Molly

Molly · Post by **Molly** » 27 May 2008, 22:39

Great idea!!

Some of you may have noticed already that I'm a keen photographer! :lol:

All of my photos of Molly are taken using a Canon DSLR and hopefully I can help out others on the forum keen to get shots of all our wonderful subjects!

An unusual one of Molly to open things:

Taken with a Canon EOS 20D

Ric
( My other identity on a well-known photography website ... www.pbase.com/rjyates )

Eddie · Post by **Eddie** » 27 May 2008, 23:17

That's an effective photo. You have limited the "depth of field" by using a low (??) f number and compensated for the extra light by using a faster shutter. Am I close?
Perhaps you may care to comment on the photo below. It was a Canon Ixus 65 which was set to "Auto", we were in a forest which meant the light was low so the shutter speed would have been slow. Hence the blurring. I guess I should have increased the ISO setting so that I could use a faster shutter to freeze the action.
From a composition point of view it probably would have been better not to have Judie in the background.
Edit: It's interesting but I have just noticed that the RHS seems to be more in focus than the LHS.

Molly · Post by **Molly** » 27 May 2008, 23:40

For the photo of Molly pretty much spot on. f3.2 and 1/160 sec at 200 iso. Also taken at a reasonably long focal length (110mm) which also compresses the depth of field. I didn't need too fast an ISO for the shot as Molly was still (unusual!).

For your shot you are also on the right lines, you needed a faster shutter speed to freeze the action and in low light you'd need to increase the ISO setting to give the camera a chance.

I agree that the RHS is more in focus than the left. I'd say that the camera has selected a very narrow depth of field in order to try to get enough light and the RHS of the log is slightly closer to the camera than the left. An interesting feature of a lot of autofocus systems is that they lock onto the object nearest the camera (works fine for most photos of people etc). In this case the RHS of the log is the closest object so that was in focus.

Focussing on Schnauzers is a nightmare (even for high-end cameras!). Most cameras focus using contrast and P&S schnauzers aren't great for that! If you can get set up I'd prefocus the camera on the log (often done by pressing the shutter half way) and then fully release the shutter as the dog jumped the log. That way you should also get rid of most of the shutter lag that is an issue on compact cameras (this is the time between pressing the shutter and the picture being taken). All you then have to do is get the dog to jump the log you're focussing on. :lol:

The one big advantage of digital cameras is that trying things out doesn't cost anything! Keep shooting and experimenting and at some point you'll get that great shot you're hoping for!

Hope this helps,

Ric

Dexi'smum · Post by **Dexi'smum** » 28 May 2008, 10:24

Fabulous pictures - and not just the ones of Molly! I love your b&w shots too, which I've always wanted to take but somehow the black is never deep enough, just shades of grey.

I've got a digital Panasonic FX30 - any suggestions on how to capture a decent photo of my black mini so that he comes out better than a dog shaped blob?[/img]

susie · Post by **susie** » 28 May 2008, 10:47

Wow, your gallery is very impressive :shock:

I love the canal ones, I have loads of pictures taken on narrow boat holidays but not one of them captures that special something that yours do. I also have the black dog problem. Looking into getting a new camera, perhaps when we have narrowed it down to a few you would be kind enough to give me your comments.

Eddie · Post by **Eddie** » 28 May 2008, 10:51

Hi Dexi'smum
Sorry I can't help you but I agree with your problem, I think the blacks are very challenging and a lot of the photos seem to end up like your "black blob". I would imagine the solution will lie in the lighting. It my be that you have to force the flash even in daylight but as I said I don't really know.
Ric will hopefully be able to offer more constructive advice.

Molly · Post by **Molly** » 28 May 2008, 20:30

Hi All,

Thanks for the great comments about my photos.

As to taking pictures of black minis then they are going to be a challenge. A few hints are as follows:

Always focus on the eyes

If you want a "catchlight" in the eye then use a touch of flash (often called fill-in flash in your instruction book). This is handy on Schnauzers to get the eye visible behind those wonderful eyebrows!

Most cameras set their exposure assuming that the total picture is just a grey sheet. If you have a very dark dog (e.g. a Black Mini) look for the feature called "Exposure Compensation" and then set the value to about +1 (experiment with this setting and look at the results). Often the reason that you get no detail in the picture is because the camera has under-exposed the overall shot. Try not to include bright highlights in the scene as well - it is difficult for the camera to accurately record the subtle tones of a black dog and also a bright highlight. An example of this is my picture of Molly's nose - one of the reasons that the detail is shown up is that the background is quite muted. Once you've taken your picture remember to reset your Exposure Compensation back to zero or all your shots of other things will come out very bright!

Don't be afraid to experiment - digital photos are free!

Hope this helps,

Ric

Jools · Post by **Jools** » 28 May 2008, 20:59

superb that Ric

Dexi'smum · Post by **Dexi'smum** » 29 May 2008, 12:31

Thanks Ric and Eddy. Now on to the next problem - keeping him still......