The single most important thing you can send our illustrators is a clear, well-lit photo of your dog's face. Not a professional shoot, not a DSLR. A phone photo taken near a window, at eye level, with your dog looking roughly toward you is usually all it takes. This guide walks through exactly what makes a great reference photo, what to avoid, and the five things our Sydney studio checks before drawing begins.
In this article
- Step 1: Get the lighting right
- Step 2: Shoot at eye level
- Step 3: Fill the frame
- Step 4: Pick a clean background
- Step 5: Capture their real face
- Common mistakes to avoid
- How many photos should I send?
- Frequently asked questions
Step 1: What lighting works best for a dog portrait photo?
Natural light is your best friend. Position your dog near a window where soft daylight falls across their face. Overcast days are actually ideal, because cloud cover acts like a giant diffuser and wipes out harsh shadows.
Two things to avoid: camera flash (it flattens features and makes eyes look glassy) and direct midday sun outdoors (it blows out highlights and makes your dog squint). Early morning or late afternoon light outdoors is beautiful if you can catch it.
- Best: Indoors near a window, overcast sky outside
- Good: Outdoors in open shade or golden-hour light
- Avoid: Flash, direct overhead sun, dark rooms
Step 2: Why should I shoot at my dog's eye level?
Get down on the floor. Photos taken from standing height distort proportions, making your dog's head look smaller and their body larger. A photo taken at eye level gives the illustrator the truest sense of their face, their expression, and the relationship between their ears, eyes, and muzzle.
A slight 3/4 angle (about 45 degrees off centre) is ideal for portraits. Full frontal photos can look flat. In profile, you lose one eye entirely. The 3/4 view gives enough depth to make the illustration feel alive.
Your dog. One photo. One portrait. Printed on a tough MagSafe case and posted to your door.
Step 3: How close should I be when I photograph my dog?
Close enough that your dog's face fills at least 60 to 70 percent of the frame. If you can see the full length of their body, you are too far away. The portrait is of their face, so that is what our illustrators need to see clearly.
Portrait mode on your phone is fine for focus, but reduce the background blur slider if you can. Heavy artificial blur on the ears makes it hard to capture fur texture accurately.
Step 4: Does the background matter in a dog portrait photo?
Not as much as you might think, but a simple background does help. A plain wall, a sofa in a single colour, or an outdoor grass area with nothing distracting behind your dog makes it easier for the illustrator to read the silhouette of your dog's ears and head shape.
Busy backgrounds (bookshelves, patterned rugs, kitchen clutter) create visual noise that can obscure where your dog's outline ends. You do not need a studio. A blank wall and a treat to hold their attention for three seconds is enough.
Step 5: How do I get my dog to look at the camera?
This is the hardest part. A few things that reliably work:
- Hold a treat just above your phone lens. This creates natural eye contact without your dog looking off to the side.
- Make a strange noise. A gentle squeak, a whispered "what's that?", or the crinkle of a treat bag gets most dogs' ears up and attention forward in under a second.
- Use burst mode. Hold the shutter down and take 20 shots in two seconds. You will get at least one with their eyes open and a clear expression.
- Shoot just after a walk. A slightly tired dog holds still longer. A dog who has been inside all day will be too wriggly.
The expression does not have to be a perfect posed sit. Some of our favourite portraits start from a mid-yawn, a head-tilt, or a running shot where the face is still sharp. Send us the photo that feels most like them.
What are the most common photo mistakes to avoid?
| Mistake | Why it causes problems | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Using flash | Flattens features, washes out coat colour, causes glassy eyes | Turn flash off, move near a window instead |
| Too far away | Face too small to draw accurately | Fill 60 to 70% of the frame with the face |
| Shooting from above | Distorts proportions, makes head look oversized | Get down to your dog's eye level |
| Heavy portrait-mode blur | Blurs fur texture the illustrator needs to see | Reduce the blur slider, or shoot in standard mode |
| Eyes closed or looking away | Eyes carry the whole portrait. A closed-eye shot produces a closed-eye drawing. | Burst mode and pick the sharpest, eyes-open frame |
How many photos should I send with my order?
Send 2 to 5 photos. One main reference plus a couple of extras from different angles helps our illustrators capture features that might not be fully visible in a single shot: the shape of one particular ear, a patch of colour on the back of the neck, or a marking that is only visible from the side.
You do not need to send 40 photos. More is not better once the illustrators have a clear view of the face. If you only have one good photo, one is fine. We will ask if we need more.
Same hand-drawn portrait, same Sydney studio, built for Samsung Galaxy models.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use an older photo of my dog who has passed away?
Yes. This is one of the most common reasons people order a Pupcases portrait. As long as the photo is clear, well-lit, and the eyes are visible, our illustrators can work from it. If the photo is the only one you have and the quality is low, contact us before ordering and we will let you know if it is workable.
Do I need a professional camera, or will a phone photo work?
A phone photo is perfectly fine. The cameras on current iPhone and Samsung Galaxy models produce more than enough resolution for our illustrators to work from. What matters is lighting and focus, not the camera model.
What if my dog never holds still?
Use burst mode and take the photos just after a walk when your dog is a little calmer. You only need one good frame out of twenty. If your dog is genuinely difficult to photograph, send us a few of your best attempts and we will tell you which works best before you commit to ordering.
Can I send a photo of two dogs together?
Yes. Group portraits are available. Send a photo where both dogs' faces are clearly visible and neither is obscured by the other. Two separate clear photos (one of each dog) alongside the group shot is even better, as it helps our illustrators nail individual features before they compose the pair.
Will the illustrator tell me if my photo is not good enough?
Yes. Every order goes through a photo review before drawing begins. If your photo is not going to produce a great portrait, we will contact you the same day and ask for a better one or suggest alternatives before any work starts.
Ready? Your portrait starts with one photo.
Upload your photo, choose your case model, and our Sydney illustrators get to work. Your proof arrives within 2 to 3 days.
Start my portrait →Free revisions until you love it. Ships to Australia and New Zealand.
