All Subjects

Think of your portrait in terms of being an enlargement of your original photo, when it’s close-up and physically bigger, more of the fine detail can be seen.

Poorly lit or very low resolution images will reduce my ability to achieve a realistic, characterful portrayal of your subject.

Of course there are occasions where the only photograph available is a hard copy and in these instances I will always endeavour to capture the personality of your subject from whatever images are available.

Pet Portraits

LIGHT: Photos taken in natural light are best, ideally when the day is bright but overcast so that shadows are soft and highlights are not over exposed. Have your pet facing toward the sun so that light is reflected in their eyes and both sides or the face are evenly lit.

DISTANCE: The closer your pet is to the camera the more detailed the photo will be. If you are too far away the camera won’t be able to pick up the necessary details. Using the camera zoom function is not a substitute for physically moving closer to take the photo but don’t get so close that  the nose appears larger and the eyes appear smaller than they really are.

COMPOSITION / CAMERA ANGLE: Photos taken when your pet is sitting, looking relaxed and alert, facing forwards or at a slight angle away from the camera typically make the best references.

LEVEL OF DETAIL: Make sure the eyes are open, looking forwards and in focus and that details such as eye detail, whisker placement and coat direction are clear.

LIKENESS: Try to select photos that accurately look like your pet and in some way reflect your pet’s character.

MULTIPLE SUBJECTS: If you are having more than one animal in the portrait, it is best to take separate photos of each pet. I create a mock-up on the computer putting them together. It’s easier for you to get a nice photo if you are concentrating on one pet at a time! It would be almost impossible to get all of them posing as you would like them at the same time! Using my computer I will put them together in a mock up and send an email to show you how they would  ok. For example, to see if I have them right in size in relation to each other and to show you the layout etc.