Aug
2012
The Camera Does Not Like My Dog
In my very short experience in photography I have noticed that the camera either likes or doesn’t like it’s subject. There’s no in the middle.
Some people may argue that any good photographer has the skill to get the camera to like it’s subject and while that may be the case in some instances, it is not in mine. I’m an amateur and still learning.
My camera does not like Sherman and Sherman does like the camera, which is why you don’t see him on the blog as much as you see Leroy. Leroy is extremely photogenic. The camera loves him and he loves the camera. I don’t have to do much talking when Leroy is featured here. His pictures speak for themselves and his personality shines right through them.
Sherman is a different story. The camera sees him as a big pile of mush, it does nothing for his sweet disposition and beautiful eyes.
I have hundreds of pictures of Sherman and maybe 5 are keepers. No matter how hard I try, no matter what steps I take, I can’t get his personality to shine through the lens.
Until the other day. I got the perfect shot of him.
It may not be perfect by photography standards, but it’s perfect for me. It’s what I see everyday. His sweet face, his sweet expression and his beautiful, big brown droopy eyes. It shows his innocence and his soul.
He was trying to find a bird that he heard chirping in the trees.
Birds are his favorite. They intrigue him. He doesn’t try to catch them, he just wants to get to know them better.
I see this expression on his face every day and this is the picture that I always have in my head of him. This is Sherman and now I have it on film.
So how about you? Do you ever feel that the camera does not do your dog justice?
Misaki
August 7, 2012 at 5:34 am (316 days ago)Nice to meet you both!
I’m very good at looking away from the camera at the very last minute:-) It drives mummy crazy!
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:39 pm (315 days ago)Nice to meet you too! Sherman and Leroy like to drive me crazy too!
Emma
August 7, 2012 at 7:16 am (316 days ago)Have you worked on adjusting your white balance and/or light meter? My sister is solid white and mom has trouble getting shots of her besides the fact that she usually refuses to look at the camera. His fur may be slightly different than Leroy and need different light settings. Just a thought.
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:41 pm (315 days ago)You know I have. I have been playing with my white balance and ISO settings and I just am not doing something right because the pictures come out blurry! It’s something that I plan to keep on working with.
2 brown dawgs
August 7, 2012 at 7:31 am (316 days ago)Those are great pictures of Sherman. Love his expression. In the first picture it looks like he has a heart shaped tongue. So cute!
But I know what you mean. It is very tough to get a good picture of Storm. When I get them, I feel like I won a jackpot!
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:41 pm (315 days ago)Thank you! I love his tongue! It is shaped just like a heart!
Taryn
August 7, 2012 at 7:40 am (316 days ago)I know what you mean about cameras liking or not liking someone. In all my years I’ve seen only one or two photos of myself that were tolerable! It’s gotten to the point where even on an exotic vacation, I avoid having my picture taken.
And between my dogs, Wilson is the natural, always willing to strike a pose and stare into the lens. Jimmy, being black, is harder to photograph on a technical level, and also he hates to look at the camera. I guess the giant eye is intimidating.
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:42 pm (315 days ago)LOL! I am not very photogenic either! The camera does nothing for me!
Sherman has been around a camera all his life and he has never liked it, maybe one day:)
Phantom, Thunder, Ciara, and Lightning
August 7, 2012 at 8:14 am (316 days ago)Those are some great photos of Sherman – nice job. Mom says the toughest for her is Lightning. Besides the trouble of his “whiteness”, he is so long and lanky everywhere that he looks weird in pics, not like he really is. He IS thin but not as scrawny as he looks.
Keep up the great work.
Woos – Phantom, Thunder, Ciara, and Lightning
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:43 pm (315 days ago)Thank you! I had the same issues with Leroy when he was growing, he looked like such a dork in all his pictures but that really wasn’t what he looked in person!
houndstooth
August 7, 2012 at 8:35 am (316 days ago)Ha ha ha! Well, with the black tornado, it’s hard to capture a picture right now that’s not a huge blur! lol We’re working on it, because I WILL have a good Christmas card photo this year, by golly!
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:44 pm (315 days ago)But you make it look so easy with your pictures!
Kimberly, The Fur Mom
August 7, 2012 at 9:27 am (316 days ago)I love love love photography and have learned to be super patient with our dogs. What I find is that our puppy is fascinated by the camera. He’s just learning ‘stay’ so I’ve been able to get some good pictures, but taking picture of three active black dogs isn’t easy and takes a lot of time, patience, and a few swear words muttered beneath my breath.
I like these pictures. The last one is my favorite; so warm.
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:45 pm (315 days ago)See patience is something I am working on. I have never been very good at it, but I think I may be getting with age:)
Thank you for the complement!
rottrover
August 7, 2012 at 10:31 am (316 days ago)Both Bart and Ruby are pretty photogenic, but Gizmo was like Sherman. I could NOT capture a photo of him that conveyed what I see. In the last 6 months of his life, or so, I was able to get a few “keepers.” I’m SO glad I have them – he was such a wonderful guy.
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:46 pm (315 days ago)I know, I am so glad I have a few good pictures of Sherman that really show “him”. Those will last forever:)
Blueberry's human
August 7, 2012 at 11:02 am (316 days ago)I think the camera does a pretty good job of capturing B’s expressions, but I have to take like 50 pictures of her in order to get one out of them that comes closest to revealing her personality. I just have a little digital camera though, so I am actually pleased with most of the “good” pics I can get out of it.
Loved these pics by the way!
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:47 pm (315 days ago)I hear you! I can never just take one good picture, I have to take a few hundred ok pictures first:)
Diane and Cosmo @ To Dog With Love
August 7, 2012 at 11:42 am (316 days ago)Great photos of Sherman! I have the same struggle with Cosmo. I think it’s because he’s fluffy and his shape isn’t well defined… and then there’s his dark face. He looks best in motion or when he has his eye on a squirrel! I find I can get the best shots with a zoom, he doesn’t like to look at the camera either!
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:47 pm (315 days ago)I love all of Cosmo’s pictures! He always looks perfect!
Beth
August 7, 2012 at 12:48 pm (316 days ago)How great you finally got some photos that look like the real Sherman. He sure is handsome!
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:36 pm (315 days ago)Thank you Beth!
Jodi
August 7, 2012 at 1:03 pm (316 days ago)That is a cute photo!
Sampson is the same way Leroy is, very photogenic and very good with the camera.
Delilah is like Sherman, I cannot seem to take a picture of her that shows her beauty. She is a beautiful dog.
Whenever I pull out the camera she walks straight up to it so her photos always show a dog with glowing eyes too close to the camera. LOL
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:35 pm (315 days ago)LOL, at least Delilah walks up to the camera! Sherman tries to run the other way!
Nichole
August 7, 2012 at 1:09 pm (316 days ago)Don’t you just jump for joy when you realize you DID get that perfect shot? I know I do… and yes, sometimes it does take 100 before we get that ONE!
Beautiful!
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:34 pm (315 days ago)I did jump for joy! Finally I got a good picture of him!
24 Paws of Love
August 7, 2012 at 2:28 pm (316 days ago)OH, I have the same problem with Silver. And sometimes I few of the other dogs, but Silver I really have a hard time catching her personality really well. Seems like darker dogs are always more difficult to really get a good angle.
Great shot of Sherman. You forgot to mention the little drips of drool!!
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:34 pm (315 days ago)It’s funny, I never thought of Sherman’s color as the reason I shouldn’t get a good shot, but it makes total sense! see that’s why I am an amateur!
Finn
August 7, 2012 at 3:47 pm (316 days ago)Its funny- there are times when I take a picture of Finn and I have no idea how it is her,even though it is her, because she looks so bad. I guess even dogs have bad hair days! I love that picture you posted too, sometimes we can catch the perfect moment and you can see it in the picture. Have great Tuesday!
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:32 pm (315 days ago)LOL, I hear! There are so many times I have taken a picture and wondered whose dog I just photographed, because it doesn’t look like mine!
Jackie
August 7, 2012 at 5:08 pm (316 days ago)Great photos!
I had to invest in a better camera when we got Abby. She was so speedy & hyper that I had nothing but blurry pics of her for the first month. When she got a little older, she became a total ham. She loved the camera! And she was SO gorgeous – I used to call her my “super model cover girl” (she was on the cover of one of the Tripawds.com’s calendars).
With Rita, she has a very dark face and dark patches around her eyes, so I have a much harder time getting great photos of her. I have a few cute ones, but a lot of times, when I try to get close ups of her face, they just don’t do her justice, so I have the same problem you do with Sherman. I need the lighting to be just right to get a great pic of her.
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:31 pm (315 days ago)Wow! Congratulations on Abby being a cover model! That is great!
I hear you! The camera just does not do some of these beautiful dogs justice!
Daisy
August 7, 2012 at 6:26 pm (316 days ago)Taking photos of black dogs is difficult. Either you get the blog effect or washed out effect if using flash. We think your pictures are beautiful, and we can see Sherman’s soul shining out.
XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:30 pm (315 days ago)Awwww, thank you! I love his soul!
I never thought about the dark colors being difficult to photograph, I thought it was just me!
Melfr
August 7, 2012 at 7:18 pm (316 days ago)Absolutely LOVE that picture of Sherman! As you can probably tell, Jasper is my Leroy. Daisy is my Sherman. She is afraid of the camera. I have very few good pictures of her as a result. I so feel your pain. Sherman is so very adorable. I am so glad you caught that shot.
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:29 pm (315 days ago)Thanks Mel! It’s funny how it seems like a lot of us have a dog that loves the camera and one that doesn’t!
Diana Stoll
August 7, 2012 at 8:03 pm (316 days ago)I just want to say that I have always appreciated your photos of Sherman — he’s such a big, precious sweetheart! I’m SO glad that you got a picture of him that you feel shows his true wonderfulness. Glory is hard to photograph because she’s black, and somehow the lighting is never quite right. Whenever we get a good one, it’s a treasure.
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:28 pm (315 days ago)Awwww, thank you so much for the kind words Diana! I am so glad I was able to get this picture too! It’s a keeper!
Both the Newfs seem to photograph better outside than inside, so I try to make sure to take my camera outside all the time! I have a ton of not so good photos!
Dachshund Nola and her Mom
August 7, 2012 at 9:20 pm (315 days ago)I love the second to last picture! The camera adores Nola, and she adores the camera. It’s hard to take a bad picture of Nola. She holds still perfectly so I can adjust shutter speed/aperture/ISO all that good stuff. She really does belong in pictures
My other three, not so much. That why it Dachshund Nola, not Nola, Boston, Auggie and Phoenix LOL
Nola’s Mom
Dachshund Nola and her Mom
August 7, 2012 at 9:20 pm (315 days ago)I think it’s Nola’s widows peak that gives her such an expressive face
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:25 pm (315 days ago)LOL, her widows peak gives her character:)
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:26 pm (315 days ago)I hear you, the camera adores Leroy too. I can do just about anything and he just sits there and looks at me!
Maddy & Owen
August 7, 2012 at 9:57 pm (315 days ago)You sure captured some great pictures of sherman! He is quite handsome.
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:24 pm (315 days ago)Thank you:)
Jen K
August 7, 2012 at 10:02 pm (315 days ago)Adorable photos!
Moses is to me as Sherman is to you, definitely! (And we all know Alma and Leroy are littermates-from-another-mother.)
I can’t imagine brown newfs are much easier to photograph than the black ones, so I totally sympathize.
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:24 pm (315 days ago)Ha-ha! Thanks Jen
That is funny that Moses is just like Sherman and Leroy is like Alma on the photogenic category! I swear those 2 are related!
caren gittleman
August 7, 2012 at 10:27 pm (315 days ago)Awwww that was soooo sweet and Sherman is just precious!
My boys are both “hams” it’s ME who is the problem!
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:22 pm (315 days ago)Thanks Caren! I think you do just fine taking photos!
Misty Shores Chesapeakes
August 7, 2012 at 10:29 pm (315 days ago)Those are fabulous photos of Sherman!!
Yes I do think the camera does not always like my subject but then again maybe it just doesn’t like the person behind the lens
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:22 pm (315 days ago)Thank you! and I agree, I think sometimes my camera has a grudge against me;)
Kari
August 7, 2012 at 10:37 pm (315 days ago)Baily and the camera have the same issue
Stop on by for a visit
Kari
http://www.dogisgodinreverse.com
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:51 pm (315 days ago)I bet Big Carl doesn’t have any issues with the camera:)
Two french Bulldogs
August 7, 2012 at 11:05 pm (315 days ago)you crack us up!
Benny & Lily
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:51 pm (315 days ago)Ha-ha! Thanks:)
Peggy Frezon
August 7, 2012 at 11:26 pm (315 days ago)Oh my dog, I agree. That photo has so much heart. I love it!!
Jen
August 7, 2012 at 11:51 pm (315 days ago)Thank you Peggy! That brings a huge smile to my face:)))))))))
Julie
August 8, 2012 at 1:04 am (315 days ago)Sherman is SO HANDSOME!! Just keep taking pictures! The more you take, the better you get! Are you a canon or a nikon girl? I use my AV setting and always try to focus on the eyes – it takes a while to get the hang of photographing dark dogs – I love every single one of these!!
sprinkles
August 8, 2012 at 5:09 am (315 days ago)Chico is mostly black, so it’s hard to get a good photograph. I feel like his dark eyes blend into his face in pix.
Shiver, on the other hand, is reddish colored and tends to looks better in photos. He doesn’t like the camera though.
Priscilla
August 8, 2012 at 7:35 am (315 days ago)I realised that Eva is photogenic only when she’s alert, so for example, when a car gets her attention, or when there’s food involved. And most of the time, you can only see her real personality when the camera is not there! So, sometimes it is hard to get a pretty photo of her…because many of them end up with her looking rather ugly!! LOL
Amy@GoPetFriendly
August 9, 2012 at 3:17 am (314 days ago)Those are great photos of Sherman! I do have trouble photographing my boys – because Buster is black and Ty is tan it’s really hard to have both of them look good given that I’m usually working with just natural light. Adjusting things in my photo editing software helps some, but I love those days when the stars align and both the boys look great.
Roo
August 11, 2012 at 6:33 am (312 days ago)Awww what a sweet photo. Sherman likes birdies. Awwww.
Waggin at ya,
Roo
Jen
August 11, 2012 at 3:51 pm (312 days ago)thank you Roo!