The better the quality of the photos you send me the more accurate and lifelike I can make the portrait
If possible, the photos should have the following:
be In good focus especially eyes, nose, hair and fur textures
capture the character and personality in the pose you’d like in the portrait
all pets have a certain look/characteristic which you recognise as theirs, it’s great if you can capture this
be well lit preferably in natural light
The following hints and tips will help you to create the right kind of photos:
take the photo in natural daylight outside or inside by a large window. A bright overcast day is better than bright sunlight, it avoids strong shadows.
take photos with the light source behind you so your pet’s face is lit, avoiding dark shadows which can make details difficult to see.
take the photos at your pet’s eye level not looking down or up. This avoids distortion and unnatural pose.
for a head and shoulder portrait I recommend viewing the face at a slight angle not directly face on or in profile.
get close to your pet and fill the frame with what you want to see in the portrait
Additional photos for reference are often useful to enable all features to be accurately seen e.g. eye colours. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know if I need any others.
To get your pet looking in a particular direction or pose get someone to attract their attention with a squeaky toy or something similar
It’s not easy to get the perfect photo in one shot so take lots of photos and choose the best. You don’t need a fancy camera, all you need is a smartphone and a bit of patience.
Don’t give up. You will get that perfect photo.
Final Test to make sure the photo is sufficiently detailed, zoom in to the face and make sure you can see the individual hairs, nose details and eye colour and highlights.