Taking Photos Of Black Dogs

[Katdogs]

Thanks to the wonderful Pet Search I have found a new trick with my iPhone - I just don't know how to load photos on DOL on the phone

http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-photograph-black-dogs-and-cats-with-an-iphone-1430492001

[tdierikx]

Won't let me read without subscribing... can you copy/paste the text please?

T.

[Katdogs]

Hmmmm this might be messy. Basically I didn't know about tapping the screen to get a little 'sun' icon! I also kept trying to use light backgrounds.

How to Photograph Black Dogs and Cats With an iPhone

Tips from pro photographers for snapping smartphone pics of a black-haired pet—without turning your best friend into a dark smudge

Taking cute photos of your black cat or dog is tough, especially with an iPhone. The Fixer has the solution. In this ongoing series of life hacks, WSJ's Michael Hsu solves the frustrations we've all experienced.

By MICHAEL HSU

May 1, 2015 10:53 a.m. ET

9 COMMENTS

Q: How do I photograph my black Yorkie with an iPhone so he doesn’t look like a dark smudge?

A: This is a challenge, even for pros like Chief Official White House Photographer Pete Souza. He often snaps pics of the Obama family’s dogs with his iPhone 6 for his Instagram feed and finds that the dogs’ black hair “tends to suck up the light.” But there are ways around the problem:

1. Light it right. “Overhead lights indoors are not as conducive to showing detail in black hair,” Mr. Souza said by email. He prefers light from a window. If that isn’t possible, Mary Bloom, a staff photographer for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, suggests turning on a nearby lamp. “You want the light behind you or to the side of the pet” to avoid backlighting. Even better: Go outdoors. “A bright but cloudy day is ideal,” she said.

2. Get in tight. Being too far from your pet is the most common mistake people make, said Ms. Bloom. “When you’re photographing a black dog, you have to photograph just that black dog.” Your pet should fill the frame. She also recommended crouching down to shoot at the pet’s level, rather than from above.

3. Pick a neutral setting. Mr. Souza looks for “clean backgrounds to provide greater definition”—like the grass of the Rose Garden. Gray and other medium tones are good, said Richard Katris, a cat photographer based in Mira Loma, Calif., but avoid bright colors. “A white background with a black cat is not going to work,” he said.

4. Tweak settings. “If you don’t have a well-lit situation, then you need to change your exposure,” said Ms. Bloom. On an iPhone running iOS 8: Tap the screen so the camera focuses on your pet’s face. When the sun icon appears, swipe upward to increase the exposure and brighten the photo.

[persephone]

Thanks :) yes, duller days are MUCH better for black beasts :)

[sandgrubber]

Interesting. Sometimes I wonder whether the decline of black Labradors in favor of yellows, and more recently, chocos, has something to do with the difficulty of getting good photos of a black dog. Black is the traditional color . . . and genetically dominant . . . but it seems to be getting hard to find. BB studs don't get used much.

[persephone]

I adore black labs ..... :) and , when the planets align, portraits are gorgeous!

[Redsonic]

Thanks for the link. I don't have a black dog, but I now know how to change the exposure value on my iPhone. Useful to know, as my dedicated camera has just packed it in.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I've got a spotty dog - really hard to photograph her and get any detail apart from spots but I do find I've got more chance at sunset - cos that silhouettes her contours especially if she's standing in the door way to the back yard facing west and I'm on the butt side. Tho perhaps not her best angle.

And to get her face to light up - use the flash.

[Dave-o]

When you tap the screen on the phone it will focus and adjust expose to that point, so whatever you're taking a photo of tap it on the screen first (if that makes sense).

Most phone editing aps, like Photoshop Express, let you quickly adjust highlights and shadows. That can really impact photos of black dogs.

Here's an example of a photo I took yesterday. In the original photo the girl's hair was black with no definition, but tweaking the highlights and shadows gave it a lot more definition.

I do the same for most of my photos to get definition, take a look at my Perth in Pictures page on facebook :D

Edited October 8, 2015 by Dave-o