billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Typically when photographing anything black or dark your reflected light meter in your camera can be fooled. It will see DARK and want to add light, if your in Aperture Priority it will want to open the lens up, if your in shutter priority it will want to shoot slower to let more light in.
Since you have digital you will see your result right away. So you can experiment a little.
I shoot dark birds in the sky using Aperture Priority, I close the exposure compensation 2 stops for a dark bird. But that's me, you may not want to do that. But you can start with an exposure comp at -1 and go from there.
I would also suggest shooting outside in open shade, in other words, put your dog in the shade and make sure the background is the same, no brighter, this way you will get detail in the eyes of your dog.
Again, experiment, but remember, your camera sees dark and it will want to open up and let in too much light.
You can also shoot in manual and close down one or two stops from what the meter says is right on.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Thanks!

Yes they were my cats.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

The "shadows" control in post processing is your friend here, which will increase tonal separation in the lower tones.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

There is so much nonsense about camera meters doing this or that, or being fooled.

I call it nonsense because it is impossible for a meter to do anything on its own. It can't be "fooled". However, a photographer can misuse the metering system because he/she doesn't fully understand exactly how it works or how to interpret the readings - thus fooled. After all, it's just a measurement tool, like a meat thermometer measures the temperature of meat. If one is not familiar with how it works, one might make the mistake of putting the probe too close to the bone, or almost clear through to the other side - which could result in an overdone or underdone prime roast rib. Or, to add another layer of complexity, how you cook the meat can impact what your result will be - a low cooking temp and long cooking time will result in a evenly cooked meat from face to face. High temp cooking will result in great "bark" (the caramelized crust on flame-cooked or high temp cooked meat), and sometimes a blue center, where the meat has a gradient from well done to rare to well done. In the hands of a skilled cook, these things are not problems, and the thermometer doesn't lie. But in the hands of someone less experienced success is a goal that is not always achieved.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

Agree!

PhotoKenetic

You can use a "poor-man's" gray card, either the palm of your hand or a gray rock. The following steps assume Manual Mode, with Auto-ISO off. You could also use Shutter- or Aperture- priority.

1) Take your pet to where you want to make the photograph.
2) Aim at the "gray" and half-press the shutter (don't worry about focus).
3) Adjust shutter, aperture or ISO until the meter points to the middle of the scale.

This will get you close to the correct exposure. With those settings, take a test shot and tweak as necessary.

A10 Loc: Southern Indiana

Novel idea from a pet photographer, spritz dog LIGHTLY with water. This will catch the light and make him stand out. Also follow the advice of the photographers above like E.L. Shapiro.

GLKTN Loc: TN

I have the same problem photographing my wife's almost black irises. Even more difficult are the irises with black or dark brown drop petals and pure white top petals. I will try using a gray card to meter the light first.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

"Your cameras meter will overexposed a dark subject trying to achieve 18% gray. Turn your exposure compensation dial to -1 or even a bit more to get proper exposure."

That is exactly what has to be done for a proper exposure of a dark subject and if you know how to use spot metering that should be your metering modality.
Exposure is basic photography.

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

GLKTN Loc: TN

I use spot metering on the two tone irises. If I meter the white the black is too dark. If I meter the dark the white is over exposed. Wedding photographers must have it figured out shooting black tux and white dresses.

dave.m

I too had problems with metering - not animals - but people in bright Mediterranean light wher my family appearing overexposed. This was not a problem in UK with our more temperate lighting. Did some reading and it seems that white people are too light for 18% grey and black people are too dark. It is a credit to the Ev latitude of modern digital cameras and post processing of RAW exposure that it is not too often ashow stopper.

Returning to the reading, it suggested Hally Berry as an example of complexion colour for 18% metering From that, it is suggested that with a reflectance meter (ie in camera) you may need open up to get the right exposure for black skin tones and close down for white.

Another option already suggested, is of course looking to meter off something that is typically about 18%, and suggested green grass as one of many options.

Best of all is an incidence light meter - yet another item of equipment to purchase and carry! Is that why wedding photographers with the perennial problem of people and clothing varying across almost the whole spectrum?

Any wedding photographers with good advice?

billroach2717

Is this right?

The camera sees black and wants to turn it to grey. It does so by "over-exposing" the image. But we don't want the image over-exposed so we turn down the exposure compensation (-1 etc) to take away some of that light.

If the camera sees white and wants to turn it to grey, just the reverse. We would add exposure compensation. (+1) to add some light and keep the white nice and clean.

It seems to me someone was saying the opposite.

Thanks. Love the forum.

MrBob Loc: lookout Mtn. NE Alabama

Ah, the black buffalo in a field of white snow problem.... wait till the animal is in a driving blizzard and the snow and Ice on the dark coat will help to balance the exposure; or mask it off and process dark and light individually.

ashriverguy Loc: Rural Minnesota

There are lots of good ideas here but the most important thing to get right are the EYES. Whether it’s humans, birds, mammals, fish, or black dogs etc, we need to get the eyes right. Most of the time a small catchlight is ideal. I have had very good results with the little pop up flash on my camera, at times. The pop up flash is always worth a try especially if it all you have at the time.