Tips and Requirements for Photo Submissions

Welcome to this page giving tips, requirements and information needed to create a perfect photo for your animal artwork.   Since I work from photos, the photography I receive and use as references for my artwork is the most significant part of the painting process.  Multiple photos are beneficial to help achieve a quality end product.  Please follow the below guidelines so that I can produce a quality piece that exceeds your expectations.

Mobile Phone versus Digital Camera or Old Paper-based Photos?

These days it's easier to photograph all those special and precious moments in everyday life and we are more than happy to share these lovely photos with family and friends.  The reason is the increasingly popular mobile phones and tablets which most of us have accessible and bring along everywhere we go.

Obviously most of the mobile phones and tablets have a camera which we use in a hurry before the so rare moment forever disappears.  However, many mobile devices do not produce photos good enough to use as reference for a portrait.  There are some exceptions depending on lighting conditions and how close you are to the subject you are photographing, however from an artists perspective it’s easy to see a big clarity difference between a photo taken by a mobile device or a high quality digital camera.

But still, many memories remain in the old photos we cherish taken by the old generation analog cameras.   Many of these photos sadly aren’t clear enough for a portrait, but even with old photos there are exceptions.   You will have to scan them into high-resolution images if they can be used.

After reading the information provided on this page and if your pet is still with us, please consider taking new photos with a digital camera.  If you don’t own one yourself, try borrowing from family or friends or ask someone for help.

If this is not a possibility to use a high end camera or your fur baby has passed on, I will do my best to work with the available photos you do have.   Please note that in many cases, the detail of the final product may suffer so please provide the best quality possible.

Positioning and Getting on Your Pets Level

Try not to look down on your pet when taking photos (Fig #1), even though it might feel natural to do.  It's important to always photograph from your pet's level since your portrait will hang on your wall at eye level (Fig #2).

In order to take a photo of a small animal, you should crouch down to his eye level or place your pet on a table if that's easier for you.  Imagine the final photograph through the camera before taking the shot.   If it looks good then give it a go!









Straight on shots or directly from the side can make the animal's face look flat (Fig #3a & b).   Take the photo when your pet is looking slightly to the left or right of the camera (Fig #4a & b).   Don't leave your pet with only one eye, its always better to see both of them.

Natural Lighting

Whenever it is possible, try to take photos outside in natural lighting rather than inside with flash.  Even though it is often preferred to take photos on a sunny day, try to avoid photos with strong sunlight (Fig #6) or too dark shadows (Fig #5) which would make the pets colors fade away.  Figure #7 shows a better lighting scenario for an outdoor photo but try to avoid too dark an area as seen on the right side of her face.

If you are unable to take photos outside, take photos indoors and place your pet close to a window without flash (Fig #8).   Figure #8 has ideal lighting as there is not too much dark or light.   Some natural daylight will help you take a better photo and will be perfectly suitable for a portrait.

                 

Fill The Entire Frame

If you would like to commission a full-body painting or drawing, try not to stand too far away from your pet (Fig #9).   Fill the frame with a little background with your pet as the most important part of the photo (Fig #10).

A photo with the subject too far away on the photo scenery probably won't make a clear and sharp subject.   For a head and chest portrait, take a photo where your pet is filling the entire frame without cropping parts which you would like to include in the portrait (Fig #11).  

                                 

Photo Size

Try to email me your photos in original size, downloaded directly from your camera.  If photos are reduced in size they are less clear, sharp and much important information is lost.  The amount of pixels can vary depending on which digital camera you are using.  My own camera creates 3504 x 2336 pixel images (8 Mega Pixel).   Of course, the lens used on the camera is very important.  Although many phones may match an 8 Megapixel resolution, the lenses on these phones generally are not powerful enough to capture the detail that a digital SLR can achieve.   If you would like a head and chest portrait and only have a full-body photo, I can’t zoom into the head to see more details unless the photo is exceptionally high in resolution (generally not the case).   More zoom doesn’t mean more detail or information within the photo for the most part.  If I zoom into a small part on a large photograph, that part is usually quite blurry.  I can only paint what I see, so I would like to have room for excluding details rather than trying to imagine what the detail appears to be.  The following images illustrate the difference between a taking your picture close to the subject (on the left) versus taking your picture at a distance and then enlarging the final image (on the right).



I can accept large size images through email, so please send them at their original size.  If you don’t have the original sized photo and your are unsure if I can use it as reference, send me an email for review.   A JPEG (which is an acronym for Joint Photographic Experts Group) is ok to submit but please keep in mind that there is some color loss with this file format.  TIFF (which is an acronym for Tagged Image File Format) is a better format as this is what is called a lossless format meaning that it will hold all original data without loss of quality in the image.   RAW file formats are the highest resolution and give the most information in an image.  Unfortunately, every camera brand uses its own format of RAW and not every photo editor can interpret these files so it is best to stay with either JPEG (JPG) or TIFF (TIF) formats.  I do have the ability to interpret Canon RAW file formats (CR2) so if you have that available, that is fine as a submission.

Be Patient and Have Fun

You don't need to wake up with the idea that you will capture the perfect moment that particular day.  Taking photographs of animals takes time, patience and preparation.  You probably want to capture your pets personality and character which can be very hard if you pressure your pet with rushing into things.

Use your pet's natural environment where the animal is feeling comfortable.  The pet needs to be comfortable in the situation at the moment you take the photos, so use treats or toys which your pet loves and carry your digital camera with you at all times.  A happy face is beautiful face!

Keep taking photos and be creative about it, capture the moments.  Look your pet in everyday life and find those "wow" moments when your animal looks great.
If you read this and are unable to take photos because your pet sadly passed away, I’m still more than happy to see your photos even if you are unsure about their quality for a portrait.

Perhaps you will be unable to get a large oil painting done based on your photos, but there are plenty of other options available for you.  I would love to see your photographs, you are welcome to email them for review at any time.

Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.  I'm very much looking forward to hearing from you!