The old adage, the better the photo, the better painting certainly holds true with pet portraits. As a pet portrait artist, I am continually perusing through photos that people send to me to find
the perfect pose to use for a memorable portrait.
The very best view for the photo is to be eye level with the animal you wish to photograph. Try to have their nose tipped downward slightly, otherwise the camera may distort their nose and jaw making them appear larger than they really are. For smaller dogs or cats, I like to place them up on a couch or chair, so that I can be eye level with them. The furniture also makes a nice backdrop to the painting. Even larger dogs look adorable and comfy lounging on a couch, chair or bed. I sometimes use a little squeak from a dog toy to cause a dog to prick up his or her ears. This can backfire, however, if the dog wants to play and leaves his pose for a lively romp!
It's not necessary to be too concerned with the background in the photo. One nice thing about paintings is that backgrounds can be easily changed. If the perfect photo has a less than perfect background, a more meaningful background can be placed into the painting. If your dog loves the beach, the mountains, backyard or wherever, this background can be painted into the portrait. One woman wanted her father's Miniature Pinscher named Lucy placed in a Texas theme. The reference photo was of Lucy on gravel pavement with picnic supplies behind her. I changed the background to a grassy area with a blanket behind her hanging in the wind that contained the Lone Star of Texas symbol on the blanket. Lucy's red scarf against her black fur added that special touch to the portrait.
I remember photographing a Shih Tzu named Bailey outside on his bed which was placed low on the rock patio. I laid flat on my stomach for that photo. Bailey was experiencing the last few weeks of his life, was incontinent and couldn't be photographed inside the house or on any piece of furniture. The day was warm and sunny and Bailey looked his best in his green bed smiling a greeting among the red carnations growing in pots behind him. He had a very long and comfortable life and I'm so honored to have met him before he passed on.
Fortunately, it is possible to combine photos for the animal, as well as the background. I remember a Merle Australian Shepherd named Annie. Her Mom sent several good photos to me of Annie sitting in her backyard. "The photo I love best," she told me, "is the one with her ears back. I wish her ears were more forward. Otherwise, this would have been the perfect photo." One of the photos she had sent to me were showing Annie's ears forward, so I just combined the two photos into one painting, painting Annie's ears forward from the one photo and using the body posture and expression of the other photo. Annie's Mom was delighted!
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