Some of the best images on this forum are of our Dogs. I believe everyone enjoys seeing them both in action as well as a nice portrait once in a while.
A lot of us have darker colored dogs and if the lighting is not right we tend to loose the shadows all together as well as subtle detail in the 3/4 to slightly darker mid-tones of our images. (lighter shadows). If the lighting we use is the Sun and its high above and behind us we can get nasty shadows below the dogs nose and chin. (This is just like photographing our friends or children with hats on their heads and we loose the forehead detail or get that "Raccoon" look) We shoot them in the shade for nice even lighting and we tend to get an underexposure and that yucky blue hue.
Most of us already know that when shooting the darker dogs we need to bump exposure compensation +1/3 or better to get a proper exposure in the shadows for shape and detail. This is just as we underexpose by -1/3 or better on the white fur or feathers of our birds to hold subtle detail.
The above rules will even apply while we use fill flash as well. We can use "tricky spot metering", but most of the time that alone can cause a problem, especially by blowing a lighter background.
So all in all, the ideal situation would be the sunlight 45 degrees above our backs, somewhat muted and we would still add about +1/3 stops for the darker subject. But then, How often do we get the ideal situation?
We could use this quote: "One of the greatest lines I ever heard from a professional photographer was this... Sometimes you have the right light, sometimes you leave the camera in the truck! " I have to say I would just have to go out business as a Photographer using this as a reference. I also would have to say that over here on the East Coast as well as the Pacific Northwest, we might not see the sun for two weeks at a time.
So! The good Lord gave us the Canon Techies and the Know How to produce controllable artificial light
I must also say that I know very little about the Nikon dedicated flash system available, but I am sure they offer something comparable to the Canon Speedlite's. I will use the Canon system as a reference but you Nikonite's just apply this to your system.
I know a lot of you guys with Xti's as well as the new EOS 40D have a built in flash. This is fine but you need to find a way to *diffuse it. *(soften and spread out the light) You can cut out a piece of translucent material or even a white "hanky" will do! I suggest that even with the built in flash that you invest in an external so that you can use the swivel and tilt-able head for bounce and offset light through accessory diffusers. The built-ins are notorious for hot-spots and red-eye with out some way to disperse the light they produce. Canon offers a reasonable priced 430EX and a highly technical 580EX that can act as a master and trigger slaves. These offer many modes of operation to help you create the best effect you can. The best thing is that our cameras with the use of these Speedlites offer FEL. (Flash exposure Lock) You will preflash the subject with a button on the camera body. (FEL) or (*). This will let the camera pre-meter the flash and lock it in to be used over and over until you pre-flash again. This will work with all modes on our EOS cameras. (AV, TV, M, P) (This was the Wedding or Candid Photographers "Dream Come True)
I primarily shoot the Speedlite in TV mode (Shutter Priority) between 1/60 and the highest shutter that will sync with the flash. This is great for Candids and portraits with lens between 100 and 200mm. 200mm is max for the Speedlites and you need to check your guide number for distance. You can even fire handheld at 1/30. Remember the flash is firing much faster and will freeze the subject. I use 1/30 to add extra ambient light into my background when needed. ( If you have a very dark BG you are trying to hold some detail in) Since I shoot RAW I use the "Auto White Balance" that way I can correct any problem with the ambient during post processing. I use the FEL mode as well!
AV mode can ruin your day in darker situations by allowing the shutter to remain open and can cause movement blur or all sort of strange effects:
Below is a perfect example of this: I came inside and forgot to change the mode!
You notice the movement! This was total and costly mistake! Luckily I caught myself by checking the LCD which I hardly can find time to do during Weddings.
The next image is a "properly" done AV fill flash image. Just enough to fill those dark shadows and faces of the folks in the shade and to minimize the contrast on the Bride!
This is just a drop in the bucket of what the Speedlites are capable of: There is also an AV function that allows just what you say in the first Boo Boo but if done correctly it can create quite a "mood" shot. The camera needs to be on a tripod. Here is an example through a description. I have images like this but buried in my archives. Perhaps you want to photograph the pooch with a beautiful sunrise behind him and control DOF. You will light Doggie and still hold the subtle sunrise.
I could spend hours trying to explain all of the neat features of "fill flash" and how to operate the Speedlites but, I let you guys learn more on your own through practice!
One way to learn the Speedlites is through this very good DVD! You can get it at Adorama or other Mail Order such as Amazon.
Understanding the Canon Speedlite 580EX/430EX by Blue Crane digital)
Now Back to the Dogs!
I love Pet Photography! I bought an entire "Cool Light" non flash lighting system for this pursuit. Stands, Boom, Soft boxes, Umbrellas, and back-lights.
I use this in studio or on Location if I have multiple customers.
Sometimes on location, I will use three 580EX's on stands with umbrellas off camera. Photogenic makes a very nice little package of a Light Stand, Umbrellas and mount for the Speedlight. You do need the Canon ST-E2 transmitter to fire the master and slaves. I love this system. You can also use the ST-ET just as an auto focus assist in low light without any flash. It's a life saver with it's IR focusing assist!
And then as the images below, I just used a single 580EX with a 30 degree up-tilt ( for better dispersion) and a Amber diffuser to warm on the Basset and a white one on My dog Tucker, the Choc Lab
These were shot with the EOS 5D at ISO 100, AWB, TV and FEL mode with a single 580EX, +1/2 comp through the EF 70-200 f2.8L.
Use Fill Flash Guys! Don't give up and crawl back in the Truck!
Enjoy Dizzy
A lot of us have darker colored dogs and if the lighting is not right we tend to loose the shadows all together as well as subtle detail in the 3/4 to slightly darker mid-tones of our images. (lighter shadows). If the lighting we use is the Sun and its high above and behind us we can get nasty shadows below the dogs nose and chin. (This is just like photographing our friends or children with hats on their heads and we loose the forehead detail or get that "Raccoon" look) We shoot them in the shade for nice even lighting and we tend to get an underexposure and that yucky blue hue.
Most of us already know that when shooting the darker dogs we need to bump exposure compensation +1/3 or better to get a proper exposure in the shadows for shape and detail. This is just as we underexpose by -1/3 or better on the white fur or feathers of our birds to hold subtle detail.
The above rules will even apply while we use fill flash as well. We can use "tricky spot metering", but most of the time that alone can cause a problem, especially by blowing a lighter background.
So all in all, the ideal situation would be the sunlight 45 degrees above our backs, somewhat muted and we would still add about +1/3 stops for the darker subject. But then, How often do we get the ideal situation?
We could use this quote: "One of the greatest lines I ever heard from a professional photographer was this... Sometimes you have the right light, sometimes you leave the camera in the truck! " I have to say I would just have to go out business as a Photographer using this as a reference. I also would have to say that over here on the East Coast as well as the Pacific Northwest, we might not see the sun for two weeks at a time.
So! The good Lord gave us the Canon Techies and the Know How to produce controllable artificial light
I must also say that I know very little about the Nikon dedicated flash system available, but I am sure they offer something comparable to the Canon Speedlite's. I will use the Canon system as a reference but you Nikonite's just apply this to your system.
I know a lot of you guys with Xti's as well as the new EOS 40D have a built in flash. This is fine but you need to find a way to *diffuse it. *(soften and spread out the light) You can cut out a piece of translucent material or even a white "hanky" will do! I suggest that even with the built in flash that you invest in an external so that you can use the swivel and tilt-able head for bounce and offset light through accessory diffusers. The built-ins are notorious for hot-spots and red-eye with out some way to disperse the light they produce. Canon offers a reasonable priced 430EX and a highly technical 580EX that can act as a master and trigger slaves. These offer many modes of operation to help you create the best effect you can. The best thing is that our cameras with the use of these Speedlites offer FEL. (Flash exposure Lock) You will preflash the subject with a button on the camera body. (FEL) or (*). This will let the camera pre-meter the flash and lock it in to be used over and over until you pre-flash again. This will work with all modes on our EOS cameras. (AV, TV, M, P) (This was the Wedding or Candid Photographers "Dream Come True)
I primarily shoot the Speedlite in TV mode (Shutter Priority) between 1/60 and the highest shutter that will sync with the flash. This is great for Candids and portraits with lens between 100 and 200mm. 200mm is max for the Speedlites and you need to check your guide number for distance. You can even fire handheld at 1/30. Remember the flash is firing much faster and will freeze the subject. I use 1/30 to add extra ambient light into my background when needed. ( If you have a very dark BG you are trying to hold some detail in) Since I shoot RAW I use the "Auto White Balance" that way I can correct any problem with the ambient during post processing. I use the FEL mode as well!
AV mode can ruin your day in darker situations by allowing the shutter to remain open and can cause movement blur or all sort of strange effects:
Below is a perfect example of this: I came inside and forgot to change the mode!
You notice the movement! This was total and costly mistake! Luckily I caught myself by checking the LCD which I hardly can find time to do during Weddings.
The next image is a "properly" done AV fill flash image. Just enough to fill those dark shadows and faces of the folks in the shade and to minimize the contrast on the Bride!
This is just a drop in the bucket of what the Speedlites are capable of: There is also an AV function that allows just what you say in the first Boo Boo but if done correctly it can create quite a "mood" shot. The camera needs to be on a tripod. Here is an example through a description. I have images like this but buried in my archives. Perhaps you want to photograph the pooch with a beautiful sunrise behind him and control DOF. You will light Doggie and still hold the subtle sunrise.
I could spend hours trying to explain all of the neat features of "fill flash" and how to operate the Speedlites but, I let you guys learn more on your own through practice!
One way to learn the Speedlites is through this very good DVD! You can get it at Adorama or other Mail Order such as Amazon.
Understanding the Canon Speedlite 580EX/430EX by Blue Crane digital)
Now Back to the Dogs!
I love Pet Photography! I bought an entire "Cool Light" non flash lighting system for this pursuit. Stands, Boom, Soft boxes, Umbrellas, and back-lights.
I use this in studio or on Location if I have multiple customers.
Sometimes on location, I will use three 580EX's on stands with umbrellas off camera. Photogenic makes a very nice little package of a Light Stand, Umbrellas and mount for the Speedlight. You do need the Canon ST-E2 transmitter to fire the master and slaves. I love this system. You can also use the ST-ET just as an auto focus assist in low light without any flash. It's a life saver with it's IR focusing assist!
And then as the images below, I just used a single 580EX with a 30 degree up-tilt ( for better dispersion) and a Amber diffuser to warm on the Basset and a white one on My dog Tucker, the Choc Lab
These were shot with the EOS 5D at ISO 100, AWB, TV and FEL mode with a single 580EX, +1/2 comp through the EF 70-200 f2.8L.
Use Fill Flash Guys! Don't give up and crawl back in the Truck!
Enjoy Dizzy
Dizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....you actually made me Dizzy and not a day goes by that I don't use Photoshop. With all due respect, most people don't think like graphics guys...they think like photographers. Or want to...
Thank you for the quick (and very useful) reference guide. I know that I will be referring back to it often! I am looking into taking more waterfowl pictures out in the blind and was wondering what you feel are the best settings for in-flight pictures throughout different times of the day...and info would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks again! 
