Photographing Black Dogs

Dogs
dog
dog

Photographing black dogs can be a real challenge, and here’s why:

  • The Camera’s Color Conundrum: Cameras are designed to see everything in terms of middle gray, which means they’ll change a black dog to a gray dog. With snow we have the same issue; the cameras want to turn bright, white snow into a dull gray.
  • The Black Dilemma: Black dogs are black (duh!) But black isn’t actually a color; it’s the absence of reflected light. To have a good photo of a black dog, it needs both shadows and highlights to give it definition. Without these, a black dog will just end up looking like a shapeless “black blob.”
  • True to Color: The black in a black dog should be as black as possible. After all, that’s the defining feature of that dog.
  • Color Perception: We only notice colors when there’s a contrasted against some other colour. Without that contrast, all colours, including black, blend into nothingness.

So, how to capture the essence of a black dog? Here are my solutions:

  • Bright Backgrounds: Position the black dog against a much lighter background. This contrast will make the dog’s black fur stand out.
  • Go Black & White: Embrace the black and white look. Converting the photo to black and white highlights the dog’s features in a different way.
  • Increase the Contrast: Increasing the contrast during the processing will make the black fur more defined. Just a small warning — too much contrast will create very dark shadows and and ’photoshop here we come…’
  • Focus on Features: Shift the focus to a distinctive feature, like the dog’s tongue or eyes, to bring out personality and avoid a featureless silhouette.

BTW, This dog lost his left eye when he was young, before being adopted by his current family.

Technical

Camera: Canon 7DMk2 ISO 1250 and 1/320s
Lens: Canon 70-200 f/4L IS @200mm and f/7.1 Focus: 12m
Processed with ART: https://bitbucket.org/agriggio/art/wiki/Home/