This came through my Facebook and thought it would help people with black cats
http://www.catchannel.com/cat-pictures/photograph-black-cats.aspx
http://www.catchannel.com/cat-pictures/photograph-black-cats.aspx
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Some tips on taking pictures of black cats
- Thread starter natalie_ca
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I think black cats make the best and most magnificent photos when done in the right light and setting. They are so stunningly beautiful. Thanks for sharing!!! 
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Although the referenced article is aimed at phone cameras, the advice is applicable to any camera. For me the three most important factors to consider in photographing black cats are: lighting, exposure and ISO.
Lighting:
Because back fur absorbs so much of the light that falls on it, adequate lighting is paramount. It is very difficult to capture a good image of a black cat when she’s illuminated only by a desk or floor lamp.
For natural light (sunlight), I like to position my black cat, Lucy, near a window – usually within a few feet. Overcast days offer nice, soft light that wraps around Lucy. On sunny days, when the highlights on her fur are too bright and the shadows are too dark, I tape a thin white garbage bag or a piece of tracing paper over the window to soften the light (homemade diffusor). Rooms with northern facing windows work especially great, since northern light is naturally soft.
If the shadows are still too dark, leaning a white poster board against a chair to “bounce” additional light into the shadows helps lighten them.
Exposure:
Sometimes obtaining a proper exposure with black fur can be tricky. If your cat’s fur doesn’t show enough detail in the image, you need to increase the exposure. In one of the semi automatic camera modes, like Program or Aperture Priority add about 1 F-Stop of plus exposure compensation. You may have to play with the compensation to find the right amount.
If your camera offers an Exposure Alert Warning (often called “Blinkies”), turning it on will help you spot exposure problems. When this feature is enabled, parts of the picture that are too dark or too bright will blink.
ISO
One final thing to consider when photographing black cats is digital noise – those weird white or colored specks that sometimes show up in the dark areas of a picture. A high ISO, which is a measure of the camera sensor’s sensitivity to light, adds to noise. I try to keep the ISO at or below ISO 400 to minimize this potential problem.
Sample Image:
Below is a sample image of Lucy using the technique described above.
Hopefully others will chime in with their tips and tricks for photographing black cats. I often use flash for taking pictures of Lucy, but that's a bit more complicated.
EndFragment
Lighting:
Because back fur absorbs so much of the light that falls on it, adequate lighting is paramount. It is very difficult to capture a good image of a black cat when she’s illuminated only by a desk or floor lamp.
For natural light (sunlight), I like to position my black cat, Lucy, near a window – usually within a few feet. Overcast days offer nice, soft light that wraps around Lucy. On sunny days, when the highlights on her fur are too bright and the shadows are too dark, I tape a thin white garbage bag or a piece of tracing paper over the window to soften the light (homemade diffusor). Rooms with northern facing windows work especially great, since northern light is naturally soft.
If the shadows are still too dark, leaning a white poster board against a chair to “bounce” additional light into the shadows helps lighten them.
Exposure:
Sometimes obtaining a proper exposure with black fur can be tricky. If your cat’s fur doesn’t show enough detail in the image, you need to increase the exposure. In one of the semi automatic camera modes, like Program or Aperture Priority add about 1 F-Stop of plus exposure compensation. You may have to play with the compensation to find the right amount.
If your camera offers an Exposure Alert Warning (often called “Blinkies”), turning it on will help you spot exposure problems. When this feature is enabled, parts of the picture that are too dark or too bright will blink.
ISO
One final thing to consider when photographing black cats is digital noise – those weird white or colored specks that sometimes show up in the dark areas of a picture. A high ISO, which is a measure of the camera sensor’s sensitivity to light, adds to noise. I try to keep the ISO at or below ISO 400 to minimize this potential problem.
Sample Image:
Below is a sample image of Lucy using the technique described above.
Hopefully others will chime in with their tips and tricks for photographing black cats. I often use flash for taking pictures of Lucy, but that's a bit more complicated.
EndFragment
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Ha, been encountering the same problem with Miss Pea-Pea. I asked my nephew (who has taken up professional photography as a hobby) to bring over his equipment next time he's at my house so he can take some pics.
Hopefully your nephew will get some great pictures of Miss Pea-Pea that you can share with us. Best of luck.
There's a Facebook page called For the Love of Black Cats where people post pics of their black cats. Most of them are very good. Most of the black shorthairs have glossy coats, which is always good to catch. RickR, your pic of Lucy is fabulous.
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I usually have to take a series of pics before I get one (out of 20) that works. Keeker moves around a lot and always seems to know when I am about to shoot - even when he is in a 'deep sleep', he manages to wake up and/or move. Some days I feel like a tourist in my own home with a camera hanging around my neck for hours just hoping to catch the right picture. Unfortunately, I have east windows in my apartment, so natural light isn't optimum.
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What intriguing yellow eyes. And beautiful highlights.
Yes, cat photography is largely a game of percentages; I get a lot of duds for every keeper. That's part of the fun, though. BTW: eastern facing windows produce soft light in the evenings; you might find that times around late afternoon produce nice results.
Yes, cat photography is largely a game of percentages; I get a lot of duds for every keeper. That's part of the fun, though. BTW: eastern facing windows produce soft light in the evenings; you might find that times around late afternoon produce nice results.
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Thanks. Keeker's eyes fluctuate between a bright yellow- gold, ochre, amber, and a dark honey color depending on his mood and the lighting. Hard to believe when I brought him home his eyes were a deep azure. And his coat stays pretty glossy - sometimes in the evening he almost has blue tints on his fur. He shows highlights well. But he is not much of a poser. The pics I get of him are pure luck! His brother is a Maine Coon and is a camera ham. Kricket also has gold eyes, but they sometimes show glints of light pear green. His fur shows well in pics too because he is a black Mackerel Tabby with White - so, a lot of contrast. I wish I had more time to devote to taking their pics, but I don't, so I mostly get 'spur of the moment' captures.
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Sometimes it's hit or miss with Milly, but I love these two shots - hooray for the sunbeam!
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I love the sunbeams.
