It really is necessary to have good, clear photos to work from to produce
a detailed, realistic painting. Most people nowadays have invested in digital cameras which make it easy to take good photos with few or no extra costs because you can take as many as you want and still eliminate those that you don't like.
The following are some suggestions to show what kind of photos would be the best to work from:
First of all, I would suggest you use the highest to next highest resolution
available on your camera. This way I possibly could manipulate them in
photo editing software so that I could close in on certain areas or enlarge others, colors could be adjusted, or a photo could be sharpened for better clarity, or other references to the animal could be used.
I could give you all kinds of do's and don'ts but the easiest way for me is
to show you a few photos that I feel would be close to ideal to work with.
The three photos below all have good possibilities for paintings. They are full body shots at the level of the dog, not looking down or up, thus distorting the image. The two on the left are digital images; therefore I
would be able to zoom in on them to capture more detail in the faces or shadowing. The background really is not that important since the animal
will be painted in a new, simpler one that will make him stand out without surrounding distraction. Ideally it is best to have several shots of your pet.....one or more in a pose that you like, and others showing more closeup detail as in the eyes, ears, nose, collar, anything that sets him or her apart from other people's pets. After all, this is YOUR pet and you want to see him as you will always remember him with his personality shining through! (Click images to enlarge.)
Other suggestions:
Take your photos in good light, preferably outside when it isn't too dark nor too bright. Stand with your back to the sun but at an angle to the pet so your pet doesn't have to squint into the sun. Shadows won't fall over their faces and hide the eyes and facial hair
Again, try to get down closer to their level. Standing too far above them tends to change the perspective and the animal looks out of shape. Taking a photo too close will make the nose look way too large for the pet's face.
Black animals can be the most difficult to photograph because taking the picture outside with auto focus tends to put the animal into darker shadows, making them hard to define. Try using your flash in this case;
it usually will bring out the eyes and lines in the face and the hair separations.
The bottom line is taking photos of your pets can be very difficult but it can be done. I don't expect studio quality every time but I do need good photos to produce good work. I quite honestly can't invent details into
the painting if they aren't on your original photos. Every part of the pet
that you want in your portrait should be visible on the photos; I can't paint in missing legs or ears or tails if I don't know what they look like.
Important point......if you want me to paint from a portrait that has been taken professionally you will need to get signed permission from the original photographer. Copying someone else's work can result in serious legal problems.
And just a side note, I would like you to know I have never had a finished portrait rejected to this date because of disatisfaction on the part of a client. My goal and guarantee is that you are happy with it or you send it back and receive a full refund.
Please contact me with questions or comments at 303-909-2852 or email
Thank you for visiting!
Kathryn Bixby, Pet Portrait Artist
