If you are looking to learn a little more about taking great photographs either for your self or for your bespoke Commission, hopefully you can find some good information from this page with some Do's and Don'ts based on my own experiences. Digital photography is improving all the time and the best quality images usually come from using an SLR camera. These days though, most cameras are capable of capturing great photo and compositions, even the Camera phone, however they can lack fine quality and so image use is normally avoided by many Artists.
If you require further help or advice, please do not hesitate to contact me, or E-mail me some examples. Image files sent must be a minimum of 300dpi (jpeg/TIFF)
Film photographs should be sent via Insured post.
If you require further help or advice, please do not hesitate to contact me, or E-mail me some examples. Image files sent must be a minimum of 300dpi (jpeg/TIFF)
Film photographs should be sent via Insured post.
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Daylight - the best light to capture your subject in
Ideally the best time to capture photographs of your Pet is either mid morning or mid afternoon - the best days are when the sun is not as bright or when the sun is hidden behind clouds. Example: No.1 - the sunlight has bleached out most of the details in the white areas, but with the second image taken at a slight angle, this helps to minimise the glare of the bright sunlight which allows all the colour tones to show up nicely - the colour and definition in the eyes are perfect for the portrait too as there is plenty of detail to work from. Always try and capture photographs of your pet at their leisure rather than trying to force them to pose - bribing them with a treat can help immensly, but avoid stressing them too much - take a few photographs over a period of days if necessary and praise them or offer a treat to make the photoshoot enjoyable. |
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Lighting
To flash or not to flash?
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Flash is rarely a friend of a Photographer OR an Artist who works from photographs.
It is rather harsh and can dramatically change tonal values on a subject. Whilst most people can withstand the flash from a camera, mainly because we are able to prepare ourselves and will avoid looking directly at the camera flash, animals cannot and it is a little unfair to expect them to cope with a tirade of bright flashes. As you can see on these 2 images, although the fur tones have hardly changed, flash creates ugly dark shadows, over exposed white areas and the worst part - 'red eye' Natural photographs are the best option - the best time is when the sun is hidden behind clouds to avoid the problem already discussed earlier. You can see the natural colour of your pets eyes too, which is best for a natural painting. Use flash as a last resort, but not recommended for a commission
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Pet Photography - Black & White
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Black animals OR white animals tend to be rather difficult to capture through a lens and therefore can create a challenge for many Artists if their reference image is poor. Images of white animals tend to be over exposed and the shadows are lost resulting in a very minimal rendering of a portrait. Black animals are the complete opposite so cause under exposure and 'pure black patches' which again result in minimal detail.
Natural light, avoiding bright sunlight will help to create the best balance of tones and shadows for better photographs, and if you are not sure - send me a few images as I may be able to use them as a guide. |
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Composition
Ultimately it is your choice as to stance and composition of your final painting, but below are a few pointers to be aware of before deciding on your reference photo. If you have a favourite image that shows your pet's personality, then ideally that would be the best photograph for me to work from. If you live in the Newbiggin area, I would be happy to come along and take some photographs of your chosen subject - please contact me for more information.
Make sure when taking a photo of a pet with lots of long fur, that it does not cover the eyes - the eyes are the most important part of a portrait.
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If you are looking to commission a painting of your horse, if you prefer not to have
the harness included, ensure you remove it before you take any reference photographs. |
It is best to take any reference photographs of your Pets at eye level, rather than above as seen here, unless you would like this type of composition.
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If you are looking to commission a painting of multiple pets from me, I will require some photographs of all your pets together if possible, to use as size reference.
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If you are looking to commission a portrait with a detailed background, this composition gives you an idea of what would work well. Contact me to discuss ideas.
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*Copyright & professional photography
Every single photograph taken has a Copyright attached - the Copyright is owned by the photographer of that image, whether Amateur or professional, the photographer must ALWAYS give permission for their photographs to be used for a painting. Professional photography will normally be of high quality and these are perfect for a commission, but any images you wish me to use MUST have permission from the professional photographer beforehand - some photoshoots are sold with all rights to the images, meaning you can do what you wish with them, in this instance you will have written proof and this must be available for me to view before commencing the piece.
Artists Copyright - the Artist holds all copyright to the final Artwork and may be used for advertising purposes. The Artwork must not be reproduced by the commissionee unless it has been discussed and agreed by yourselves and the Artist, John Graham
Artists Copyright - the Artist holds all copyright to the final Artwork and may be used for advertising purposes. The Artwork must not be reproduced by the commissionee unless it has been discussed and agreed by yourselves and the Artist, John Graham
