IMAGINE Art
  • home
  • Art
    • Pet Portraits
    • Cat Portraits
    • Horse Portraits
    • Photography
    • For Sale
  • Inquire
    • Rates >
      • Pet Portrait Paintings
      • Bridal Bouquet Paintings
      • The Fine Print
    • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Blog
  • About
    • about
    • reviews
    • The Commission Process
    • Why choose Imagine Art?
    • Press
  • Contact

CONTEST: Enter to Win a FREE Pet Portrait!

1/19/2014

 

Think your pet has what it takes to be an Imagine Art model?! 
You could win a FREE 12 x 16” original portrait!

I’m looking for the best pet photo to be a featured portrait in my portfolio! Send my your pictures! Cats, dogs, horses, birds….Doesn’t matter what kind of pet you have - all photos will be considered!

How to Enter:
  1. Find the BEST pictures of your pets! Don’t have any?  Grab your fancy camera or smartphone and snap a few now! Or even better - hire a photographer!
  2. Show me what you’ve got! Submit your photos by posting them on my Imagine Art Facebook page (www.facebook.com/imaginealltheart). Each entrant may submit up to 3 (three) photos!
  3. That’s it!


How to Win:
I will be personally choosing the winning photos, based on a variety of criteria, including: lighting (i.e. natural sunlight and shadows), color, texture, setting (i.e. background/foreground), and pose/expression of your pet.

Tips:  
Get creative with settings, sunlight and shadows!
Capture your pet’s personality - their smile, their enthusiasm, that special look in their eyes…
Get close!  The more detail I can see in the photo, the better!
The Winners…
ONE First Place winner will receive a FREE 12 x 16” hand-painted pastel portrait based on the winning photo! Sent directly to your door, for FREE!
ONE Second Place winner will receive a portrait of their choice at HALF PRICE.

The contest will close on February 1st, 2014.

Rules and Other Stuff

To be eligible to win, you must own the photo.  YOU must have photographed your pet yourself, OR you must have the rights/ownership of the photo from the photographer.

All winning photos become property of Imagine Art and may be used and replicated for use in the Imagine Art portfolio, website, and advertisements. 

DISCLAIMER: Facebook is in no way associated with this contest.

Tips for Better Pet Portrait Photos

7/22/2013

 
Let’s face it. Your pets get treated as well, if not better, than your children. So its no surprise that we want to show off pictures of our furry friends to everyone. Be it on Facebook, Instagram, or just your wallet photos, you’re proud to flaunt those cute pictures of Fluffy. 
So how do you get the best pictures of your pet? While fancy SLR cameras offer beautiful pictures, they’re not required to capture the perfect moment with your pet. Here are a few tips to help you snap great pictures with a simple point and shoot, or even your handy camera phone!

See eye to eye.

burnese mountain dog
All too often, people take pictures of their pets looking down at them.  It’s something most pet owners don’t think twice about - because, after all, you do spend most of your time seeing them from that angle. However, this angle creates foreshortening in your picture, causing the proportions to distort.  The picture you snap will not capture the accurate adorable face that you love so much! 



Burnese Mountain dog portrait
To avoid this, sit or kneel in front of your pet on the ground. If you have a smaller dog or cat, have them sit on a couch or chair, and then snap your shot. Taking pictures from their height is bound to yield a better - I mean cuter - picture of Fluffy. 


See?  Much better!

Use natural light.

Another common mistake is flash and indoor photography. The are several factors that come into play here. 

When you photograph inside, you are relying on one or more light sources. Whether its a lamp or overhead light, chances are that they are altering the color of your picture. Fluorescent lighting makes your picture look cold, while incandescent lights make the picture very warm. 
Picture
To compensate for dim lighting, your camera will probably turn on an auto-flash setting. This comes in handy when you want capture a split second of Fluffy wearing that ridiculous cowboy costume you bought him. However, flash is generally going to yield an unflattering picture of your pet. Flash washes out color, and often eliminates important details, like the texture of their fur. Lastly, and most importantly, flash produces red eye on your subject. While a pet’s ‘red eye’ looks more like a green/grey, it still flattens the eye and blocks their true eye color.


In this picture, Ranger's color is completely washed out, and his eyes are flat. 

happy black labrador
Whenever possible, use natural light. Sit outside with your pet.  Have them face the sun - or at least face away from shadows. If you have a pet that can’t go outside, like an indoor cat, have them sit beside a window with lots of light. 



See how in this picture, Ranger has beautiful blue eyes, and color in his face?

Capture their personality.

Welsh Corgi portrait
If Fluffy would rather snooze on the couch all day than go for a hike, than the couch might be a fitting place to photograph him. On the other hand, if Fluffy enjoys a good romp at the dog park, an outdoor scene would make a better photo of him. The important thing to remember is to let the photo depict your pet’s personality. 

Consider using props, like their favorite toys or blankets, to include in the picture. On the other hand, consider the picture as a whole, and avoid having excess or unnecessary objects in the picture. Having too many things in your picture makes it distracting for the viewer to focus on your pet. 


From this portrait, you can tell what a happy, energetic Corgi Paddington is!

Hire a photographer.

Picture
I can say from honest experience that you cannot beat the quality of pictures taken be a professional.  Pet photographers know exactly how to make your pet look their best.  Your pets do have a 'good side', you know! Proper lighting, depth of field, and shutter speed are all things that a pet photographer can handle - and trust me - once you see the pictures you'll be astonished at the difference it makes!

If you're in the Connecticut area, I highly recommend Kathryn Schauer Photography. The picture on the left is a perfect example of capturing the ideal moment, with the help of a pet photographer of course.

I hope these tips help you to capture the best moments with your furry friend!

Photo shoot and Gallery Show!

7/15/2012

 
Picture
Today I had my photographer friend come to the barn to do a photo shoot with the handsome Cazador.  Dave Piel did a fantastic job!
In other news...I have officially booked my first gallery showing! (unassociated with a school, organization, or event, that is.) The opening will be roughly around August 24th. All the details will be posted as soon as possible!  I'm so excited!



    About me.

    I eat, sleep, and breathe art. I'm fond of horses and put ketchup on everything. =]

    Archives

    August 2016
    May 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    July 2012
    June 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    October 2011
    July 2011
    May 2011
    February 2011
    September 2010
    August 2010

    Categories

    All
    Art
    Art Show
    Car Decals
    Commission
    Contest
    Custom
    Dog Portrait
    Etsy Shop
    Gallery Show
    Horses
    Horses Riding
    New Site Imagine
    Paier
    Paint
    Pet Fair
    Pet Portraits
    Photo Shoot
    Printmaking
    Prints
    School
    Summer
    Thesis
    Winter

    RSS Feed

Imagine Art Jenna Wilke pet portraits
 203.525.5586
[email protected]
"The likeness is superb, the detail is extraordinary, and the interpretation of his expression is magnificent.  When I first saw the piece I was astounded - speechless to the point where I ran out of superlatives for the portrait."  Read more....
  • home
  • Art
    • Pet Portraits
    • Cat Portraits
    • Horse Portraits
    • Photography
    • For Sale
  • Inquire
    • Rates >
      • Pet Portrait Paintings
      • Bridal Bouquet Paintings
      • The Fine Print
    • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Blog
  • About
    • about
    • reviews
    • The Commission Process
    • Why choose Imagine Art?
    • Press
  • Contact