Photography Tips & Choosing The Best Photo

Try to avoid shadows

First of all, in order to take a really good reference photo of your pet that shows lots of sharp, clear detail, you should try to take it outdoors in natural daylight, “on a cloudy day”.  Direct sunlight is “not” good since it drains out a lot of color, causes reflections and squinting of the eyes, and also causes shadows.  You could also try taking a photo of your pet outdoors in a solid shaded area, but make sure the pet is not facing the sun in order to avoid eye squinting. (Do not use a flash unless it is red eye reduction.)

If taking the photo outdoors is not an option

However, if you cannot take the photo outdoors then you might try taking a photo of your pet near a window, which will allow the natural light to shine on your pet.  Again the best day to do this is during a cloudy day, also try to keep the bright light out of your pets eyes.  ( Do not use a flash unless it is a red eye reduction flash.)

Zoom in on your pet

The next important thing to remember is to try to fill the frame of the photo with your pets image, make your pet as big as possible without cropping any part of it's body off. So if you are ordering a portrait of your pets face, then you should try to fill the photo with your pets face and neck.  Make sure you do not crop off the pets ears.  Or, if you are ordering a portrait of your pets entire body, make sure you fill the frame with your pets entire body without cropping off the feet, tail, and ears.

Send several photos

Feel free to send me several photo’s of your pet, identify which photo is your favorite so I know which one to use for the painting and which ones to use for references.  If you have trouble choosing which photo to use, I would be happy to help you decide which would be the best picture.  Any photo’s that are sent to me by mail, I will return them with the portrait.

Make sure you like your pets pose

When trying to choose the best photo, Keep in mind that the photo that you choose will be the exact picture in the portrait, so the pose in the photo will be the pose in the portrait.  So you should try to take several good photo’s of your pet in the pose that you prefer to have painted.  The quality of the portrait depends on the quality of your photo, so pick a photo that is very clear and sharp, this will allow me to view more detail and create a better painting.

I can help you choose

There are no limitations when it comes to photo’s of several different pets and if you cannot decide which photo of your pet to use, I would be happy to help you choose the best photo. Also if you have several different pets, and would like one painting, we can certainly combine their photo’s into one portrait, just send me several photo’s of each pet.

A couple other points to think about before you take your photo’s:

Your pets face must be clear in the photograph. The eyes, nose and mouth are very important areas that make your pet’s expression unique. If these areas are fuzzy or dark in the photograph, it is very difficult to get your pet’s expression right in the portrait.

Remember, I can only draw what I see. Any areas that are unclear, or limbs that are cropped off, will have to be made up to the best of my ability. This may mean that your pet doesn’t quite look as it should.

Lastly, be patient! It can be very difficult to get a great shot of your pet. I suggest keeping a camera on hand for a few days so you’re ready when he/she is in that perfect pose.  It is also helpful to have another person around to take photos while you entertain your pet or so you can hold your pet on a leash.

Have fun with this task and be patient, it will bring you a wonderful portrait of your pet to cherish for many years!