Louise Burgess Pet Portraits

Taking a Portrait Photo

The key to achieving a lifelike resemblance of an animal is to have excellent photos to work from.
This is not always easy! So I have compiled a list of pointers which may help…

  • Try to take the photos outside in natural light, but not bright sunlight
  • Get somebody to stand behind you to attract the pet’s attention
  • Use toys or treats to get pricked ears and an alert expression
  • Don’t worry about the background – it doesn’t matter what is behind, or if someone is holding onto him/her
  • Try to get a good expression on the face for at least one photo which I can then use for the main position
  • Take pictures from a few different angles
  • If two pets are to be drawn together it is useful to have at least one picture of them together for size comparison

Please include the pet/s name/s as you would like them to appear on the picture and indicate which is your favourite photo, as I will then use this one for the pose.

The most important thing is that I must be able to see the lie of the fur/feathers and detail of the eyes in at least one of the photos.

If you are not sure, please feel free to mail me the pictures and I will let you know if I can work from them.

Below are two pictures of the same dog which illustrate a good picture and a bad picture.

Picture A - Bad Picture

Picture B - Good Picture

Picture A is BAD because;

  • The dog is too far away
  • The subject is too dark
  • The dog is not in a good position – one ear back, looking down
  • The photo does not show the detail of the dogs eyes. If the pupil is not visible the portrait will not look ‘alive’
  • Other detail is not visible – for example the lay of the fur

Picture B is GOOD because;

  • The dog is close – the face fills the shot
  • Although the light is a bit uneven, all the fur can clearly be seen
  • The expression is attractive and will make a good portrait – pricked ears, alert expression, looking slightly to one side to give some depth and perspective
  • The camera is level with the dog – not looking down at her
  • All the detail can be seen – the eye pupils, the fur, for example around the mouth and ears you can see the individual hairs