WHAT ARE THE BEST PHOTOS FOR CUSTOM DOG PORTRAITS?

This is a question I get asked a lot, especially from pet parents that have a dark-colored pet, like Daisy Duke here. Daisy Duke was rescued by her mom out of an abusive situation. THANK YOU Mom for rescuing!!! I’ll share their story in just a sec.

People ask me what kind of picture is best for their custom pet portrait etching. While I do etch professional photos for pro pet photographers, I also etch cell phone shots from pet parents. There are certain key elements that make photos work well for a custom dog portrait. 

Best Photos For Custom Dog Portraits

– Clearly show the pet’s eyes
– Are in focus and not blurry
– Don’t have blown out highlights (white areas with no detail)
– Don’t have a filter on them

To be honest, thanks to Photoshop I can use most photos (as long as they are in focus). Also, the whole etching process is very forgiving. So it’s pretty easy to find a good photo.

Daisy Duke’s mom sent me these photos, but most were blurry or too dark.

So I asked her to keep sending me more. Then we got these 3 good ones that I decided to use since they were in focus and you could see Daisy Duke’s eyes and face pretty well.

These are the best photos for custom dog portraits. You can see here how they look etched and pressed into fine art. Now her mom has gotten her favorite images off her phone and has a nice piece of fine art to remember her favorite companion with – yay!

Send any picture over and I’ll tell you if it’s a good candidate for an etching, or if we should use another one. Usually, when people order an etching, they send over about ten or so pictures. Then I tell them which one would make the best custom dog portrait etching. EVERYONE has one or two images that would work, just as Daisy Duke’s mom did.

NOW – for Daisy Duke’s story in her mom’s words: “My neighbors fence was broken and her door was off so I could see in her fence in courtyard. I saw this lady with a black furry thing in her hand and with her other hand she proceeded to punch this black thing. I realized what was going on. I set my groceries down and I went over to the lady. I grabbed the puppy out of her hand and I took the puppy home. There was a lot more but doesn’t need to be mentioned…

She had a German Shepard bone frame. She had the black tongue from having chow chow in her…She was absolutely beautiful and unique for sure!! From that day on she was my side kick! She went everywhere with me. It was always Jessica and Daisy Duke.”

How To Take The Best Photos

By the way, if you want to learn how to take better photos, I’d highly suggest my pet photographer friend’s Facebook group, “Take Better Photos of Your Dog.” This is for anyone to learn how to take awe-inspiring and gorgeous photos of their dog (or cat!). Get ideas, tips & strategies for improving your photos – of your pets and any other subject.

I’m partnering with her this month in her group to offer some fun things. I’d love to see you there! Speaking of Facebook, I currently do a weekly “Friday Live” (@GreyboyPetPrints on FB or IG) where I etch while you watch your art be created! The experience is sort of like a chef creating your food in front of you before you get to enjoy it 🙂

Watch Your Own Custom Dog Portrait Be Crafted

Daisy’s mom got to watch her artwork be created this way (pictured below are the etched plates ready to be pressed). It’s always fun to share this creative process with those who join in. Maybe I’ll see you at the next “Friday Live!”

If you’d like, you can just watch a quick little 3 minute video of my Grammy and I crafting a custom dog portrait etching. It shows the etching process from start to finish. I start by Photoshopping any distracting elements out of the background, like I did with Daisy Duke’s.

The most popular custom dog portrait etching is the medium or small custom dog portrait of just one image – like this one of Daisy Duke that was mom’s favorite in her trio collage.

Thanks for reading and happy photographing! If you have any questions or want to send along your best photos for custom dog portraits (or cat portraits!), please do! You can contact me right here (below)!