Since starting to draw portraits good source photographs are sometimes a challenge. Usually I get the client to come here and my daughter takes the photographs, or we go there.  With internet orders this kind of service is not always available, especially if you live far away.  So here are some pointers to consider when selecting your photos for a portrait.

I have included examples of good and bad photo illustrations so you have an idea of what I am talking about below.  Hopefully this will help you when selecting a photograph, or having one taken for your portrait. I apologise in advance to my daughter for the photo’s of her I have used in this blog. According to my husband and daughter (who are the photographers in the family) the majority of these photographs should never see the light of day, never mind going public! But for illustrative purposes they are ideal. 🙂

Photo selection tips:

• The better the quality of the photo used in the portrait, the better quality of portrait I am able to produce.
• For digital photos, the image should be in .JPG format.
• Please use a minimum resolution of 1600 x 1200, or higher if possible. (The higher the better, especially if I have to crop it for compositional purposes, or if I need to zoom in to understand the detailing of the eye for example).
• Most importantly, the photo must be in focus!

In the above photo the definition is fuzzy and out of focus.  A flash has been used as well, so it looks like a bad passport photo.  It is completely washed out, and there is no definition, contrast or areas of interest to work from at all.  Aside from all the technical issues she looks a bit grumpy too! 🙂

• Send the original photo without cropping or altering as this also lowers the quality of the photo. (He mustn’t be the guy right in the back row of a group of 50 people!)

In the above photo, although a great illustration for scale purposes, the face is far too small to be of any use to me as source material for a portrait.  If I am to draw it with any degree of accuracy the face needs to be a lot more prominent.

Selecting a face to draw from a group like this would not work at all as the lighting and size of faces visible is wrong and no detail would be visible once cropped.

• Anything saved off Face Book is not suitable.  FB reduces the size when it uploads the photo making it almost impossible to enlarge to a size where I can see any usable facial detail. Sometimes there are special circumstances, so please discuss this with me if this is the only photo you have access to.  I have used photo’s off FB before, although not ideal, can be done if it was a good photo to start with.
• Posed shots with huge smiles can often look unnatural. Try to use casual, candid shots which will result in a more intimate and interesting portrait.

In this case, as cute as she is, a cheesy smile for a portrait isn’t always a good idea unless this is part of the character of the person, which is why you want to use this for source material for your portrait.

• Don’t use the flash! The flash eliminates shadows that help add depth and interest. Side lighting is best. As long as the photo is not too light, or washed out and the subject is properly lighted; ie. no dark shadows that hide the subject, I can make a plan.

This photograph is OK.  I could also do some post editing that would add more contrast and interest to the photo before I were to begin sketching.

The above photo is completely unsuitable as the faces are far to over exposed to allow me to see any detail at all.

• Mottled shadows are not good either as this hides a lot of the detail required to build the shape of the portrait, and will confuse the contrasts I would use to build the shape of the face.

This photo has great lighting and interesting contrasts and shadows that would allow me to build a beautiful sketch by observing the wonderful light coming from the side.  My only concern would be the eyes.  They are very hidden and not a lot of detail is available. If a close up of the eye had been taken (at the same time) it would have been ideal. That aside this would be an excellent source photo.

• For children, try to get down to their level to take the photo.
• Please send several photos of each subject if you can. If possible, take a few close-up shots of the face as well in the same pose to capture the smaller details.
• A brief bio of the subject is also very helpful as I believe this does help to capture their personality and character.
• Group portraits can be created from separate photos. It is best to send several images and preferably an image with all subjects in one photo so I can best judge the size relationship of each subject. Groups can be tricky so this will be carefully discussed before I start.
• The clarity of the photo you chose makes a significant difference in the final artwork.
• “Professional” photos are always the best choice as they usually have a nice balance of lights and dark’s which makes for more interesting photos. By professional I am not referring to studio shots or photos softened in a post editing process. Sometimes with studio lighting and post editing, contrast is lost and this makes it very difficult to build the shape of the face so it does not look flat in the drawing.
• Choose a photo that highlights the unique character of the subject and that just makes you feel good.

This photo would make a good source photo as well.  The lighting is from the side, I can see the eyes if I zoom in and there are contrasts on the face and hair created by the light.  I also like the dark glasses tucked into the hair.  It creates another focus of interest.  I also love this photo of my daughter, I see her character in it, so that too is a good reason to use it.

• If you are unsure, send me several photos and we can decide together which photo(s) will work the best.
• Sometimes you want a portrait study drawn, but for one reason or another have very limited photos available, or not entirely suitable photo’s.  If this is the case I am happy to review the photo’s, and we can discuss how to work with what you have.

Should you be interested in commissioning a portrait study please contact me via email at:  eileen@artbyeileen.net