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How to Get a Great Reference Photo
The quality of your pet portrait is dependent on the quality of the photo provided. Here are a few tips to get the best possible reference photo of your pet. You don't have to have a fancy camera - phone photos work fine as long as there is good lighting and detail!
Take the photo outdoors if possible. Avoid super bright backgrounds; this can make the pet appear dark. You should be able to easily see the face without needing to adjust the exposure. Dark shadows are okay, just as long as the features in shadow are still visible!
The most important part is the eyes. Both should be clearly visible and not too dark. If they are glowing, black or blurry, it will be more difficult to make them look realistic in the portrait. If you are not able to take a photo outside, using light from a window can help.
Try to get as physically close as possible to your pet - zooming in will decrease the photo quality. Above is an example of a photo in which the pet was very far away and there was very little light. When I cropped it to begin the portrait, the result was a very pixelated photo with little to no detail.
The most important features, such as eyes, nose, or mouth, should be in focus, and the ears should not be cropped out of the photo. There should also not be anything in front of the pet, such as kennel bars or fences.
Below is an example of a great reference photo and the quality of portrait that I was able to produce from it.
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