AAARRGH!!! I need help!

[Sunrise Valley]

How in the world do you get decent photos of jet black horses? No matter what I do, They have no definition! Just black blobs!

Any digital camera settings advice? ANYTHING???

Lisa

 

[Charlotte]

All of mine come out as black silhouettes so I'm anxious to hear the answers here.

Charlotte

 

[muffntuf]

I took mine in front of a lighter wall with the light direction pointing at them. (Sunlight) So if I remember right, it was more like 3 or 4 in the afternoon.

 

[wildoak]

I'd like to know the answer to that one too. Have never had much luck with black horses and I have a couple of black yearling fillies. I did have a customer/friend come out recently and do some pictures for me that turned out pretty good, of course she has a super camera and did a lot of fiddling with the lighting. We took them mid morning in a somewhat shady area with lots of green, and they are probably the best shots I've had of black horses.

This is the only one I have up so far, and she looks a little faded in it but you can see that she looks more than one dimensional which is what I usually get LOL.

Jan

 

[Sunrise Valley]

Jan, I would LOVE to get one that good!

 

[TripleDstables]

Hmm, it helps to have super defined muscles and a extremely shiny coat for sure. I don't have a black mini, but I have a black quarter horse mare, that is super muscular so it's easy. I've never seen a built mini lol... so I wouldn't know! OH!

 

[Charlotte]

Jan, I would be tickled with a picture that clear!

This seems to be what I get.

Yes there is shadow on him, but even where there is sun just not much detail shows up. Looking at him with the eye he looks fine, but a picture leaves a lot to be desired. Little House is doing a shoot here over July 4th weekend. I know she can get good shots with good detail, but I have to wait till then to have any that are decent for advertising

I suppose the problem is my camera? It cost around $600 so isn't the cheapest on the market for sure. You would think that would do the job.

frustrating!

Charlotte

 

[Keri]

I would think that with a dark horse, you would want to take it more around the time when there isn't a ton of sun so that you don't get shadows. Try later in the afternoon or early morning??? I'm not a photographer, but its worth a try. Also, place them with a nice background. Something like trees or a barn so that it would give the horse definition rather than taking a pic of a horse against a feild or something. Just some ideas. Also, maybe an angular type lighting would help too if you wanted to try that rather than full on light??

 

[wildoak]

Jan, I would be tickled with a picture that clear!

I think it has something to do with the photographer's knowledge and quality of her camera LOL....I took some foal shots in the same area and although it was green and pretty, they lack the crispness and clarity of these. But then mine is pretty much a phd camera (push here dummy).

Sounds like you have a good camera Charlotte, maybe just the lighting that needs adjusting.

Jan

 

[Charlotte]

Keri had some good suggestions. Around here it's hard to shoot without strong sun because of the trees and deep shade. It seems it's either too much shade or too much sun.

Jan, mine is a PHD camera too

I keep it set on auto because I don't know how to do anything else! So I guess when you really get down to it the problem is ME!

Charlotte

 

[disneyhorse]

Black horses and even black pintos are very difficult to look like anything.

Try to get your horse along a lighter background. I have had a lot of black horses, really hard to get pictures that look like anything. Here are some of mine, maybe they will give you some ideas:

 

[CheyAut]

I take a ton of photos, literally hundreds at a time. And hope for some good ones

Play with the lighting, by taking them at different times of the day, and sunny vs some clouds vs very cloudy to see what looks best. Here are some of mine:

And a good camera that makes good detail sure helps

Jessi

 

[Karin - NaKar Miniatures]

I remember reading a couple of years ago in the Miniature Horse World that there was an article about photographing. Black and dark colored horses should be taken in the mornings and red based and white colored horses in the afternoon. Never try and get photos in the middle of the day!

 

[buckonranch]

Black horses are super difficult.. I was told by a Camera tech.. the auto focus cannot focus on black objects because it views the black object as nothing??? We shoot early morning... bright green only trees in background with a huge depth of field. I do think throwing the light on them with the refector helps with the definition, but also gives the pic a glowy look. Thanks goodness this year we dont have so many blacks.. I did them 2 or 3 times last summer.. angie