You know how it goes: 400 photos of your dog on your phone, and not one shows him the way he really is. Half-closed eyes, a tail already out of the frame, a gaze aimed anywhere but at you. And the one photo you love is blurry.
It is almost never the camera. It comes down to light, perspective and patience, and all three are free. Here are the ten things that make the difference. All you need is your phone, a window and some treats.
1. Get down to eye level
The most common mistake: shooting from above. That is how you see a dog when you stand next to him. A portrait wants to look him in the eyes. Kneel down, lie on the floor if you have to. The moment the camera is level with your dog's eyes, a snapshot becomes a picture with a real gaze.
2. Daylight beats everything
No flash. Ever. Flash gives red or green eyes, flat fur and harsh shadows. The best light is a big window on a cloudy day or the shade of a tree in the afternoon. Position yourself so the light comes from the side or from the front, not from behind. Backlight looks great on Instagram, but for a portrait the eyes end up too dark.
3. The eyes must be sharp
Everything else may be soft, but not the eyes. Tap the screen exactly on the eye that is closer to you and hold until the focus locks. On modern phones that is enough. If your dog moves a lot, use burst mode: keep your finger on the shutter and pick the best shot later.
4. Get rid of the clutter in the background
The drying rack, the bins, the sofa with the stain. It stands out more in a photo than in real life. Look for a calm background: a wall, a meadow, a fence. Or use your phone's portrait mode, which blurs the background. For a portrait from us, by the way, the background does not matter, because we replace it. But a calm background helps the focus.
5. The gaze comes through the ears
Want your dog to look into the camera with pricked ears and an alert expression? Then make a sound he does not know. A squeak, a rustle, a soft whistle. Right next to the camera, and only once you have already half-pressed the shutter. The effect lasts two seconds. Use them. After the third time the trick is used up, so do not practise it.
6. Treat above the lens
Hold a treat right above the phone camera, not next to it. Then your dog looks straight into the lens, and the portrait gets that direct gaze that really touches you. Important: give him the reward, otherwise next time he will only look at your hand.
7. Get closer, but do not zoom
Your phone's digital zoom throws away detail, and it is exactly those details, fur texture, whiskers, the sparkle in the eyes, that make a portrait. Take a step closer instead. Rule of thumb: head and chest should fill at least a third of the picture.
8. Tire him out first, then take the photo
A dog after a walk sits calmer, holds his gaze longer and pants less. Ten minutes after the walk, when he has just settled in but is not asleep yet, is the best moment. With puppies: right after eating, before naptime.
9. Take lots, delete later
Pros take a hundred shots for one. You are allowed to as well. Take 30 photos in two minutes, then a break, then cuddles. Pick the best ones later in peace. When choosing, look at three things: Are the eyes sharp? Is the whole head in the frame? Does he look relaxed or stressed? A dog with flattened ears and a wide-open mouth is not happy, but tense.
10. The photo that touches you is the right one
In the end, technique is not what counts. A technically mediocre photo with the right expression beats a perfectly exposed one without. The tilted head. The one floppy ear. The look only you know. If a photo makes you smile when you look at it, it is the right one.
And if the photo is not perfect?
Send it to us anyway. We will tell you honestly whether it is good enough. Blurry is difficult, dark is usually fixable, a busy background is no problem at all. And with every portrait you get a preview before printing, free of charge, and can still change anything you do not like.
What you need for a portrait, in one sentence: daylight, eye level, sharp face. We take care of the rest. You decide which material ends up on the wall: with our dog portraits, from acrylic glass to canvas and wooden frames to a simple poster. Why an ordinary phone picture is enough for this, and what size and type cost, is covered in Giving a dog portrait as a gift: a phone photo is enough.
Keep reading
- Giving a pet portrait as a gift: what a good photo becomes
- Photographing your cat without stress: the same, with a cat
- Photographing horses: and in the stable
- Giving a dog portrait as a gift: why a phone photo is enough
