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HOME » Photographing Inky The Black Cat

Photographing Inky The Black Cat

26/12/2018 by Marjorie Dawson 9 Comments

Today we put cool cat Inky in the photographic ‘spotlight’.

My practice with the DSLR is paying dividends after the recent Pet Parade post about photographing our black cat Phoebe. If you struggle to get black fur looking convincing read on!

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Photographing Inky The Black Cat

Capturing detail in a dark subject set against a lighter background presents a challenge of balancing exposure: You want to record detail in the darker areas but don’t want to lose detail in the lighter tones.

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This is Inky, who is a worker cat (permanent resident) at Neko Ngeru Cat Adoption Cafe. I was conscious of the need to capture detail and focus correctly so selected the ‘portrait’ mode on my camera dial.

 Pet Parade 280 Photographing Inky the Black Cat

The cafe is airy with bright natural light which made my project easier. Flash is prohibited in the cafe so the correct settings can make a difference.

I decided to post this picture without any enhancement. Do you see how the light catches so much of Inky’s fur? There are lots of highlights and low lights giving him shape and dimension. When you take photographs make sure you have as much natural light as you can get!

There are still areas of shadow in my picture but there are times when light enhancement in a photo editing application allows you to capture a more successful photograph.

Let me share with you why this is. It’s because you have left details in the original picture that can be edited. If areas of fur are overexposed there is nothing to edit.

© Portrait of Inky

I know an expert would have achieved a better image using full Manual mode but I am working towards becoming more familiar with my camera settings over the coming months so that I can try my Canon camera’s options.

Inky The Black Cat Is a Success!

I am happy that I selected the right portrait setting for Inky’s picture. I got down at cat level and his attention was elsewhere.

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Filed Under: Camera Skills Tagged With: Pet Parade

Meet Marjorie, Writer and Photographer

Portrait by a window with teddy bears Taken with a smartphone.Marjorie is a cat lover, photographer and smartphone moviemaker who loves sharing her knowledge with learners.

Marjorie is a Cat Writers’ Association Professional member, CWA Muse® Medallion and Certificate Winner, and winner of the CWA Kuykendall Image Award for her photography.

 

Comments

  1. Melissa Clinton says

    31/12/2018 at 4:29 pm

    Black animals can be tricky to photograph but done right, the results are amazing.

    Reply
  2. ERin the cat says

    27/12/2018 at 8:50 pm

    Love the pictures, they came out really well. I think we will very much be looking forwards to your photography updates once you, or indeed whilst you, find various new things to do with the settings–be they manual or auto.
    Purrs
    ERin

    Reply
  3. The Swiss Cats says

    27/12/2018 at 7:41 am

    Inky is beautiful ! Great picture ! Purrs

    Reply
    • Marjorie Dawson says

      27/12/2018 at 11:15 am

      Thank you, I’m learning!

      Reply
  4. Brian Frum says

    27/12/2018 at 2:30 am

    You sure did good and Inky looks most wonderful!

    Reply
  5. Dorothy "FiveSibesMom" says

    26/12/2018 at 8:49 pm

    Love black cats! We adopted a feral tuxedo, even though he thinks the entire neighborhood is his! That is a great portrait of Inky, who is just a cutie pie!

    Reply
  6. Summer says

    26/12/2018 at 6:33 pm

    Inky looks lovely in the natural light!

    Reply
  7. mommakatandherbearcat says

    26/12/2018 at 6:28 pm

    Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. We’re glad to call you our friends. Black cats are such exquisite creatures. Too bad pictures of them often turn out less than perfect. I’m still learning!

    Reply
  8. Ellen Pilch says

    26/12/2018 at 2:12 pm

    Inky is a cutie! Merry Christmas! XO

    Reply

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