In the best of all possible worlds, I enjoy the process of meeting you and your pet in the flesh, and being in your home for hints of what to include in the final painting. It's a total adventure for me that way. I have the opportunity to do the photographing myself, working with you to take the photo(s) that best shows your pet's personality and physical characteristics, as well as creating a dynamic visual design.

However, you may not live within striking distance of Maine and not have the ability to pay travel expenses for me to come to you (which is beyond the cost of the portrait). Of course, if you can round up enough friends to share the cost of my extra time and expense, I will happily come to you!

If you are providing me with the reference photos, we need to work together so that I have the best possible images to work from, which will produce the best final result. With digital cameras and computers as tools, and when you know what I'm looking for in a photograph, we're assured of success.

The vast majority of the paintings featured on my website started with photographs I took myself. They will give you a good idea of what I'm looking for in an image. Here are some additional tips for doing the photographing yourself:

1. The image has to be in focus.

2. You need to be VERY close to your pet, as close as 2-3 feet, and fill the photographic frame with detail...don't be afraid to cut some elements out of the picture, including parts of your pet's body. Look for an interesting composition in terms of design, and assume you'll be taking MANY photographs.

Photographs of your pet on a couch, taken 5-10 feet away, are not great reference photographs. There is just not enough detail, especially of the face. Close-ups are better.

3. Natural light is best, and I find photographing on a sunny day is most desirable. Photographing during the day, and not at night, is always best. Inside light, close to a window, produces a beautiful effect, and outdoor light works great. But, don't make your pet face the sun directly (think how you'd feel if it was you!)---keep the sun to the side to avoid squinting, and also for the best shadowing. This helps to define the pet's bone structure and also can produce a beautiful over-all visual design.

4. Something to consider with lighting: With a light-colored animal, be careful that the light is not too strong so that the photograph is "washed out"---too much light eliminates detail. With a dark or black-colored animal, a flash indoors might work best in showing detail and the shine of the coat. I would photograph both inside and out for a black dog and compare the results.

5. Personally I enjoy what the camera can do in terms of foreshortening, as in railroad tracks receding into the distance. Some clients prefer to minimize that effect. In that case, try to get down on the floor, and point the camera at about chest height at your pet, or tip-of-the-nose height. That will make the camera more parallel to the subject.

Watch out for the huge nose look. For dogs with long noses, photograph with the nose slightly down or turned to the side-this will show the true look of the dog, and minimize distortion. If you're after a "funny" portrait it's a good approach, but I am more interested in a straight-forward, respectful portrait of your pet, rather than one that is mostly about photographic humor.

6. Follow your pet around for as long as it takes; don't accept "good enough". Photograph your pet in a variety of places where your pet is comfortable, and try to include visually interesting details within the environment...color, texture, and structural details are all helpful to me. Don't worry too much about miscellaneous clutter - I'll "clean it up" in the painting.

This whole process may take you an hour or somewhat longer. I have a wonderful client who followed her two shy cats around for two weeks (!) and ended up with a variety of truly beautiful reference photographs. I changed very little in the final paintings. It was her first experience with photographing as an artist would. She did a fantastic job and learned about visual design and photography in the process.

7. A double portrait is more challenging and might take a bit more time, but is definitely possible. With bigger dogs, I'd recommend concentrating on the faces, for better detail. Smaller dogs work fine with full bodies in the painting. Don't forget the over-all design, try to get the personality of each animal to be equally expressive and unique to them, and try to show how they relate to each other naturally.

8. Each pet is unique, so there are no visual absolutes. In essence, even though it's a cliché to say it, I'm interested in portraying the soul of your pet. Often this means an image in which he/she is looking directly at the camera, or at a slight angle to show off the angle of the nose or head structure, but with the eyes still looking at the camera. However, some pets are so much about the structure of the body, or the uniqueness of the "coat", that we may decide to use a view that does not involve "eye contact". This can be just as powerful visually.

9. Sometimes two portraits work better than one. I have a client with two sons and a beautiful black lab named Molly. My client wanted me to paint two portraits, focusing on Molly, but with each of her sons relating to Molly in their own way. She said she wanted them to each have one so that they could remember in the future how much Molly loved them. I loved this project.

10. Your pet will know if you're anxious, so be loose about the process. Don't force anything; be calm and patient. Sometimes when I'm photographing an animal, I get what I want within the first five minutes. This is extremely rare. More typically it takes around an hour. So don't expect instant results. On the other hand, no one knows your pet as well as you, so you have a definite advantage. I predict all of your future photos will be better after this experience.

11. Call me if you have any problems and I'll give you moral support and ideas. After I receive the images by computer or mail, we'll talk about which photograph(s) to use as reference. Good luck and have fun!