How to Choose the Best Photo for Your Pet Portrait
Great Reference Photos Make Great Portraits.
The reference photo is the starting point of every portrait that I draw. You don’t need a professional photo of your pet; in most cases, a good-quality photo taken with your cell phone is perfect to work from. Aspects like lighting and sharpness play a critical role and are more important than you think.
A single clear reference photo is strongly preferred to ensure accuracy and consistency. I do not recreate a subject from various photo references by piecing bits and pieces of a subject together. I can only draw and paint details that are clearly visible in a photograph. I should ideally be able to zoom in to see fine details without the image becoming distorted immediately. The more detail I can see, the more details I can add to your artwork.
The best reference photograph is clear, well-lit and in focus, with your pet’s face and important features visible. A high-resolution photograph that can be enlarged without becoming blurry is especially helpful.
What Makes a Good Reference Photo?
How to choose the best reference photo?
1. The eyes Must Be Sharp and In Focus
The eyes are the windows to the soul. Be sure that you select a photo where the eyes are clearly visible and in focus, and light is reflecting in the eyes so that you can clearly see the different colours in them.
2. Good Lighting and a Well-lit Photo
Use natural daylight. Photograph the pet in open shade outside, not in direct sunlight, or on an overcast day when the light is soft. Alternatively, place the pet in front of a large window, facing the window so that you get nice, soft light on the face.
Please avoid artificial light like ceiling lights, as these will give a colour cast to the photo. Also avoid using flash, which is a hard and unflattering light and causes colour shifts in the fur colour.
3. A Good Angle to compliment facial features
Ensure that the facial features are clearly visible. Hunch down to the pet’s level and take the photo at THEIR eye level. If you look down at them when taking the photo from above, their facial features and body will become distorted.
Also try to fill the frame with as much of their head and shoulders (or full body in case of a full body portrait) as possible without cutting off any limbs or the tip of the ears or the tail.
4. Natural and Accurate colours
Be sure that the eye and fur colour are accurate in the photo.
5. A Desired Pose and Facial Expression
I CANNOT change your pet’s pose and facial expression. I only work from the available reference photographs and cannot guarantee changes to your pet’s pose or expression. If you have a specific expression or pose in mind, please choose a photograph that already shows it clearly.
6. A High-Resolution Photo sent directly from your phone or camera.
It is better to provide the original image. Social media platforms and WhatsApp compress photographs, which can make fine details harder to see. I would always advise trying to sneakily obtain the original photo in case of a surprise gift, as close family members are always keen to help out before resorting to a lower-quality reference photo.
The original file on your phone’s camera roll or camera’s memory card will be of a higher quality and provide me with more detail to work from.
7. What to avoid
Please avoid photographs that are very blurry, heavily filtered, avoid using portrait mode on your phone, pixelated, too dark, overexposed or taken from an angle that hides important features. Images where the face is tiny, taken from far away or obscured may not provide enough detail. Images saved or screenshot from social media on passed along via WhatsApp. Avoid photographing in direct sunlight and avoid backlighting.
8. No One perfect photo?
Please send me as many as you can – one to use as the main reference that resembles the desired pose and facial expression, plus a few more that depicts the true eye colour, coat colour, markings, etc.
The main image is always the most important!
What If I Don’t Have a Perfect Photo?
Please do not assume that you cannot commission a portrait. Send me the best photographs you have, and I will assess whether they contain enough detail to work from.
Deceased Pet or Family Member
In case of a deceased pet/person with a limited number of poor-quality photos at your disposal, please send as many as you can – so that we can choose the best option for your artwork. I will do the best I possibly can with what is provided.
Professional vs Cellphone Photos
There is no need to have professional photographs taken, a good-quality cellphone photo is usually sufficient to work from. If you want to invest in your portrait and obtain the best quality reference photo possible – I can assist with that too. I am a professional photographer with close to 20 years of photography experience. You can book a photo session, at an additional fee, to capture the subject in the best possible way. My studio is based in Nigel on the East Rand, Gauteng. Celia van Niekerk Photography specialise in Family and Pet photography.
Here are some examples below of good and bad quality photographs:
Poor Quality Reference Photos.
Here are a list of reasons:
Good Quality Reference Photos.
Here are a list of reasons:
Not sure if your reference photo is useable?
Request a Custom Quote and I will be happy to advise.
Get in Touch
WhatsApp +(27) 83 235 6818
info@celiavanniekerk.com
Nigel, East Rand, Gauteng