Photographing Black and White Dogs

RD

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#3
Shoot in RAW format if you have a dslr. It'll give you more flexibility with the details that you can bring out in shadows and highlights, which will make your dog look like a dog and less like solid black blobs with overexposed white blobs mixed in.

I compensate for my own weaknesses as a photographer but personally I underexpose just the tiniest bit when I'm shooting my border collie. I find it's easier to lighten blacks that are too dark than to restore detail to blown whites.
 

Lyzelle

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#4
I can shoot in RAW, but I don't use any programs at the moment. I have a Nikon D3100 if it helps at all, with the stock lens on it.

I usually over expose when I shoot Zander, then alter the manual settings to compensate. That obviously doesn't work for shooting Quinn. Lol
 
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#5
Yea, it sucks. I don't have to deal with split face, but trying to get pictures of a white dog, a black dog, and a white and black dog all together is pretty much the same level of suck.


My only advice beyond what's already been said (and I agree it's easier to lighten black than dampen whited-out white) is that direct sunlight is a killer (better for the black but just absolutely whites out the white) and avoiding high contrast backgrounds if you can will help a lot.
 

Oko

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#6
If you have to pick, definitely underexpose and then lighten up the blacks. Lightroom makes this super easy, I'm not really sure what I would do without it. That being said, I do also take a lot that I just use SOOC. It's definitely easier to get pictures on overcast days in general, but especially true with the B+W dogs, as it makes them less extreme.

A lot, really most, of my flickr photos are either minimally edited or not at all:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tea-photos/
 
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#7
yep, it's easier to lighten up the black than to correct a blown out white area. I shoot in RAW and then edit in Lightroom. It's a miracle program
 

Lyzelle

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#8
I'll have to get Lightroom.

Fiddled around with settings more today and managed to get a few. They aren't bad, but maybe a bit too dark and definitely some grain because of the ISO. The only other issue I have is blur. And distance. Border Collie puppies are fast, and love to be at your feet. It's a whole new photography experience all together!


I definitely like this one though. Because Quinzel.

 

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