Photo Tips
Taking Photographs for a Portrait - Hints and Tips !
If possible please send me more than 1 photo, as this enables me to get a better idea of the pets personality & enables me to see any details that may not be clear, ie, colour of eyes & coat, shape of ears etc. Ideally, the more photos, the better - we know that pets move when you try to photograph them, so some of your photos will be out of focus. If you take 20 photos, it is almost guaranteed that less than half of them will be in focus and only half of those in focus will be usable.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to have good photographs, after all they are the very backbone upon which the portrait is based, so anything on the photo that is unclear or incorrect will naturally be transferred to the finished commission. If I am working from photographs that I have not taken and I have not actually seen your pet, then all I have to go on is the photos - I will always remember an instance when I first started painting pet portraits (before the advent of digital cameras and cameras on phones) - I had completed the commission from the 2 photo's that the client had supplied and was more than happy with the result, but when the client saw the finished portrait they said they weren't really sure if it captured their pet. When I replied that I thought it was a very good likeness to the photos they replied: "yes it is, but they weren't really the best photos of her" - I was speechless !
When sending your photographs, please indicate if you would like your pets collar on the portrait and also if you would like their name on the bottom of the painting.
Photographing Your Pet
Please remember that the pet portrait I produce will depend on the quality of the photographs you supply. You do not need to hire a professional photographer but it is well worth setting aside a little time and lots of patience!
When photographing your pet try to avoid using a flash. Flashlighting generally kills any natural shadows and will take away depth from the image.
It is best to show a dark animal against a lighter background so I can make out its shape. If possible take the photographs outdoors in daylight. This shows the animal in the best light and is more likely to show it's colouring accurately. By photographing in daylight you also avoid the 'red-eye' effect in flash photography which makes it impossible to see eye detail. It is the eye detail in the portrait that really bring the subject to life and shows your pets true character.
Try to get closer than you normally would when taking a general photograph as it is much easier to create a truly accurate painting from a detailed photo than from one taken at a distance.
Often people struggle because their subject won’t sit still. If possible take a friend with you so they can tempt them with a treat or similar while you take the photo. They beauty of this digital age we can take as many photos as we need without wasting film, so it really is worth keeping at it so you get the best photo possible for your pet portrait
Try to fill the frame with the subject, but be careful not to crop off bits of the animal though, and don't get too close when using a standard lens on a 'compact' camera or basic digital camera as this may distort the animals features in the photograph.
Also try and get down on the same level as your pet when you take the photo - the most common problem I get is when people take the photograph standing over the pet with it looking up at them - this tends to give a distorted and foreshortened image. Many people tend to look down on their pets when taking photos, this is natural, it's the way we see our pets in everyday life. However to get the best photo for a portrait, it makes more sense to get down on the same level as your pet
See below for some good examples of photos I have been given and the resulting portraits I have completed from them.
"Penny"
"Max"
"Blue"
The photo I was given to paint "Blue" is a great example of the "perfect" photo - as you can see from the full size copy below, the clarity of detail, sharpness of features, and balance of lighting and colour are all spot on. This is the kind of photo that is really easy to work from as it shows every single detail of the dog, right down to the last whisker !
Getting the best photos from a mobile phone
Most people own a mobile phone with the capability of taking very good photos and many of these photos are suitable for painting pet portraits from, however there are some basic errors that people make when using the camera on their phone. The following hints and tips will help you get the most out of your mobile phone camera:
- Avoid using the digital zoom
- most phone camera have a zoom function, which is great for taking everyday snaps when you are out and about, but these zoomed photos are lower quality as the phone simply enlarges the incoming image with actually moving the camera lens like an optical zoom does
- Avoid using screen capture
- phones are capable of copying images with the "screen capture" function, but while these may look clean and sharp on the phone screen, they are actually very low resolution and no good for painting detailed portraits from
- Keep photos "Original size"
- phones always give you the option to resize images before sending - to large, medium or small. Please do not resize - always send photos in their original high resolution format.
- Don't use Facebook photos - many people share their pets photos on Facebook, but these are automatically resized and compressed, so are not suitable for painting from.
Get photographs of the animal from various angles. If you have a lively animal, have someone hold it still by the collar or bridle, or with hands placed on the animals shoulders, don't worry about people being in the photograph, but please be careful not to obscure any features or details. The idea is to capture the detail in the animals markings etc. and this often requires several photographs,
Some people prefer their portraits without collars on, so if your pet is wearing a collar in your photos, but you do not want this on the finished painting, please state this when ordering
If your pet has a particular characteristic, such as a coloured patch on one ear or different coloured eyes be sure to include photographs showing these details.
It is better to have too many photos than not enough, so take many and discard most. That’s the beauty of being digital!
Group portraits
Remember, for a group portrait all the subjects do not have to be on the same photograph. Photographs of each individual subject on it's own will suffice. I can then bring all the subjects together in one portrait and arrange them as requested. If possible it is useful to have at least one group photograph with them all together so I can judge the size relationships between them.
Many people ask me if I can take the reference photographs for them, I am happy to, but as I would need to cover my transport costs and time, this would naturally add to the price. I would be happy to provide you with a separate quotation for this.
If you have any further concerns regarding photography that I have not covered here, do not hesitate to contact me and I will be pleased to advise you.