule of thirds( not centering the main focus of the photo in the middle of the photo, but in a third of the frame) are not laws, but it is nice to internalizes the "rules" so when you break them, it is for a reason. 

2) Do not stand and shoot down on the dog. If you lay on your stomach or if you get the dog to hop up on a snowbank, hill or stone wall, it ennobles the photo .

3) use "photographer's light" in earliest morning and before twilight. It is sometimes called "blessing light". The best photos involve getting up super early.

I do not use photoshop on principle, so I can't say anything about that. It may eliminate the need to early rising! Not sure.


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## mddolson (Jul 10, 2012)

We had a black lab & siberian husky a few years ago.
I also struggled with exposures. 
I found getting them in the shade & setting camera white balance to cloudy worked the best. 
This brought out the detail in the lab, without blowing out the whites on the husky.

Mike D


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## mddolson (Jul 10, 2012)

*Light & dark dogs (Cloudy White Balance)*

Here's my wife with Romeo (husky) & Emma (lab) taken in spring 2007 (both over Rainbow Bridge now)
Shot taken in out kitchen , overcast day, no flash, WB set on cloudy.
Detail on both dogs is pretty good.

Mike D


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## rik6230 (Jan 8, 2008)

mddolson said:


> no flash,
> Detail on both dogs is pretty good.
> 
> Mike D


The details on both dogs are very good but you did use a flash. Like I wrote in #12 a fill flash is a very good instrument as you can see  We only have to find a solution about the eyes. :uhoh:

exif of this photo:


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## mddolson (Jul 10, 2012)

rik said:


> The details on both dogs are very good but you did use a flash. Like I wrote in #12 a fill flash is a very good instrument as you can see  We only have to find a solution about the eyes. :uhoh:
> 
> exif of this photo:


Oops My mistake,

Thanks for checking the exif data, That was taken about 5-6 years ago & I had forgotten I'd used the flash. & if I'd looked closer I'd have seen the flash in their eyes too. 
I grabbed wrong photo. I'm still looking for the right one. & I'm sure it was taken out doors with my Sony DSLR, I remember playing with the white balance.

Mike D.


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## Kelev's_Dad (Oct 23, 2009)

Shooting differing whiteness requires you compensate with light at the source or in edit. A small reflector or external fill flash will do that for you. External flashes made by Younguo are cheap on eBay and are actually quite decent. It takes some practise, but meter for the lighter dog (use spot metering and exposure lock) and with either the reflector pointing at the darker ddog or fill flash rotated towards or used off camera with slave or radio trigger at the darker dog. Now that may seem like a lot of doing, but in time it becomes second nature. The other thing you can do is use evaluative metering and use a mask in photoshop to compensate for whichever dog needs the adjustment. With CS6 this isn't much work and can be done in the ACR now. Add an unsharp mask when you are done and play with the levels mask a bit to give an overall balance.


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