photographing black pets | WEGGIEBOY'S BLOG by Doug Thomas

Black cats are difficult to photograph inside. Invariably, the best “poses” or activities happen in the places with poor lighting. Dougy is just enough darker than Andy that my little point-and-shoot Nikon Coolpix S100 poops out a flash in places it’d go for natural light with Andy.

As a result, Dougy is more camera-shy than his brother: He hates that flash. Can’t blame him!

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That’s a typical flash photo of Dougy. It takes a moment for the camera’s capacitor (I guess it is) to build up power for a flash, and Dougy almost always beats the flash by closing his eyes!

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Flash in the eyes, Dougy took off. So I attempted telephoto shots.

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Ugh!

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Yes, in all instances, he anticipated the flash, turned away, then ran away.

Later in the day, he came under my computer desk to see me. I got a chance, finally, to get a decent photo of Dougy where there was lots of light coming in from the back door.

Of course, when I tripped the shutter, I wiggled the camera enough for a blurry photo that Photoshopping can’t improve. Rats!

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But I didn’t know that at the time. I got one photo of Dougy. The flash didn’t go off. He didn’t run away! And I got two more photos of him.

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Fair, but I would have liked less “profile” and for “head on”.

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Oh well. Here’s my usual result when I take Dougy’s photo! It isn’t easy photographing black cats.

Anyone with a black pet of any species knows how hard it is to get a decent photo of their baby. Andy and Dougy are no different, and the challenge of capturing the subtleties of their coats as well as a recognizable image is daunting.

Yesterday afternoon, when I took the photos in post 356, I wasn’t totally satisfied with Andy’s photo. Sure, it captures his quiet side, but I wasn’t satisfied with the color of his coat: Too dark!

So, I went back to work. Here’s a first effort, which apparently was in a darker spot because the flash triggered:

Umm. OK enough, if not an improvement over the one of Andy in yesterday’s Post 356.

I’d like to blame the point-and-shoot camera for any technical issues or lack of art, but knowing one’s tool, a simple pinhole camera can make fantastic, beautiful photos. The more technology one has behind a photo, the less one has to think about what one’s doing. Even so, that $3000 Nikon just takes snapshots if one doesn’t know the tool and trusts all the decisions to the camera.

My little Nikon Coolpix S100 is adequate technology for my amateur use, yet it, too, can create interesting and beautiful photos! Then again, many times the “best” shot with a point-and-shoot camera is more accidental than planned, and the effect achieved – if only one could duplicate it – transcends the simple technology used to make it. It approaches art!