Black dogs in Water

mrsnamsherf

mrsnamsherf

Member
Please, please tell me there is a magic photography tool for shooting black dogs in water. I either get this:




Water is ok, but dog seems really dark...and this is a better shot...most times I can hardly see his eyes...

Or this:



Dog looks great, but water is totally blown out...

or, if he is really close, and making lots of shadows in the water, it sometimes comes out fair, like this:



These were all shot on a Nikon D90 with an f2.8 70-200mm lens. It was either overcast, or overcast with a slight sunbreak. Same thing happens on sunny days, tho. :tongue:

I would think that this is all that is possible, but I have seen much better shots of black dogs in water...
I would greatly appreciate any thoughts anyone may have on this subject.

Marie
 
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ardeagold

ardeagold

New member
I'd like to know the answer too, because I have hit or miss luck with black dogs in the water too. I have found that I get better results with a zoom lens. I use my Canon 100-400mm a lot for this, and get the best results with the close ups.

Goldens are so much easier. LOL
 
rhoward

rhoward

Member
Oh yes, the dreaded, "what is being exposed for" problem. I would have to know what you had your camera set to and we could work backwards from there.... Or, you could use software to save the day. The pictures are very good as is but I know what you mean. Here are the first two of your photos that put into Adobe Light Room. I did not adjust the white balance. I only played with highlights and shadows on a slider, with a touch of sharpness to attempt some balance. This took seconds to do. With a little more time you could season these photos to your heart's content.





Just realized I saved this a little too large. Sorry. I hope this helps. Let me know what settings you used for each shot. Ron
 
TerriW

TerriW

Active member
Maybe Sandra (BlackNewfs) will chime in too. Her photos are fabulous. BTW, I see nothing wrong with the photos you posted. They're all good!
 
ardeagold

ardeagold

New member
TerriW said:
Maybe Sandra (BlackNewfs) will chime in too. Her photos are fabulous. BTW, I see nothing wrong with the photos you posted. They're all good!
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I agree! Sandra gets excellent shots right out of the camera without having to do much fiddling afterward. She's got one of the best "eyes" I've ever seen for taking pics of black Newfs...and anything, in fact. LOL

AC is also an excellent photographer and he enhances brilliantly. I love his photos! I even have a couple of them framed and hanging in my LR. (With his permission, and assistance, of course!)

WayneA's photos are very nice too. And for "altered" photos...another go to person here is Tonka.

There are some old photography "lessons" here...you'd have to look backwards a few years. Maybe they'd help.

Rona (Largo) also started some challenges, for correcting just this type of thing...also several years ago. She's become a pro since the old photo challenges and lessons were posted.

And rhoward...thanks for the links! I really need to get back into it. And definitely could use the refreshers!
 
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rhoward

rhoward

Member
ardeagold said:
I agree! Sandra gets excellent shots right out of the camera without having to do much fiddling afterward. She's got one of the best "eyes" I've ever seen for taking pics of black Newfs...and anything, in fact. LOL

AC is also an excellent photographer and he enhances brilliantly. I love his photos! I even have a couple of them framed and hanging in my LR. (With his permission, and assistance, of course!)

WayneA's photos are very nice too. And for "altered" photos...another go to person here is Tonka.

There are some old photography "lessons" here...you'd have to look backwards a few years. Maybe they'd help.

Rona (Largo) also started some challenges, for correcting just this type of thing...also several years ago. She's become a pro since the old photo challenges and lessons were posted.

And rhoward...thanks for the links! I really need to get back into it. And definitely could use the refreshers!
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No problem. I look at photography like modeling. I have never seen a model's picture taken without makeup. My post processing is just a little added makeup. :shuffle: Maybe, in March, I will do no processing just to see bad bad my photos suck. LOL
 
sendchocolate

sendchocolate

New member
Just to play a bit, you can use Picnik.com which is free, for many of the effects. At least to get an idea of playing with Saturation and effects. It is a pretty handy flash-based photo editing site. Fairly powerful, and an alternative if you don't have beaucoup bucks to spend on pro editing software.
 
ardeagold

ardeagold

New member
Newfs Forever said:
Well, maybe my eyes are really getting bad, but I think all these pics are great!
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They are good...I agree. I think she's just asking for a little help with some of the typical things we run into when trying to take pics of black dogs in certain settings. Either the dog is too dark and the background perfect, or the dog is too light and the background is washed out....or something. hahaha

Happens to me ALL the time, and with a Landseer...it's REALLY tough.

Funny thing is that with my white dog, Ellie, it's a lot less of a problem. And the Goldens and Toller are easy too.
 
AC

AC

New member
I guess the first thing we would need to know is if you are shooting in auto mode or one of the manual modes. In auto mode you point, the camera meters and focuses and you get your picture.... most times your newf will end up being too dark. Your options in auto mode are to use a flash as fill light or to fill the frame with your newf.
 
ardeagold

ardeagold

New member
AC...I never shoot in full auto. I will shoot in Av (aperture value), or Tv (shutter priority), or full manual. I still get the same thing she got at times.

What would your suggestion be for "test" (or some examples for us to try) settings for a Newf in the water...both with and without sun.

I have a problem with shooting in certain bodies of water here because the sun is always glaring/reflecting off the water, whether it's morning or evening. The one body of water we go to (in the avatar to the left) has the sun moving over it from left (E) to right (W) during the day...LOL...so there's always a glare when the dogs are in the water, if the sun's out at all.

Any way to fix that? I know a hood helps...but anything else?
 
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AC

AC

New member
ardeagold said:
AC...I never shoot in full auto. I will shoot in Av (aperture value), or Tv (shutter priority), or full manual. I still get the same thing she got at times.

What would your suggestion be for "test" (or some examples for us to try) settings for a Newf in the water...both with and without sun.

I have a problem with shooting in certain bodies of water here because the sun is always glaring/reflecting off the water, whether it's morning or evening. The one body of water we go to (in the avatar to the left) has the sun moving over it from left (E) to right (W) during the day...LOL...so there's always a glare when the dogs are in the water, if the sun's out at all.

Any way to fix that? I know a hood helps...but anything else?
Click to expand...
In Av or Tv mode you can always dial-in some exposure compensation, or use spot metering. Of course you may then over or under expose the background. Also, get down low when shooting animals on the water as that will help control the glare a little... I'm never really concerned with the water as I am never taking a picture of that.



 
AC

AC

New member
As for exposure compensation (Ev), it is best to test to see what it does. Get yourself a black stuffed animal and start taking pictures of it against different backgrounds and lighting conditions. A dark subject against a bright background will need positive Ev and the opposite of course, a dark subject against a dark background would need some negative Ev. I keep adjusting and testing hoping that it becomes second nature to me to set it right. If you shoot full manual you achieve the same thing by purposely over or under exposing the scene.

Cheers!

 
AC

AC

New member
Here's another picture with the Exif data... The overall scene was a bright one.



# Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 1/500 second
# Lens F-Number / F-Stop = ƒ/6.3
# Exposure Program = shutter priority (4)
# ISO Speed Ratings = 800
# Shutter Speed (Exposure Time) = 1/500 second
# Exposure Bias (EV) = +2/3
# Metering Mode = pattern / multi-segment (5)
# Flash = Flash did not fire

Cheers,
Andreau
 
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