Choosing the right photo for a pet portrait

Use natural light
Natural, indirect light is preferred over direct, harsh sunlight. Select images with clear, dramatic differences between light and shadow, good color, and in sharp focus, so I can get all those sweet details. Avoid distorted, blurry, or overexposed images. 

Get to eye level
Crouch down to your pet's eye level for better angles and natural proportions.

Focus on the eyes
Ensure that their eyes are sharp and in focus - they are the soul of the portrait. Blurry eyes or soft focus makes it difficult to achieve a realistic likeness. Many phones now will let you tap on the eyes on the screen to ensure a sharp focus.

Step back and zoom in
Avoid distortion by stepping back and using your camera or phone's zoom. You don't need an expensive camera these days. Smart phones have excellent camera functions.

Capture their personality, not just the pose
Let your pet be their natural, funny selves. Don't force it. Personality shines through when they are relaxed. Make sure their ears aren't chopped out of the frame.

Send Original photos
Use full sized, original images for the best quality. Avoid screenshots, cropped, photos saved from social media, or anything you've edited. Also, emailing your photos preserves the quality over texting, which breaks down the pixelation.

If you're the photo techie type, use a high-resolution camera setting (e.g., maximum quality) and shoot in RAW format. 

If in doubt, message me. We can look at what you have and find something I can use. Tip: zoom in, and if the pixels get fuzzy, it's not high enough resolution.