should I just spray paint him?

[dishingthedivine]

I've got a black cat who is rather impossible to photograph. Today he was sitting in front of this cute blanket in a pose that I thought would be fun to capture. A catastrophe. Suggestions? Please subscribe to the thread if you have ideas for changes because I'll make them and submit updated photos. My question is fairly obvious looking at the photo: how do I make it so I can see him????



canon rebel xti
f 4
1/60 sec
iso 200
flash fired (flash forced to be -1/2 in menu settings)
exposure bias +1/2 (does this counteract my menu settings(see above) to just be a sum of zero - I don't really get that)

thanks for your help!

[sk66]

Youhave to expose for the black. The exposure biases are "correct", but the exposure bias is not enough. I also suspect you had the metering to scene or matrix...You needed to use spot or center weighted. The camera exposed for the larger area of tan. You could also frame more tightly filling the frame with more black cat which will allow the camera to meter for black more accurately automatically.

[dishingthedivine]

Originally Posted by sk66

Youhave to expose for the black. The exposure biases are "correct", but the exposure bias is not enough.

Not sure what you mean by this. Can you clarify? What, specifically, should I change? I'll try retaking the picture once I hear back about that.

[Cam Monroe]

I have a black cat too...you need to expose for the black...meaning you will over expose the background.
You need to slow the shutter, or lower f stop....or both.
The other option is to get more light on the cat, but not on the background....without ticking off the cat...lol

[dishingthedivine]

I wonder if that would explain why I tend to get better shots with my 50 mm (which often doesn't even require a flash). I'm new to digital photography, so every day I learn more and more.

So, assuming I have to use a flash, what if I used a bounce flash to bounce light off the celiing instead of directly onto the cat? Would that make for a better picture? (I don't own one of these nifty toys yet, but I aim to do so in the next few months!) I'm wondering if it would distribute light more evenly. I'm trying to figure out how to avoid over exposing the background. The nifty 50 has a small f-stop, but doesn't always work for my needs. My other lens is an 18-250 and most of the photos with that hover around 5.5 or so... The only way I can see lowering the shutter speed for that would be using a tripod, which isn't always possible when you're dealing with animal photos.

More clarifiation, please?

[wulf]

Next time, find a cute blanket in a darker colour. The problem your dark cat will give you in that setting is that if he is properly exposed the background will be very overexposed. Lighting will help but choosing a different situation will help even more (and not cost as much as buying a new flash unit!).

I didn't quite follow that in what I think is my best black cat shot...



... but this follows sk66's advice about getting closer so that the cat fills more of the frame.

Wulf

[wulf]

Next time, find a cute blanket in a darker colour. The problem your dark cat will give you in that setting is that if he is properly exposed the background will be very overexposed. Lighting will help but choosing a different situation will help even more (and not cost as much as buying a new flash unit!).

I didn't quite follow that in what I think is my best black cat shot...



... but this follows sk66's advice about getting closer so that the cat fills more of the frame.

Wulf

[sybren]

I don't get the exposure compensation either. I just use manual exposure, it's a lot easier to understand

Here's one of my favourite photos of one of my black cats (I have two (cats, that is)):

[sk66]

Originally Posted by dishingthedivine

Not sure what you mean by this. Can you clarify? What, specifically, should I change? I'll try retaking the picture once I hear back about that.

Minus for the flash is fine, but might not be needed. I'd set it back to even to start.
+1/2 for the camera is the right direction, but not enough. You probably need closer to +2. Then if the flash is too hot, pull it back a little.

[JeffSmith]

Couple of options here...

1) For accuracy, use a light meter and measure the light falling onto the cat rather than measuring the light reflected from the cat (as your camera is doing) Reflected light from black is obviously minimal and the white blanket is reflecting more light, hence the dominance.

2) Don't have a light meter? Well, use the spot meter on your camera, zoom right in on the cat (full frame) and get a meter reading and then lock the exposure. Zoom back out again and take the pic.

3) If the background above the cat is lighter (as is the blanket in this case) use a graduated ND filter to prevent the blanket from dominating.

4) If you use ETTL and bounce the flash, you have the same problem because your camera is measuring the reflected light from the cat and not light falling onto the cat. You'd need a flash meter to get this right.

5) Exactly the same problems exist at the other end of the scale. (White that is, not dogs )





Enjoy trying

Cheers,

Jeff