How to Take a Great Photo of Your Dog with a Phone

The best photo of your dog for a portrait is sharp, taken at their eye level in daylight, facing the camera, and close enough that the head and chest fill the frame. A recent phone does all of this well; the habits below are what separate the photo that becomes a great portrait from the one that becomes a soft one. Every portrait we make starts from a single photo and comes back to you as a free proof before it prints, so a better photo is the cheapest upgrade there is.

Get down to their eye level

Most dog photos are taken standing up, looking down. From that angle the head looks large, the body foreshortens, and the eyes, which carry the likeness, tilt away from the lens. Crouch, kneel, or sit on the floor so the phone is level with your dog's eyes. If your dog is small, put them on a chair or a step. The difference is immediate: the face squares up and the expression reads.

Use daylight, never the flash

Daylight from a window or an open shade outdoors gives soft, even light with real colour in the coat. A flash flattens fur, blows out light-coloured dogs, and turns eyes into two green discs. Face your dog toward the light rather than away from it: a dog sitting with a bright window behind them becomes a silhouette. Overcast days are ideal, and a bright room in the morning or late afternoon is close behind.

Fill the frame with head and chest

The portrait is made from the head, the neck and the top of the chest, so that is what the photo should hold. Move closer instead of zooming: a phone's digital zoom throws away detail, and detail in the eyes and the muzzle is exactly what the artwork needs. Leave a little room above the ears, and do not worry about the rest of the body. If you want a full-body photo for yourself, take that one too, separately.

Face the camera

A three-quarter angle can look natural in life and awkward in a portrait, because the styles are built around a face seen straight on or nearly so. Hold a treat or a toy just above the lens, say their name once, and take the photo the moment they look at it. Ears up, eyes on you, mouth closed or gently open all work. A dog looking off to the side or up at the ceiling gives the artwork the wrong eyes.

Tap to focus on the eyes

Before you press the shutter, tap the screen on your dog's eyes. That tells the phone what to focus on and what to expose for, and it is the single habit that turns a soft photo sharp. If your phone lets you lock focus and exposure by holding the tap, do that, then wait for the moment.

Take ten, keep one

Dogs move. Hold the shutter for a burst, or just take ten frames in a row, and choose the sharpest afterwards. Look at the eyes at full zoom in your photo app: if the individual hairs around them are crisp, you have it. If everything is slightly soft, the phone missed focus or the dog moved, and it is worth another ten.

Turn portrait mode off

The blurred-background effect looks lovely on a phone and works against you here. It is a software guess at where your dog ends, and it often smudges the edge of the fur, the whiskers and the tips of the ears, which are the parts the artwork traces most carefully. Use the normal photo mode. We handle the background: every style places your dog on its own backdrop, so what is behind them in the photo does not matter at all.

Collars, harnesses and leashes

Leave them on if that is how your dog is comfortable; the artwork removes collars, harnesses and leashes by default so the portrait reads as a portrait. If you want the collar kept, say so when you order or when you see your proof.

Send the original file

Upload the photo straight from your phone's photo library. A screenshot, or an image saved from a messaging app or social media, has usually been compressed to a fraction of the original and loses exactly the fine detail a portrait needs. If someone else took the photo, ask them to send the original file rather than forwarding it through an app that shrinks it.

If the only photo you have is an older one

Send it. A real person looks at every photo before any artwork is made, and older or lower quality photos are often workable, especially when the face is sharp even if the rest is not. If it is not going to give a good result we will tell you early, before anything is made, rather than after you have paid. Our photo guidelines show good and bad examples side by side.

What happens next

Choose a style, upload the photo, and add your dog's name if you want it on the artwork. We create the portrait and send you a free digital proof, usually within 24 hours. You approve it or ask for changes, as many as you need, and only then is it printed and framed. If you are still deciding between styles, our guide to the seven styles walks through each one, and the Modern Pet Portrait is the place most people start.

Common questions

Does the photo have to be professional?

No. A recent phone in daylight, at eye level, facing the camera, is all the artwork needs. Most of the portraits we make start from a phone photo.

Can I send more than one photo?

Upload the one you think is best. If you are unsure between two, mention it when you order and a real person will choose the one that will give the better result.

Does the background in my photo matter?

No. Every style places your dog on its own backdrop, so a cluttered room or a messy garden behind them is fine. Only the dog needs to be sharp and well lit.

What if my dog will not sit still?

Use a treat above the lens, take a burst of ten, and pick the sharpest. A short session right after a walk, when they are calmer, works better than a long one.