Picture Tips
Since our pets rarely sit still for hours on end, especially when a new visitor is around that might give them treats, I prefer to do my portraits from a photographic reference. Generally the more detail and natural light in the photo, the more successful it is. It is also crucial that you like the photo! On this page I will discuss the three golden rules to follow and provide you with examples of excellent and not so excellent photos for a portrait.
The Three Golden Rules
1. Natural Light! No Flash!
The sun is the best source of light to photograph your pet under-- regular indoor light is just too dim to provide enough definition. If you have a window with enough light coming in, that is a great alternative to photographing outside. Natural light also creates the most true colors in your photographs-- indoor lighting often creates a yellowish cast, while flash often makes a blue one. Many people are drawn to using flash because it makes things quick, easy, and reliable. Unfortunately, flash, in addition to unrealistic colors, also creates an unrealistic light pattern.
Example #1: Flash
This is a photograph sent over as a possibility for a portrait by one of my patrons. It is always a good idea to send more than one reference picture possibility, I love them! Unfortunately this image illustrates perfectly all the drawbacks of flash photography. The foreground is much lighter than the background and the eyes are over-exposed and squinted. The flash is a hallmark of photography, and these portraits should be pure painting.
Example #2: Natural Light
This is the other possible resource that Max the cat's owner sent over to be considered. It is a great example of natural light. You can see the difference immediately in how warm and inviting the light is here. Max is definitely basking comfortably in the sun in a natural and characteristic pose. From this image, I cropped in much closer on the face for more unique detail in a smaller area. You can see a larger copy of this photo and the final portrait made from this image in the Gallery.
2. Good Focus: A blurry image is never a good image!
That just about sums up this rule. The more out of focus and fuzzy a photograph is, the harder it is going to be for me to capture the individuality of your pet in the portrait. When you are taking photographs in natural light, blurry images are a frequent problem. The solution I have found that works the best for me is: take lots of pictures! For me, this is so important I would almost make it another rule. If you take lots of pictures (even of the same pose) you get a much better chance that your picture will not be blurry. On top of that, you get the added benefit of having lots of pictures to choose from, and the more pictures you have to choose from, the better your best one is going to be.
3. Personality and Character
This is your pet, bring out what you love in them! Sometimes a treat or a favorite toy helps. Catch them while they're sleeping or at play. You are your pet's best friend so you'll know best what to look for and how to achieve this particular Golden Rule.
Sandy's owner fell in love with this photo because it exemplified what he calls a "Sandy-smile." There is also a nice connection between Sandy and whomever he is playing with in the photo.