Black And White. (Dogs Of Course!)

[sheepdog 10]

Ha, bet you thought I was talking about camera film! You all should know me better than that by now!

 

I have 2 main problems when taking pictures of dogs. Which I have to do a lot, people want puppy pictures if they are even thinking about buying a puppy. Wish there was a way around that because I hate taking puppy pictures. The little devils never hold still long enough to get that perfect shot due to the delay in the digital cameras.

 

But anyway, that isn't the problem I want to discuse right now. I need some tips on lighting. When I take pictures of black dogs, you can never see any detail. It looks just like one big black blob. My camera has a flash, and I take pictures inside, with a 100 watt light bulb overhead, and also 2 windows in the room, one south facing and one on the east side of the room, so it seems plenty light.

 

The other problem is oddly enough, white dogs. Or even partially white dogs, of which there are many with white on their legs or faces. I do my very best at keeping pups clean, which is no easy task, I can assure you. But even if I bath them right before a picture shoot, somehow the ones with white legs especially always look yellowish in the pictures. This is very bad, because it gives the impression the pups are urine stained, which they are not. They actually look white in real life, they just turn yellow in the pictures. I really don't know what is causing this or how to go about fixing it. Any input is appreciated.

[k_nitin_r 8]

What you need is a Canon Eos camera. Those cameras cost an arm and a leg, but you can get Eos cameras that can keep taking pictures while you have your finger pushing down the button with a configurable delay running from ten photographs in a second to two photographs in a second. They let you shoot the American way - at least that's how Sean Connery described it in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Keep shooting all over the place till you get what you want.

Photographing black dogs requires brighter light to make sure that you are able to capture the detail in the photograph. You could apply something to make their coats shine if you do not have enough light, or you could set your camera to use longer exposures or higher ISO settings. Higher ISO settings almost always cause grains in the photographs, which is why I find it surprising to see cameras providing very high ISO settings. With longer exposures, you would need the dogs to stay still to avoid blurry shots. It's a three-way triangle with light on one end, ISO settings on the second, and exposure length on the third, so you have to balance the three to get the perfect shot.

What you are experiencing with photographs of the white dogs is white balance. White colors can either be balanced toward yellow or toward blue. Most people prefer the yellowish colors because they create softer tones. There's even a sepia camera filter for creating yellow shots. The camera would have a setting to change the white balance to reduce the yellowish color and make it seem like a more natural white.

[sheepdog 10]

That was really a very good explanation, thanks. Of course, a really expensive camera is out of the question.

I got a nice laugh out of the Sean Connery reference too, and that happens to be one of my favorite movies. The graphic designers and set people did one fantastic job I can say for sure! They did a beautiful job designing the Nautalis.

[k_nitin_r 8]

I just thought I'd ask - what camera do you have? Did you manage to set the white balance to blue instead of yellow?

Try using the sports mode of the camera to reduce the delay and ensure that there is plenty of lighting (outdoors on a sunny day is preferred). I have a Sony Cybershot HX20V and a Sony Cybershot HX200V that I primarily use; I also have my old Panasonic Lumix camera, which I can look up the functions (the mode dial) on though it is broken. Then, there's an even older Fuji camera and an EyeCam camera.

The Panasonic Lumix cameras were weird, to put it simply. The viewfinder would show a perfectly good picture but when you pushed down the shutter button, it would produce a very dark image. It makes the camera unusable except in bright daylight. The Sony Cybershot HX20V and Sony Cybershot HX200V cameras are pretty decent and also have a manual mode in case you want to take a picture with a light source in the frame (like, for example, if the sun is in front of you and is in the frame of the picture you are taking). The Sony Cybershot cameras are quick at taking a photo, but there is a processing time between photos.

If you find it difficult to get the puppies to hold still while you take a picture, a cable release or remote shutter release can help you take a picture without being physically present at the camera - you can be with the puppies while taking the picture. The Apple iPhone 5 also provides you with this ability using the headset - push the volume-up button on the headset to take the picture; the earlier iPhones or iPods that can be upgraded to iOS 5 or higher would most likely have this ability too.

If you can get your hands on a Canon Eos camera as a loaner, give it a try. The photographers who take pictures of runway models have to be able to take several pictures in a minute, especially when there are multiple models on the stage at a time.

[sheepdog 10]

I just have a well worn Sony Cyber Shot. I have no idea on how to change the settings, and to be perfectly honest, I'm afraid to even try. Seems like every time I get in there and start changing things it only makes it worse. Then I don't know what I did and can't get it back the way it was.

[k_nitin_r 8]

I have a Sony Cybershot HX-20V and another Sony Cybershot HX-200V. Both of then are from the same generation but target different audiences, so it may vary from the one you have.

 

When you turn the dial to the M setting, you can control the ISO and exposure. Set a higher number for the ISO and lower number for the exposure to get a brighter picture. The white balance is found when you press the Menu button to make the picture seem less yellowish and more bluish. Both settings should help.