Owners of black dogs will know that taking a picture of their sweet pup is a huge challenge. Most pictures end up looking like giant black blobs with no detail (and usually no eyes!). This can be explained with a little lesson on metering.

Metering is simply a way for the camera to determine how to expose the picture. The camera reads the light in the scene and depending on the type of metering used, will determine how bright the exposure should be. The most common metering mode is evaluative metering, where the entire picture is analyzed and an average exposure across the frame is determined. This is where the problems with black dogs come in. When viewing the whole scene, the camera is analyzing areas outside of the dog, that likely do not need an increase in exposure. This means that the rest of the scene surrounding the dog is exposed properly, whereas the dog is dark and all detail in the fur and face is lost.

There are some tactics you can use to make sure your black dog shows up well in your photos:

Use Weighted Metering Modes

Instead of using evaluative metering modes, use weighted ones. In these modes, the camera only uses a small part of the frame to determine how to expose the photo. Place this part of the frame (usually a selected autofocus point) on the dog and the dog will be properly exposed. However, these can at times lead to overexposed (bright) backgrounds, so make sure you aren’t in too bright of a location.

Avoid direct sunlight.

Shooting in the middle of a sunny day will lead to washed out details in the fur. The camera will meter for the bright light, therefore making the dog darker and less detailed. If you are shooting on a sunny day, try shooitng in the shade. the shade will provide a nice even light that will make it much easier to see what your dog actually looks like.

Use a window.

Not only is window light generally beautiful on dogs, but it can focus an area of light on the dog so that the image can be properly exposed.

Provide additional lighting.

It might be useful in these scenarios to use a flash. Try to avoid using direct pop-up flashes. it leads to unflattering light and redeye. However, since many of you have this type of flash, take a look at this very helpful guide on how to soften your pop up flash here.

Be patient.

This is definitely a skill that takes trial and error. Try taking pictures of your dog in multiple scenarios so you can see yourself which ones are the best for taking great looking pictures. Expect some failures and keep trying!