Photo Tips
Our artists work from your photo, so a good photo makes a better piece. You do not need a real camera. Daylight and a little patience are enough.
Photographing a church or a building
Shoot in daylight, stand back far enough that the whole building fits with a little room around it, and shoot from straight on rather than from a sharp angle. Late morning or late afternoon light is kindest to brick and stone. Keep cars, trash cans and traffic signs out of the frame where you can, and if you cannot, send it anyway and tell us what to leave out.
Photographing a person
Face a window so the light falls on them, not behind them. An older printed photo works well: lay it flat, avoid your own shadow, and photograph it straight down rather than at an angle. Send two or three options if you have them and we will work from the sharpest one.
How big the file should be
A phone photo taken at your camera's normal setting is plenty. As a rough floor, aim for a file of about 1 MB or larger, and send the largest version your phone will allow rather than one that has been shrunk by a message app.
If we need a better photo
If what you send is too small or too blurred to work from, your artist asks you for another one at no charge, and your timeline simply pauses until it arrives. We would rather ask than print something soft. We can remove clutter, straighten a leaning building and correct color, but we cannot invent detail that was never in the photo.