Photo Guide
High quality photographs are preferred for finely detailed portraits as clear images will show up all those unique features such as colour, markings, fur, eyes and expression
You may have lots of photos of your pets to browse through already or taking some new ones - ideally with a 'proper' camera but phone cameras can work well too. I'll always help by reviewing your photos and discussing with you
Use this guide and see examples of great photos I have used and some 'not so good' that I haven't
Tips when taking a photo
Natural daylight - outdoors is best, a cloudy day is better than the glare of stark sunshine
Take the picture at 'your pets eye level' to avoid their face and body looking foreshortened
Make sure your pets eyes are open
Help direct your pets in the desired direction (either looking into the camera or to the side) by holding a treat or toy, get someone to help you
Avoid taking photos when your pet is tired or unwell, you want to capture their natural personality
Checklist when selecting a photo
Image quality: is it in focus, does the picture quickly pixelate (becomes grainy and blurry) when you zoom in?
Eyes: are they open and is the colour correct and true to your pet?
Fur: is the colour correct and true and are you able to see the direction and texture of the fur?
Light: is there enough natural light to see your pet or is it too dark (or too bright)?
Distance: is your pet close enough to see their features clearly (without zooming in) or too far away?
Personality: does the picture show their personality that you want to capture?
Examples of great photos!
Good lighting, shows true eye and fur colour, taken at eye level, close up to see fur direction and texture, shows their natural personality
Not so good photos!
Blurry, too far away, artificial light so details and texture is lost
Sending photos to me:
I ask for photos to be emailed as it offers you the option to send at different file sizes - small, medium, large and actual - always send as actual which will give the highest resolution. Unfortunately sending by text, messenger or other phone apps reduces the image quality significantly. If you can zoom in on your computer image and still see lots of detail, then this is a good indicator that I can work from it.
Memorial Portraits
Sadly when a pet has passed away you may have limited photos of them and this has been the case for a few portraits I have worked on. Don't worry, we can go through all the photos and see if there is a way to work from them before you commit.
More than 1 pet on a portrait?
It's not easy to get a picture of your pets sitting together but there are options. You can have the head/shoulders of each pet drawn on the portrait separately or, with the right selection of poses I may be able to combine them so they look like the picture was taken of them together.