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Pet Portraits Photography Tips
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Our dog Tom has very kindly provided us with lots of photos to accompany our pet photography tips. One of the first questions clients ask is - "What kind of photos do you need for a portrait"? Our reply will always be a good clear photo, above all, one that really, truly captures the personality and character of your pet well.
We work from one main photo of your pet, we cant really make things up, so the photo has to be how you want the portrait to be. We can change minor things on a case by case basis and if you would like our opinion on your photos contact us any time.
Due to us not being able to meet your pet in person, we have to reply on photographs, and these are the only way for us to get to know your pet. Often clients have a treasured photo that they really love, and we will always try our very best to work from that photo to create a portrait that's special for you. If you are thinking about taking a photograph of your pet specifically for us to create a pet portrait, the information below might help.
If you would like to ask for advice please don't hesitate to contact us at any time. |
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Taking Photos of your Pets for a Portrait
With the popularity and advantages of digital cameras, its so easy to be able to take many photos in one session and come out with at least one or two good photos for a portrait that you feel really capture your pet.
These days you can purchase relatively cheap digital cameras which should do a wonderful job in capturing your pets. For example I have recently seen a Nikon on the market for only £50 with 10megapixels. These kinds of cameras wont break the bank and should be producing some high resolution clear photos - even for people who class themselves as not being a good photographer!
There are no processing costs involved with digital photography, so our advice would be to keep snapping away until you are happy with your results. After all you can just delete them if you don't like them! You will see that all of the photos I have provided of our dog Tom on this page was taken on the same day, it was pretty cloudy, the sun came out a few times while I was taking photos in various areas around the garden and I kept treats handy to help.
Tom is very well behaved and loves modeling so it wasn't difficult to get some good shots of him, so I was pretty lucky, but I did take around 50 photos of him doing various things, including chasing a bumble bee and drinking from the pond. Try to just snap away and you will find you will get some good photos to use. |
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A Relaxed Fun Photo shoot - with treats!
The most important thing when photographing any animal is to make sure they are comfortable with the situation. All pets are different and perhaps different approaches are needed for each animal. For instance cats are pretty uncooperative and so setting the photography task over a period of a few days can help. Taking things one step at a time often helps your pet to relax. You might also like to ask a relative or friend to help, particularly if you are taking a photo of a dog, someone with a biscuit or treat to keep the dogs attention while you take the photos, can be really handy. |
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Getting up close and personal...
Its often helpful for us to see some detailed shots of your pets, as you can see with this photo of Tom I got quite close in with my camera and I also used the zoom so it didn't distort the image. You can get pretty close to your pets and if you try to take your photos outside in the garden you will avoid using the flash which will ensure we can see the pure colour of your pets eyes. Tom has very dark brown eyes as you can see and this is a perfect representation of them. |
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Choosing the right setting (lighting)
Use natural lighting when possible so a nice sunny or slightly cloudy day is the perfect opportunity for a photoshoot. If you are unable to take photos outside, taking pictures by a window or patio doors / french windows is also a great place. The more natural light the better. This one of Tom was taken with the help of his favoruite toy which can often be a great help when you are trying to take photos to keep them interested in what you are doing.
Photographing very dark or very light coloured pets can often be tricky as in photos they can often result in undefined blobs. Natural light is ideal as long as you face your pet towards the light. Sometimes using flash can be helpful, it can help bring out the shine in the animals fur or coat. Don't worry if the photos look too shiny or too bright, we can always tone this down in the painting or drawing. We always like to see a good range of photos so that we can judge the colouring and tone of your pet.
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Positioning - Getting on your pets level
Many people tend to look down on their pets when they are taking photos - this is natural, and it is the way we see our pets most of the time. However the painting or drawing you commission will be displayed on the wall at eye level, so it makes much more sense to be taking the photo on their level. Photos taken from your pets eye level will help us to produce a painting or drawing that will look perfect, in pride of place, in your home. To achieve perfect photos at the right level, you can either crouch or lie down when taking photos, or alternatively you could raise your pet up onto a table or other stable surface to achieve the same result. When taking the photos imagine how the pose might look once framed and hanging on the wall. |
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Wait for the perfect moment...
There will be times that you know will be easier to take photos of your pet - either when they have just woken up so they are raring to go and alert, or just before they have their tea and are hungry and will do anything for a treat. You will find that by waiting for the perfect moment you might be able to catch the specific look you are looking for, that perhaps shows your pets personality and character well. These can quite easily be captured with a little preparation and patience. You will also find you will get 'special moments' like this one above of Tom. There will be out takes when you are taking your photos that wont be perfect for a portrait but that will definitely make your smile and will be great for your photo album... : ) |
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Photographs of pets that have passed away.
On many occasions we are asked to paint pets that have sadly passed away and often clients have a very limited amount of photographs. We are more than happy to see any photos, black and white / sepia or colour, even if you feel they might not be good enough for a portrait there are plenty of options. Photos do govern the size and medium of the portrait and it might be the case that you are unable to have a huge oil painting, however a lovely mid sized pastel or pencil drawing maybe suitable instead. We will always give you our professional advice and give you plenty of options to help you in choosing what's best for you. The photo above is of our dearly departed cat Amram and this photo would be perfect for a sepia drawing or a pencil drawing.
We would love to see your photographs and you are more than welcome to email them to us for our opinion at any time. We look forward to seeing them soon!
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