The photo makes the portrait

Your portrait is only as good as the photo behind it. You don't need a professional shot, though, a clear phone photo is usually perfect. Here's how to pick your best one.

THE 5 THINGS THAT MATTER

1. Sharp and in focus

Pick a photo where the faces are crisp. If they blur when you zoom in, choose another — sharp faces are what make a portrait feel like them.

2. Good, even light

Natural daylight is your friend, with faces lit softly from the front. Avoid harsh shadows, strong backlight from a window behind them, or the orange cast of indoor lamps at night.

3. Faces nice and close

The face should fill a good part of the frame, not sit tiny in the distance. The closer and clearer it is, the more life I can paint into the eyes — a photo from a few steps away beats one shot across a room.

4. The highest quality you have

Send the original straight from your camera roll, not a screenshot or something saved off a chat app or social media. Those get compressed and lose detail.

5. Old printed photo? Scan it straight

Working from a printed photo? A flatbed scan is cleanest. No scanner? Lay it flat in good light and shoot straight down from directly above, keeping the camera parallel so the edges stay square. Shooting at an angle warps the faces.

A few quick tips


  • You'll upload your photo at checkout, right when you place your order. Just have your chosen image ready on your phone or computer, and the upload step will prompt you. If you have two or three you're torn between, you're welcome to send them all and I'll help you choose the strongest one.

  • If your only photo is a little old, faded, scratched, or low quality — an old family photograph, a treasured picture that's seen better days — that's exactly what my restoration service is for. I can often repair and rework an imperfect photo before painting from it, so a damaged memory still becomes a portrait worth hanging.

  • Skip the ones that smooth faces or change colours dramatically. They hide the details I paint from.

  • The eyes are the heart of a portrait, so make sure they're visible.

  • These can work, but the further apart and smaller the faces, the harder it is. Closer is always better.

  • Always send the actual image file rather than a screenshot of it.