Commission Photography Guide

The hardest part - the photograph!

Now I know how difficult it is to get the perfect photograph of your pet. They just don't sit still for long enough! But here are a couple of tips just to help with the kind of photograph I need to paint that special portrait.

I need good close-up photographs at preferably a 3/4 angle. Take your pet outside with the sun behind the photographer. The background doesn’t matter. Position your pet so you can see the whole of one side, then stand near the head. Then just click away!

Get someone to help by standing by the photographer’s side, shaking a bucket, holding a ball or holding a treat - nothing like a bit of bribery and corruption to get your pet alert!

Just take a few slightly different angles and do both sides, to see which you prefer. 

If you don’t want the bridle, head collar, collar etc. on the portrait, slip it round their neck so I can get as much detail as possible.

Remember - the better the photo, the better the portrait.

 

Choosing your favourite photograph from your photoshoot

So hopefully - fingers crossed! You should have a few photographs that you could use for the portrait. Choose the photographs that shows there personality. Send them all my way and we can discuss further which one would be the best to use.

 

Getting closer to booking that lovely portrait!

Hopefully you have already decided what size portrait you are wanting. If its just the one subject on the portrait you can choose any size, however if its two or more subjects on one portrait you may have to choose a bigger size. The bigger the portrait the more detail I can put into your pets.

Once I get the photographs, I can book you into my schedule and give you an apporximate timescale.  After the hectic time of getting your pet to sit still, using up all the bags of treats. discussing with me what size you would like and finally deciding on that special photograph to work on you can finally book your portrait. 

I don't accept payment until you are happy with the commission. So when you are booked in just sit back, relax hey! Put your feet up with a cuppa and let me do the rest of the work!

If you do require your portrait for a certain date/deadline please could you let me know a month or two in advance, just so I can keep my timetable open for you.


You decide on the level of creative licence! 

You decide on the level of creative licence! 

Creative License

Here's a comparison to show what's possible, this time it's Trigger the labrador and Tally the border! 

You can see I had to use some "creative licensing" to get what the clients wanted. A pheasant was added to Triggers portrait and Tally's mouth and collar were changed. 

So, you can see, it doesn't have to be the perfect photo for me to get it right in the portrait.