How to Take the Perfect Photo of Your Pet for a Custom Portrait

Most pet portrait services have a dirty little secret: the difference between a great portrait and a meh portrait is almost never the technique. It's the photo you uploaded.

The good news: you don't need a DSLR, a studio, or a willing pet. You need five minutes, decent natural light, and the right kind of phone snapshot. Here's exactly what to look for.

Rule 1: Daylight, never overhead lights

Position your pet near a window in the afternoon. Indirect daylight from the side gives you the kind of soft, even lighting that flatters every breed. Yellow ceiling lights flatten the texture of fur and make everything look dingy. Camera flash makes pets look like raccoons.

If you have to shoot indoors with no good window, take them outside. Shade is fine. Direct sun is harsh, but anywhere your pet is in their natural element with daylight on their face works.

Rule 2: Eye level, not above

The biggest mistake we see: humans pointing their phone down at their pet from standing height. It looks like a passport photo for a criminal investigation.

Get on the floor. Crouch. Lie down if you have to. Eye-level photos of pets create the kind of intimate framing that makes a portrait feel like a real piece of art instead of a snapshot.

Rule 3: One pet per photo (for now)

If you have multiple pets and want them all in one portrait, take a separate photo of each pet — one at a time, same lighting if possible — and we'll compose them together. Trying to get two cats to sit in frame at the same time is how you spend an afternoon getting nothing.

The pets don't have to look at each other. They don't even have to be photographed on the same day. Our composers handle that.

Rule 4: Background simpler than you think

You don't need a clean white wall. You don't need a pose. You don't need to brush them first. What you do need: a background without too many competing visual elements. A messy couch is fine. A toddler in a costume in the background is going to confuse the artist.

If your pet is on a busy floor pattern or in front of a TV showing something distracting, snap a second photo with them on a solid surface. The lighting matters more than the surface looking aesthetic.

Rule 5: Their face has to be visible

Profile shots can work, but the strongest portraits are head-on or three-quarter views where both eyes are visible. If you can see the unique markings around their eyes and nose, the artist can capture their personality. If half their face is in shadow or hidden by a paw, less so.

One exception: a sleeping cat with eyes closed can make a beautiful watercolor. Their character comes through in the curl of their body. But a head-up photo gives you the most flexibility across our four styles.

What if your pet won't sit still?

The trick: take 30 photos in burst mode while making a noise they react to. Squeak a toy. Say their favorite word. Pull out a treat just out of frame. You'll get one good frame in the burst — that's all you need.

For cats specifically: photograph during their post-meal lethargy window or right after a play session when they're tired. Mid-zoomies is impossible.

What about old photos?

Phone photos from years ago work. Photos from before everyone had a phone in their pocket — scanned, photographed off the print, whatever — also work. Memorial portraits are commissioned almost entirely from photos we'd consider “low quality.” Whatever photo matters to you is the right photo.

Once your photo is ready, upload it on the homepage and you'll see your portrait rendered in your chosen style in about 30 seconds. The preview is free; you only pay if you love it.