How to take a photo for a pet portrait

The photo you send matters more than anything else in a portrait. A good one lets us keep the things that make your pet look like your pet: the eye color, the patch over one eye, the ear that flops the wrong way. You don't need a good camera. A phone is fine. What you need is light, the right angle and a bit of patience.

Start with the light

Daylight is best. Stand your pet near a big window, or go outside on a bright but cloudy day, and turn off the flash. Flash flattens fur and gives dogs and cats glowing eyes. Strong midday sun isn't great either, because it throws hard shadows across the face. If your pet has dark fur, light matters even more: black dogs and cats lose all their detail in a dim room.

Get down to their level

Most pet photos are taken from above, looking down at the top of a head. Crouch or sit on the floor so the camera is at their eye height. The face looks more natural, the proportions are right, and you can actually see both eyes. For a small dog or a cat, this might mean lying on the floor. It's worth it.

Show the face clearly

We need to see the eyes, the nose and both ears. A straight-on view or a slight three-quarter turn works best. Profiles and photos where the face is half hidden by a toy, a blanket or another pet make the likeness harder. Collars and harnesses are fine, and we can leave them out if you ask.

Fill the frame, but don't crop the ears

Get close enough that your pet takes up most of the photo. A tiny dog in the middle of a big lawn won't give us enough detail, even from a recent phone. At the same time, keep the whole head in the picture, ears included. Don't zoom in with the phone's digital zoom; walk closer instead.

Sharp beats perfect

A slightly awkward pose that's in focus is more useful than a lovely moment that's blurry. Tap the screen on your pet's eyes to focus, hold the phone steady, and use burst mode if your phone has it. Take twenty photos and pick the sharpest one. Please skip filters and beauty effects, since they change fur colors and we want the real ones.

How to get them to hold still

• Try after a walk or a meal, when they're calmer.
• Ask someone to stand behind you with a treat or a squeaky toy held just above the camera.
• Make a strange little noise right before you shoot. You'll often get one second of tilted head and perked ears.
• For cats, wait for them to settle somewhere sunny and come to them, not the other way round.

Older photos and pets who have passed

If you're ordering a memorial portrait, you may only have a few photos, and some may be old or not very sharp. Send the best you have. Older or imperfect photos are welcome. If you have more than one, send a second photo in Etsy Messages that shows the color or markings more clearly, and we'll use both. If a photo limits what we can do, we tell you honestly before we start.

Sending the photo

Upload the original photo at checkout, not a screenshot, which loses detail. If you forget, just reply to us in Etsy Messages and attach it there. Before we start, we check every photo. If yours is too dark, too blurry or too far away, we'll ask whether you have another one, or go ahead and do our best with it if you prefer.

Ready? Browse the styles, then order from our Etsy shop. You'll get a proof, usually within 24 hours.

Each portrait is created by our designer using AI tools from your photo, then reviewed and finished by hand. Printed and shipped by our production partner, Printful.

More guides: Pet memorial gift ideas, Housewarming and closing gifts.