5 Tips Photographing Black Dogs
Black dogs can be really hard to photograph well so here’s 5 tips to help you.
Know where the light is. If you’re outside, the light is the sun. The dog should be facing the sun so the light is in his face.
Learn about light. What kind of light is there? Is it bright sunlight? Is it cloudy? This matters a lot with all photography but especially with a black dog.
On a sunny day, shoot earlier in the day or later in the evening when the sun is closer to the ground. The light is prettier then. Place the dog in some shade. In Charlotte we have trees everywhere so place the dog under a tree, close to the edge of the shade. Don’t place the dog all the way under the tree right by the trunk. He needs to be closer to where the shade ends and the sun begins. This will allow some light to hit his face.
On a cloudy day, figure out where the sun is and make sure the dog’s face it pointed toward the sun. If it’s really cloudy, he could still look pretty dark. Totally cloudy, overcast days wouldn’t be ideal for photographing a black dog unless you’re going for a really moody look.
Be patient. Keep in mind most dogs don’t understand what you’re asking them to do. Reward him with treats when he does well.
The last of the 5 tips wasn’t black dog specific but is really important so I thought I should mention it.
Taking wall-worthy photos isn’t easy. Photography can be difficult to learn but these 5 tips can definitely help you have better luck when photographing black dogs.
I actually love photographing black dogs.
This is Jack and he was my first photoshoot of 2025. And I broke all of the rules I told you in my 5 tips.
The light was really pretty, it was a little breezy, and I knew it would frame him beautifully. It did.
This is called backlighting because the light source (the sun) is at the subject’s back. In the right conditions, backlighting will also create rim light which is the light around his edges that is framing him.
These photos were all taken in January when the trees are bare. But the light was pretty and I have some lenses that allow me to really blur the background so you can’t really see the trees in the background.
You just see the cute dog and the pretty light.
This last photo is of Jack and his mom. This was a candid moment. So far it’s one of my favorite photos I’ve taken so far this year. I think it is very sweet.
I hope these tips help. If you have a black dog you’d like for me to photograph, please reach out.