Guide
How to Photograph Your Pet
Five minutes with a phone is usually enough
You do not need a camera. You need the right angle and a bit of daylight. Here is exactly what we look for when we open your upload.
Getting the shot
Find a window
Daylight from the side, not behind them. Turn the overhead lights off — mixed light is what makes fur look muddy.
Get to their eye level
Crouch or sit. Photographs taken looking down at an animal are the single most common reason a profile does not work.
Wait for the ears
Ears tell you who the animal is. If they are flat back or blurred from movement, wait and take another.
Fill the frame
Head and shoulders, with a little space around them. Do not crop in the phone — we can do that.
Take twenty
Then pick the sharpest. It is almost never the first one.
What we can work with
- JPG, PNG or WEBP
- Up to 12 MB. If your phone saves HEIC, switch Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible, or export as JPG.
- 800 px minimum
- On the shorter side. Below that we will ask you to resend.
- Their eyes open
- A sleeping pet is lovely and almost impossible to engrave recognisably.
A photograph from 2011 is fine
A photograph from 2011 is fine
Most of what we make is for animals who are no longer here, and the photograph is usually old. Grain, a slight blur and a dated background are all fine. What matters is the angle and whether we can see the shape of the face.
Check it before you send it
Choose the photograph on your device and we will check the two things that actually matter: how many pixels the studio has to trace, and whether the file will upload. It never leaves your browser.
JPG, PNG or WEBP · 800 px minimum on the short edge · 12 MB maximum
Your result will appear here — file size first, then the pixel dimensions, with a note on what to do about either.