Photoguide

Want to commission a painting, but are not sure how to best capture your furry friend?

Here is a little guide on how to capture a photo that works best for a painting

(All of these are according to my own taste, and art is of course subjective, and you know your pet the best, so any photo you choose is doable)

Also meet my dog SaiSai, who was kind enough to be our model

Perspective

Be sure to get on eye level with your pet, as this works best for paintings and makes your pet look more lifelike

While photographing your pet from above makes for an adorable picture, it can make the proportions look a bit weird on a painting

Lighting

Both Sunshine and cloudy weather work well for paintings. Photographing outside in natural light is better than inside lighting

Sunshine makes for a very interesting painting, with a lot of character, while cloudy weather often shows the fur color and fur pattern details better

Both work great, and is a matter of taste

Inside lighting often has a yellowish hue, and thus changes the pets fur color, wich is why I do not recommend using these

Shadows

make sure no strong shadows show on the pets face

While shadows and shade can look interesting, some shadows can look more distracting than anything else (ex. shadow of the ear, pic 2)

Positions

This is mostly up to your taste

Choose a position that best shows your pet how you know and love them

Personally I do like it when there is some sun in their eyes and they are slightly looking upwards (ex. 1.)

Accesories

This is mostly up to your taste

Accessories are fun and can also look great in paintings

Works great: handkerchiefs, sunglasses, hats (as long as they don't cover the face)

Works less great: swim vests and such

But make sure your dog is comfortable wearing accessories! Not all dogs like it, and most need at least a little training and getting used to

Additional Tipps

Photograph your pet from about 2 meters away, so the proportions are better

Use treats to make them look in the direction you want them to

Make lots of pictures from different angles and sort them out later

Blurry photos do not work for highly detailed/ realistic art, but can be used in a more loose paintingstyle