Juno Black Labrador
Luckily for me during lockdown near Bideford my work routine hasn’t changed too much, so I have been busy keeping my mind off things and working through my pet portraits. I have had to cancel a couple of photoshoots, but hopefully things will change again soon.
Pet Portraits Bideford
Juno’s photo reference was taken on Ilfracombe beach on a bright sunny day. Although usually this is not a good light being so harsh especially with black animals, I could tone it down. The trouble with photos taken in strong sunlight is that it reflects bright silver highlights which can be very distracting. My paintings are achieved portraying a more soft and gentle look.
If you are unsure I have created a quick guide to taking photos which you can see here. Of course if you live locally we can arrange a convenient meeting place and we can have a quick photo shoot.
Pet portraits make very special gift and what a way to treat someone you care about!
Although black animals can be difficult to paint if the reference image has been taken in the right lighting, then you will see lots of colour tones. As mentioned before strong sunlight just creates harsh highlights and shadows. Therefore a bright overcast day is perfect for black dog photography.