Hi, I am new to using strobes and relatively new to photography and am glad to have found this forum! I have been looking around the forum and am impressed by the skill of the members here. I would appreciate any advice in dog photography, having a heck of a time with the new toys!

Here is a link to my poor little tries! The first try is at the end, newest tries appear at the beginning . . . I have the most trouble with my black and white Papillon

Thanks in advance,
Celeste

web page

Celeste,
welcome to the forum. Your work is very nice, including the shots of your Papillon. Very nice.

You may want to work on getting some highlights on the ears/head to pull them off the background. I shoot Rotties and place my lights fairly high to outline the topline/top of head. I also love to use black backdrops so I understand the problems.

Do you use one light or two? Do you use umbrellas or softboxes? I'm fairly conventional in my lighting approach but folks like Julie Poole can give you great advice on how to vary your lighting schemes.

Again welcome and thanks for sharing such nice work.

Jim

Welcome to the forum. Glad to have you as part of our group.

Black and/or white animals on black or white backgrounds are difficult. You did a good first attempt. It is really important and difficult to get separation between a black dog and a black background so they do not merge; I use a overhead softbox that fuctions as sort of a hair light and background separation light but that brings up other concerns like light spillage, etc.

Of course you are seeing the problem of adding enough light to light the blacks and then blowing out the whites, that is part of the difficulty of black/white dogs.

If you have enough lights, I might try two umbrellas (plus a hair light) at 45 degree angles to the dog, from the front, pretty low to light the face and ears with very careful attention to the whites and blacks for exact exposure. Keep shooting, will look forward to future posts.

Hi Celeste. Welcome and your shots look nice. My advice on lighting is start by using one light even if you have more. Position at different spots to get a feel of effects. Then add either another light of a reflector for fill. Then add a background light or 2 even better. Now I know most folks like softboxes and umbrellas, which I use too but for an interesting look I often use my beauty dish (without the sock I might add). With dogs it can be tricky because it does give shadows and contrast but you just need to be aware and focus on fill. I also use my 580ex II with a small softbox (no gary fong diffuser for me, I have one but softbox blows it away) almost all the time on outdoor shots for fill. That will also give you great catchlights also when using primarily ambient light. Practice practice practice is key with lighting. Oh, and get a light meter. They work and save a ton of time!

Again welcome and look forward to your posts. John and Jim above, among others here, are great folks with awesome advice.

Hello Celeste, and welcome to the group. Your images look nice and some of the advise may help. I do love black backgrounds but they require some exacting when it comes to lighting black and white pets. Using a middle value background can help while you are practicing.
Again welcome and enjoy.

Thanks so much for your response, Jim. I have 3 lights right now - - 2 alien bee b800s and one b400 background light. I have been using silver umbrellas. I'll try seeing if I can place those as you mentioned to outline the top of the head. Or maybe I could use a reflector as a fill light and one of the others with a grid for a hair light?

I have much playing to do!!

Celeste

Thanks so much for the welcome and advice! I will try what you suggest as well!

Very wise suggestions!!! Thanks! I will concentrate on seeing the effects of each light separately today.

I really should be using a stuffed animal too for practice, (if the boys let me - -they LOVE to pose, it pays well )though I have to say their response to commands at a distance is getting impressive so we are getting some nice training in as I learn lighting!

Hi Peggy and thanks! It's wonderful to be getting all this advice already. Can't wait to start with all these new projects!! I'll try to find something middle value to use for background and see how that goes.

Celeste,
my best model, Rowdy, has been working with me for 10 years and he's gotten to the point where I can set him up anywhere, go back to my camera position and toss milkbones while I take as many shots as I want and he'll never move a foot until I tell him to "get it". I like to do that when I'm setting up for a Toy Dog Specialty -- like Papillons -- and watch the expressions of the dog owners with this big Rottie just standing and posing.

Here's a shot I took of him outdoors while testing some lenses. He stood like this for tests of 3 lenses at 4 different apertures. Having a great model or two is really nice to demonstrate to other dog owners what a "little" training can do.



Keep working with "live" subjects and you'll get good at both the photography part and the baiting. And, believe me, they are equally important.

Jim