Tips for Photographing your Pet

When you work mostly from photo reference, the quality of the photographs makes a big difference to your work.  I love getting the chance to meet and photograph a new subject for their portrait but it’s not always logistically possible.  However, the client can provide a photo reference good enough to draw from, especially with the quality of cameras most people have nowadays.  Even the new camera phones are great quality, but you need to know a few basic tricks to get the best out of whatever camera you have. Remember the better the photo the better the drawing will be. It's really worth taking your time and as many photos as you need, to get a good one.​

Often times its best to just settle down somewhere with good light(outside or beside a window) and relax with your pet. Have a cup of tea and just wait till your pet chills out. When everything is calm, get yourself and your camera ready and call or make a noise and snap!! This is the best way to get a good photo, you may have to do this a few times over a few days depending on the animal. Asking someone to hold the dog and standing in front of them with a camera will not generally work, in my experience treats are the key. Most important do not get your dog over excited. Here's a good example from the actual photo I took of Sadie to the pose I used. As you can see because the shot is clear and I was able to crop it to get a pose for Sadie, here s a few tricks you can use to get a shot like this. 

1. Number one and most importantly take the photograph outside if at all possible, at the very least next to a window. If you are photographing next to a window or patio door, make sure your back is to the light/window/door. This will insure that the light is falling on the the dog/cats face. Natural light lets me see the details I need to draw a lifelike portrait of your pet. 

2. Don,t use a flash, If you have enough natural light you won’t need to and I’ll get a true idea of their colors.

3. Get down to their eye level as much as you can. Or you could also bring them up to your eye level by putting them on a chair or the sofa, espically small dogs. As you can see in this shot I was kneeling down behind the camera. (If your dogs nose is pointing up you are not at their level)

4. If you need too, have a second person there to help.  One to be ready to snap with the camera and one to pose the dog and distract them(not to hold them). As you will see in the example above Sadie's owner sat beside her, with treats and of course Sadie's eyes followed the treats. Most dogs will freeze just for a moment when you hold the treat up/ with some a toy or ball will work better. Most dogs will get overexcited very quickly in this situation so you only get a few shots.

5. The person behind the camera can also try waiting until they are just about to take the photo and make a noise that will get the dog’s attention. I spend a lot of time meowing and squeaking at dogs.  It usually makes them freeze for just long enough to get the photo. Most dogs will get fed up this up pretty quickly.

6. Most importantly! try to get a photo that really captures the face that you love.

7. Lastly, be patient!  The perfect photo doesn’t always happen right away.  Sometimes it’s the first photo, sometimes it’s 100 photos later.  Try different settings and methods as it is worth the effort to get that perfect shot and a great lifelike portrait. Do it over a few weeks, take one each day and just send them on to me. An over excited or frightend animal will not cooperate. So keep it calm...........

Some Tips for Small Dogs 
I took this photo of Scruffy recently while he was sitting beside me on the sofa wanting to share my food. We are sitting beside the window. I took it with my phone, its a good example too.  Another good place for photos is your car. When your dog is beside you in the passenger seat you  will have good light and they are at your level. I often get great photos of Scruffy when we go for a drive. I just have to show him a treat!  

Always feel free to get in touch with me for more advice on getting the best photo. Do not send Photos via Facebook as they are compressed. You can send all or some of the photos to me at [email protected] and we can discuss which one will work best. Sometimes I will take the pose from one shot but will still need the eye color, markings etc from another.  

 Good Luck! I can,t wait to see the pictures 

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