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What Makes a Great Reference Photo for a Pet Portrait

Why the Right Photo is Crucial for a Beautiful Pet Portrait

I ask for good quality, clear photographs (digital preferred but happy to work with hard copies). I ask for a few photos of each pet to allow me to get a good feel for their personality, colours and markings. I’m happy to work with poorer quality images if absolutely necessary, but please be aware that I won’t be able to create highly detailed portraits from unclear photos.

a dog sitting on a gray background
a dog sitting on a gray background
a dog is shown in this painting of a dog
a dog is shown in this painting of a dog

How a Great Photo Helps Capture Your Pet’s Personality

Do:
  1. Camera -Use a good quality smartphone or digital camera.

  2. Lighting - Choose a cloudy day if possible. Diffused, natural light often brings out the most detail and colour.

  3. Setting - Take advantage of moments when your pet is calm and restful. If this isn’t possible, have treats/toys ready, to keep them from wandering off! Their favourite treat is you, though, so interact or play with them if you need.

  4. Framing - Shoot at eye level, and close enough that your pet fills most of the frame.

  5. Detail - Hold the camera as steadily as you can, for a nice sharp image.

  6. Character - Try to capture the character and natural expression – it’s all in the eyes!

Avoid:

  1. Lighting - Choose a poorly lit setting.

  2. Avoid Flash - Compensate for poor lighting by using a camera flash.

  3. Distance - Shoot from too far away, heavily crop or screenshot an image – I like as many of those lovely small details as possible.

    If in any doubt about your photo quality please drop me a message, I am happy to discuss them with you.

a woman taking a picture of herself taking a picture of herself
a woman taking a picture of herself taking a picture of herself

If in any doubt about your photo quality please drop me a message, I am happy to discuss them with you. You are also able to book me to take pictures of your pet , if you require me to do so.

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