Tips on Photographing Your Pets For Paintings
I find photographing pets to be quite challenging. It really helps to have a lot of patience. I also find it easier to have others help with the process especially if I want to capture that bright-eyed, alert look. Ideally, I get my husband to hold my pet, and my son to dangle a toy or treat beside me, close to where I've positioned myself with the camera level to my pet, so his eyes are looking close to the camera. If it's the sweet, soft and perhaps sleepy look I want to capture it is easier to take pictures alone. I take the pictures after they've had a walk and when they're having a little rest. It really depends what kind of expression I want to capture.
I encourage you to try to capture your pet's personality. For example, my light-coloured standard poodle X loved to dig... and dig... and dig in the dirt. We called her our little 'mugwomp hunter'. So I took my camera on walks with me and took a lot of pictures of her with dirt all over her face and her very long tongue hanging out. Now that she has passed away, it will be these photos that I will use as a reference for my picture to commemorate my very precious pet ... my little mugwomp hunter! On her very last walk, she had a little dig.
Although it is cropped poorly, the first picture of Shaleigh (above) is helpful because it shows her personality and her memorable tongue. The background shows contrast but Shaleigh is washed out and the texture of her fur is lost. 
The second image (right) has better composition in terms of the background and not cropping the dog's features. In addition, this photo has more structural information for the portrait, provided by fur texture and contrast within the picture. These two photos illustrate the benefit of sending multiple images; one with the primary pose and additional pictures to highlight the animal's personality and unique features.
I find it best to take pictures outside on a slightly overcast day or in a place that is out of direct sunlight such as a covered deck, the back of a van or a truck box with a canopy. If taking the photos inside, I make sure that I am by a large window. It is important that my pet is not backlit by the light coming through the window. Rather, I position myself by the window and have my pet in the room with the light cast upon her.
Be careful to provide me with a contrasting background. If you have a light-coloured cat and you take a picture of her with a light-coloured background, many of the details informed by shadows will be lost. Conversely, if you have a black dog, please provide me with a picture that has a light background. This portrait of Chinook shows the benefit of a light background.
The only instance in which I use a flash is when taking a picture of a black dog. The flash provides me with the much needed highlights. Otherwise please don't include flash photos. The images are flattened, the highlighting details get washed out and often, you end up getting red eye as well.
- In order to avoid distorted pictures, it is best if you take pictures holding the camera level with your pet.
- Close up shots of the face for detail of nose, eyes, ears, direction of fur and the subtle gradations in colour are the features that make your pet unique. Please make sure you send me pictures with the eyes open ... after all, painting the eyes is my absolute favourite part of doing portraits!
- If you are providing me with reference prints, please have them printed on photo quality paper and no smaller than 5"x7". If you are emailing them, send them at the highest resolution possible.
- It is very difficult to create a good painting using reference photos when valuable information about the paws, or the ears etc. is cropped off; make sure these features are visible.
- Remember, if your pet's tail is sticking out to the side, it takes up a lot of pictorial space which means a larger painting and a higher cost ... all for the sake of a tail! Compositionally, it is better if you take a picture of the tail to the back or tucked in close to the side of your pet.
- It is really helpful when your pet's picture almost fills the frame; it gives me a larger image to work with resulting in a better portrait.
- A picture taken with the head just a bit to the side is often more interesting than a frontal view. It is helpful to provide me with pictures taken from a few different angles.