Photo Reference Guide
(Specific to pets, but works for your special human(s), too.)
In order to create a portrait of your pet that truly captures his or her likeness, there are a few important factors to note when selecting your reference photo(s).
Try to select or take photos that show off your pet’s personality. If you can, focus your attention on capturing the expression(s) you love most about him or her, whether it’s his gentle eyes, or her big, happy grin–whatever attributes you find the most charming.
Good lighting is essential. Photos taken outdoors on an overcast day are ideal, but if indoors is the best or only option, somewhere near a natural light source, like a large window, will certainly help.
Please ensure the subject is in focus and there’s a clear view of the eyes and the direction of the fur. Try taking your photographs from a relatively close distance to your subject, ideally using a DSLR camera, whenever possible. Downloads and screenshots from social media sites will not provide a high quality reference photo. One way to recognize if a photo will work for these purposes is to zoom in on it. If it gets fuzzy fast, it will be tricky for me to work with in my standard portrait style (but we could always discuss other options if you are set on an image that does not lend itself to photo realism. For example, we could discuss a watercolor portrait, or an impressionistic acrylic painting, instead).
If you’d like more than one pet in a portrait, but do not have a single photo of them together, I can superimpose them for you. In order to do this successfully, please try to capture each pet from a similar perspective and with similar lighting so the two shots fuse well into one cohesive image.
Although this guide is specific to pets, everything also applies to your special human(s)—aside from getting a clear view of the direction of the fur, haha!
Hopefully this guide makes the selection process a little clearer. I’m always happy to receive multiple images to determine which works best, so send what you have. Seeing multiple images also gives me a more rounded view of your pet. Please do not hesitate to reach out should you have additional questions or concerns. I look forward to working with you!