This is a commission I recently completed for a customer of a border collie and a golden retriever. I took the photos myself on my property but your own photos can be used as long as they are clear and good quality. Most digital cameras these days take a good photo. Dogs and horses alike are best taken on a bright overcast day. If it is sunny, try and get a 3/4 head shot, best described as seeing one whole eye and partial view of the other eye. So it would be a partially side on view. Dogs especially look great if someone is standing to the side of the photographer getting their attention while they are in a sitting position. This usually captures a lot of alertness in the eye. To get this shot I got a friend to hold my small dog in their arms to get the attention of the subjects. I was then able to soften the background, take out the leads and collars and open their eyes a fraction to account for the bright sun and soften the more extreme shadows. They were extremely happy with the result of their pastel painting.
