Photographing Your Pet for the Artist

In order to create the best possible portrait of your pet, I need a good photograph to work from. In general, the better the photo, the better the finished painting will be.

1. Both photos have good focus, lighting, and clarity.
2. This is a good face but an awkward body.		3. This one shows the body to good advantage.
4. I combined the best of them for this portrait.

If you have pictures of your dog on hand, make sure they are sharp and clear enough to see the details of the fur. For a memorial portrait, send me what you have and I'll try to work with it even if it's not perfect.

Tips for Taking Good Photos:

If you want to take new photos for me, here are some simple steps that ensure success:

Use natural light, not a flash. If you are shooting indoors, postion your dog in a place where there is plenty of light from a door or window.
If shooting outdoors, plan your photo session for the morning or late afternoon. Avoid shadows falling across your dogs body, or dappled sun.
Have a helper hold and position your dog while you shoot. Don’t worry if the helper is in the shot.
Hands upon your dog can be removed from the painting.
Get down to your subject’s eye level, or raise the dog up, as on a chair.
Have the dog sit.
Get in close. If I am doing a simple head/upper body portrait for you, concentrate on that area. For full body portraits, frame the whole animal as closely as possible.
Engage the dog – call her name, offer a treat, talk to her.
Take many shots. I can combine the best parts of them, as you see here.

Go to the Contact page for details on how to send your pictures.

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