Photo Guide
LET'S TALK PETS!Choosing the best photo of your pet.
To create your portrait, I’ll need a selection of clear, good-quality reference photos. The right photo makes all the difference, helping me capture not only the finer details but also the personality and character you know and love.
There are a few things to consider when choosing your photos, from finding an image that truly feels like them to making sure it has the detail I need to work from. This guide will walk you through what to look for so you can choose the best reference for your portrait.
Why your photo(s) matterIncluding More Than One Pet
If you have one great photo of all your pets together, that’s perfect! But as most pet owners know, getting everyone to pose beautifully at the same time isn’t always easy.
The good news is that I can work from separate photos of each pet and bring them together naturally in one portrait. For the best result, there are just a couple of things to keep in mind.
Perspective
Try to choose photos taken from a similar angle and height. For example, a photo taken at your pet’s eye level won’t pair naturally with one taken while looking down from above. Keeping the perspective similar helps the finished portrait feel balanced and realistic.
Lighting
Where possible, choose photos where the light is coming from a similar direction. If one pet is lit from the left and another from the right, combining them can look unnatural. Similar lighting will help everything come together beautifully in the finished portrait.
Examples of Great Photo References
Photo Guide
LET'S TALK PEOPLEChoosing the best photo of your person or people.
To create your portrait, I’ll need clear, good-quality reference photos to work from. Choosing the right images makes all the difference, allowing me to capture the finer details as well as the personality and character of the person or people being portrayed.
There are a few things to consider when selecting your photos, from choosing images that truly capture the person as you know them to making sure there’s enough detail for me to work with. This guide will help you choose the best references for your portrait.
Why your photo(s) matterPhoto credit: Christine Hall
Including More Than One Person
If you have one great photo of everyone together, that’s perfect! But finding a photo where everyone looks their best isn’t always easy.
The good news is that I can work from separate photos of each person and bring them together naturally in one portrait. For the best result, there are just a couple of things to keep in mind.
Perspective
Try to choose photos taken from a similar angle and height. For example, a photo taken at eye level may not work as naturally with one taken from above or below. Keeping the perspective consistent helps the finished portrait feel balanced and realistic.
Lighting
Where possible, choose photos where the light is coming from a similar direction. If one person is lit from the left and another from the right, it can make combining the images more difficult. Similar lighting helps everyone look as though they were photographed together, creating a more natural and cohesive portrait.
Yearbook photos
Yearbook photos are great for solo subject portraits. They are not the best if we are mixing people into one.
Expressions
What if you have a photo of someone you like but the expression isn’t “happy"? We can change that pretty easily.
Examples of Great Photo References
