26 Saber Tails Spring 2016

Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America

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Caption/Technical Information

B

ernie and Kiki Singing.  Taken in December 2002 when 

Bernie was about 6 months old, using my first digital 

camera, a Nikon Coolpix 4500.  The camera was only 4 

megapixels.   Today even cell phone cameras have greater 

resolution.  Flash exposure, ISO 100, f/2.6, 1/60 sec.

B

ernie and Kiki Looking Out Window.  Available light.  

Subjects are on arm rest of couch near a large win-

dow.  The background is dark because relatively little light 

reaches the wall in back of the dogs, and it is dark in color 

anyway.  Nikon D300. 18-200mm lens, at 32mm, 48mm 

full-frame equivalent, ISO 800, f/4.2, 1/80 sec.

K

iki and Bernie Indoors in Sunlight.  Available light on 

floor in shaft of sunlight coming through window.  

D300.  10-20mm lens @ 20mm (30mm equivalent).  ISO 

400, f/10.0, 1/400 sec.

S

usie and Bernie Looking Up.  Flash used, with “pet eye” 

showing in Bernie’s eyes.  I darkened Bernie’s eyes with 

an adjustment in post-processing software.  D300. 18-200 

lens, 18mm (27mm equivalent), ISO 800, f/7.1, 1/60 sec.   

  

P

uppy Susie on Couch.  Bounced flash.  D300 with 18-

200 lens, 32mm (48mm equivalent), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/60 

sec.

F

or most indoor photos, you’ll likely be using a wider 

aperture indoors than outdoors in brighter light, 

whether the aperture is set by you or the camera’s auto-

mation.  As a result you’ll have relatively shallow depth 

of field.  That’s the distance in front of and behind the 

place or feature that you’re focusing on.  In a closeup, 

usually you’ll want to try to have the dog’s nearest eye 

sharp.  The rest of the dog’s head and body and the sur-

roundings, can be less sharp without detracting from 

the photo.  If you’re taking a photo of a dog in a pool 

of sunlight, the illumination will be much brighter, the 

aperture can be smaller (higher f number) and depth of 

field will be less of a consideration. 

I

ndoors, using room light, you have the issue of color 

temperature, which varies depending on the kind of 

illumination.  Light sources can be warmer - redder - or 

cooler - bluer.  Incandescent lamps tend to be relatively 

warm, or red, to a camera.  (Our eyes compensate and 

ordinarily we’re not aware of this.)  That’s why indoor 

available light photos often look reddish.  To deal with 

that, you need to use a camera’s indoor or artificial light 

setting.  Fluorescent lights can vary widely in color 

temperature.  Some are designed to be warmer, to look 

more like incandescent light, some are colder, more blu-

ish.  Most cameras can adjust for the color temperature 

of the light automatically, but that automation does not 

always work well.  If you review your photos and find the 

color is off, use a color temperature adjustment (often 

marked “indoors” or “fluorescent”) if it’s available on your 

camera.

A

ll of this assumes that you’re planning a photo ses-

sion with your dog and have some control over the 

condition and camera settings.  But if your 

dog is doing something cute and unex-

pected and your camera is nearby--just grab 

it.  Fire away and see what the camera comes 

up with.  Sometimes the best photos are 

unplanned and less than perfect technically, 

but more than make up for that in spontane-

ity and expression.

H

ave fun, enjoy photographing your dog 

and the chances are good the dog will 

want to please you and enjoy it too.  

Kiki and Susie - photograph on left displaying ‘pet 

eye’ which is corrected on right.