Your photograph is key – high quality, clear photographs with good composition will translate best to a final artwork.
A consultation process will take place before you commit to commissioning an Elizabeth Searle Designs artwork – with feedback on the photo quality and contrast – remember, a photograph can be beautiful and mean a lot to you, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will work as the basis for an artwork.
Remember, these are just guidelines, so feel free to get in touch to ask any questions or discuss potential options.
Resolution and focus
Make sure that your chosen photographs are as high quality and resolution as possible, and also make sure they’re in focus!
The most successful images will be those taken in good light where the subjects fill the frame – if you use a modern smartphone, tablet or camera, the resolution should be fine, though see below for guidance on lighting.
Too much background means subjects are blurred when zoomed…
Get nice and close to the subjects and there’s much more definition to work with
Light and composition
The best photographs are those taken in natural daylight, either outside or inside by a window; alternatively those taken by a proficient photographer with quality lighting will also be a safe bet.
Please avoid supplying photographs taken inside using a flash where possible. As a general rule, portraits (whether they are pets or people) work best if the source photo is taken at the same level and straight on to the subject.
Photos looking down or up at a subject rarely translate into really memorable artworks.
Try to capture subjects in natural light and get down to their level
Single or multiple images
It is possible to use separate source images of different subjects to create a final composite artwork, however it is preferable to work from a single image of all subjects.
If that isn’t possible and you are taking a new photo of a number of subjects which you hope to use as a source image, try taking multiple shots while they are in the same basic position to give the option of selecting the best expression for each subject.