Photographs

It is so important to have an image that you absolutely love, and that captures the essence of your pet or animal friend.

For my work it needs to be high resolution and clear.  Even slightly blurry images hide important details.

I need one image that will form the basis of my work.  It is helpful, but not essential, if I can have a couple of others to help me with the detail and expression.

If the portrait is of a pet or animal that has sadly passed away, then you will need to pick the best ones.

If the portrait is of a pet or animal that is still with us - and you wish to take some fresh photos then please follow my guidelines below.

The quality of the cameras on most decent mobile phones are really good - so you should have no problem using your camera to capture a great image.  These are my top 5 tips:

Tip 1:  Use natural light

Indoor lighting can subtly change the shading and contrast of your dogs features.  Try and take the picture outside or during the day beside a large window or patio door.  Outdoors make sure you have the sun behind you,  and ensure there are no nasty shadows present.  Indoors please avoid the use of a flash.

Tip 2:  Eye level looking at you

It is preferable to take a photo at the eye level of the subject.  This gives a very natural feel to the image.  As you will see from my portfolio this is not absolutely necessary.

It is my personal preference to have the subject looking as directly at the camera as possible.  I find the eyes are so critically important to capture the character of the subject, and I feel that the artwork has far greater impact for images in that position.

Tip 3:  Focus and get close

It might sound obvious, but please make sure you know how to focus the camera or phone exactly on the subject.  Even slightly blurry images can be difficult to work with.  The image you want me to draw does not need to be an absolute close up.  If it is not a close up - then having a close up as a secondary image can be really helpful.

Tip 4:  Robert the Bruce - Try, try, and try again

With digital cameras and phones there is no limit to the number of images you can take.  Make sure you are happy with the image you choose as it will be looking back at you for a long time !  Just please don't send them all to me (the record at the moment is 75).

Tip 5:  Pick one you really like

You are the customer here.  It is absolutely essential you love the picture I will be working from.