Pet photo guide

The portrait can only be as good as the photo it starts from.

Here's the reassuring part: you don't need a professional camera, and you don't need to hire a photographer. A phone photo, taken in daylight, without a filter, is usually all we need. Most of the portraits you see on this site began as someone's phone snapshot on a kitchen floor.

What matters is not the camera. It's the light, the angle, and whether we can see the features that make your pet yours.

What we need to see

The eyes. Both of them, open, sharp. If we can see the catchlight — that tiny reflection of the window in the pupil — we can felt the expression.

The face, filling the frame. Get close. We would rather have a slightly cropped close-up than a full-body shot from across the room.

Ears and their set. Ears carry a lot of personality — upright, folded, one up and one down. Make sure they're in the frame.

True fur colour. Natural light only. No warm filters, no "vivid" mode, no beauty-smoothing. If your cat's grey looks like a different grey in real life, tell us.

Any markings you love. The patch over one eye, the white sock on the back paw, the crooked blaze. Name them for us — we'll make sure they're there.

A good one — facing the camera, sharp, daylight, no filter.

Also good — a side view works, as long as the face is clear.

What doesn't work (and why)

Blurry, or cropped from a screenshot. Social media compresses photos heavily. Send the original file from your camera roll instead.

Backlit or in shadow. A pet sitting in front of a bright window turns into a silhouette — we can't read the fur.

Filters and stickers. A vintage filter changes the fur colour, and we'll felt the colour we see, not the colour your pet actually is.

Face partially hidden. Under a paw, inside a blanket, or behind another pet. We can work around a lot, but not this.

Motion blur. A sleeping pet is easier to photograph than a running one. If your pet won't sit still, wait for the nap.

How to get a good one in two minutes

1. Wait for soft daylight. Near a window, mid-morning or late afternoon. Overcast days are perfect. Avoid direct midday sun — it creates harsh shadows.
2. Get down to their level. Crouch so you're shooting straight on, not looking down at the top of their head.
3. Get their attention. Hold a treat or a toy just above the lens. Most pets will look straight at the camera for a second. That's your shot.
4. Take twenty, keep three. Burst mode is your friend. Send us the best two or three — we'll pick the one that will felt best.

Different pets, different notes

Dogs

Front-on, eyes and both ears visible. If they have a distinctive blaze or mask pattern, a straight-on shot shows it best. Tongue out is fine — it's part of who they are.

Cats

Cats are fussier about eye contact. Photograph them just after they wake, when they're still soft and slow. Get the eye colour right — it's the first thing people recognise.

Older or lower-quality photos

Send them anyway. We work from what exists. If you have a favourite photo that's slightly soft or taken on an old phone, we'll tell you honestly what we can and can't hold.

A pet who has passed away

This is some of the most meaningful work we do, and we treat it that way.

If your pet has passed and you only have old photos, please send what you have. We'll look at them properly, tell you honestly what's possible, and take as long as we need to get it right. There's no rush on something like this.

Can't tell if your photo will work?

Send it to us before you order — we'll tell you honestly.

Send your photo for a free review

If it won't translate well into wool, we'll say so. We would rather turn down an order than make something you don't recognise.