How can you guarantee a great portrait?

A great portrait starts with a clear, in-focus and high contrast photo of your beloved pet. It’s best to submit a variety of photos of your pet and I can usually work with one of them.

The more detail in the picture – the more detail in the painting.

If you’re able to, you can create a little photo session for your pet, much like I do for Lola (my Boston Terrier). Here is a helpful step-by-step guide to ensure a great, Instagram-worthy photo of your pet every time!

Step 1: Make sure your camera lens is clean

Step 2: Make sure there is enough contrast
Contrast bring out details, which will create a more realistic portrait. Taking your pet outside on a sunny day is a great, natural way to get contrast. If you don’t have that luxury though, you can create some contrast by placing a light source to the side of your pet’s face. This can be done with a lamp (as we did below) or even the flashlight feature from another smartphone. When we do this with Lola, it’s usually easier to get her to sit still when we bribe her with a cookie… or three!

Step 3: Focus
Get close to your pet with your camera and make sure to focus on the nose. (If using a smartphone, tap the screen where the nose is. A small white square will appear briefly and cause the phone to autofocus).

Step 4: Take the picture
Here is my close up photo of Lola. As you can see, it is sharp, in focus and shows a lot of contrast and detail – making for a more interesting composition (which will make for a more interesting portrait).

If you’re in the Boston area, I’m also available to meet you and your pet to conduct the photo session myself for an additional fee.