This guide features some pictures of Sabrina in different lights and poses, to illustrate what kind of photographs work best for a dog portrait. Above all, it's most important to choose a photo that shows your dog's features clearly, in a pose that captures their personality.
The clearer and more accurate the photo, the better Kathryn can see your dog's features and the better likeness you will get. Take the photo outdoors when it's sunny or slightly overcast, or indoors if you have a window with lots of natural light. Incandescent indoor lighting gives a yellowish tint with too little contrast and is usually not good for representing the coat color accurately. In the photos on the right, notice how different Sabrina's coat looks under different light conditions.
Take well-focused, high resolution photos. For photos intended for full-body poses, it's best not to crop out part of the feet or part of the tail, as it's difficult for Kathryn to paint these without knowing exactly how they look. Even with photos intended for head-shot-only poses, it's helpful to get a bit more of the animal in the picture so Kathryn can see the bone structure and get the posture right.
If you want a special background, such as a favorite beach, you can attach a seperate photo (watch a demo where Kathryn combines two photos here) and she can paint the animal into the scene. It is best if you can send a photo of your animal at that place, in order to get the correct lighting on the fur, but not necessary. If you want two pets in one portrait and are submitting seperate photos for each, make sure there is at least one photo of them together (even if not in the pose you want) so Kathryn can see their relative sizes.
Finally, if you want, a story or two about your dog always makes the process more fun and personal. You can read more about what to expect during the painting process here.
Some things to consider about choosing your pose photo before you begin:
Do you want a more classic, serious pose, or a fun informal pose?
Do you want a close-up portrait that focuses on your animal, or do you want the subject to be a smaller part of a scene or landscape?
What features of your dog are distinctive, that set her apart from others of that breed?
If your dog is older, do you want him portrayed at the age he is now, or do you want to submit a puppy photo?
If your dog wears a collar or bandanna, do you want it to be in the portrait?
Sabrina's mom wanted a fun, informal pose for her portrait, highlighting the purple tones in Sabrina's coat, so this was the photo used for the pose:
Since the photo cuts out some of Sabrina's body, Sabrina's mom also submitted some other photos for reference. Here is her final dog portrait:
1. This is a pretty photo but would not make a good dog painting - it is too dark and low-contrast to see Sabrina's features:
2. This photo was taken under a tree, which cast dappled shadows on Sabrina's coat, making it look like she has white markings where she doesn't:
3. This is a good photo that shows all of Sabrina, and the lighting portrays her accurately for the painting:
4. This is a cute pose that would make a nice head-shot painting. However, you would have to submit one or two other photos as well for reference:
5. The two pictures below are both well posed for head shots, but the different light conditions give Sabrina's coat inaccurate shades. Make sure you submit a shot that has your pet's coloring represented the way you would like.
