top of page
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, detail, and composition!
Take the photo outdoors if possible. Avoid super bright backgrounds; this can make the pet appear dark. Diffused lighting is always best. 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. When I cropped it to begin the portrait, the result was a very pixelated photo with little to no detail, and a portrait which I felt could have been much better.
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 are a few examples of good and bad photos for portrait purposes. However, if the pet has passed away or you are simply unable to take your own photos, I will try my best to work with whatever you are able to find. These are simply guidelines that will help me produce the best possible results.
Acceptable - there is some visible detail, so this is okay if you are fine with the fact that you are unable to see the eyes.
Good - some detail, the eyes are clear, has good composition
Difficult - it is a good photo, but would not make a good portrait. The nose is in focus, but everything else is blurred
Difficult - good composition but background and eyes are extremely bright and desaturated
Acceptable - good detail, good contrast and composition, eyes are clear
Not acceptable - The detail is really great, but there is a fence covering part of his face (which also leaves a harsh shadow) and the ear is cropped off
Not acceptable - dark, not much detail, a lot of areas covered by the kennel
Perfect - great detail, great composition, great lighting
Perfect - great detail, great composition and lighting, close up, good contrast
bottom of page