This is an image of my dog that I took the s winter. It was a beautiful sunset and I told my dog to sit in that position and wait for my to take the picture.
Any comments on how to produce a better final image is appreciated!
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Hey there, love the composition of this shot!
As for how to improve the final shot: In extremely high contrast scenes such as this the standard "Shoot RAW and blast the shadows" method can be a bit inadequate even with higher end sensors, unless it is your only option; For example you could use a fill light or other external flash method to light the foreground (Though the odds of you having one handy is ridiculously low for a shot like this) or you could Bracket and shoot an exposure like this for the sunset and sky, and then shoot a Stop or two brighter exposure to brighten up the subject and foreground and then combine the two in Photoshop (Though again this may be difficult because, while not requiring external hardware, the inherent nature of animals to move unpredictably may cause problems with the post-production alignment of your shots).
So in conclusion, while there are a variety of methods which could bring about a more natural equilibrium of the dynamic range and tones intrinsic to shots of darker subjects back-lit by bright skies such as this, your best bet is probably to shoot a good middle ground exposure in RAW and adjust the highlights and shadows accordingly.
Thank you for the advice! I am not very good a blending photos in photoshop, so I will be working on those skills. My dog can stay very still if I tell him to, so next time I go shoot I will try that!
I would propose buying an external flash with a trigger for the camera. It doesn´t have to be the most expensive brand. It fits in your bag, the trigger is fixed to the camera. It´s worth the effort and not much of a hassle. You don´t need a tripod or stand or anything either for a slight fill light.