Capture The Dog...

[OldClicker]

We foster dogs and I'm trying to get pictures that capture "The Dog" for the web site. I'm working within the confines of a pen which limits my distance and background. I have already received some help from the Help forum to get better exposure so that we can actually see the dog and not just a black space. Thanks for any further input. - TF

[SmartWombat]

The closer the better for a portrait.
And focus on the eyes, not the nose.
If your camera's autofocus is picking up the nose as the closest object, maybe manual focus is the answer.
Or changing the AF settings to use a single focus point and putting that right over the dog's eye.

[OldClicker]

The closer the better for a portrait.
And focus on the eyes, not the nose.
If your camera's autofocus is picking up the nose as the closest object, maybe manual focus is the answer.
Or changing the AF settings to use a single focus point and putting that right over the dog's eye.

I did use the center-only focus and aimed for the eyes for focus lock, but the big guy isn't exactly holding still during all of this. - TF

[Greg McCary]

Black animals against a light background are tough. My only suggestions would be to shoot on a cloudy day. You did well to get in heavy shade. Also if you shoot in RAW format you can adjust the darks and lights and really bring out more detail than just shooting JPEG. Nice work I really like the last one.

[SmartWombat]

If he's not holding still, try AI Servo instead of one-shot.
Sometimes it's better, though for a truly stationary shot I'd always use one-shot AF or manual focus if my eyes were better.