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 Worried that you don’t have the perfect photo of your pet for a clock? Don’t be. Almost all of the clocks I’ve designed started out with photos that, how can I put this gently, needed a bit of work. Even the photos I take myself at the shows sometimes need some help.  Today’s blog post is all about what The Clock Lady can do to improve, enhance & change the background of less than perfect photos.

First, let’s remember what’s really important in for a clock photo of your pet.  The best photos feature your furry loved one facing the camera, from the front or turned slightly to the side in a 3/4 view.  It’s actually pretty simple … just about anything other than a view of your pet from the side.  That’s because four-legged animals, when viewed from the side, are quite wide … too wide to fit comfortably into one hour of a clock. 

The photo to the right is a wonderful example & one of my all-time favorites.  It’s perfect, actually!  The view is from the front, with a 3/4 turn of the body.  Notice how there seems to be a vertical line … the image of the boxer is taller than it is wide.  And, as an added bonus, the background is uncluttered & well suited to the color of the dog’s coat.  As you might have guessed, this photo was taken by a professional photographer.

So, what about photos taken by us mere mortals?  You know, the ones that have potential but aren’t perfect.  The ones where the pose is good but the background needs the old switcheroo. 

Here’s an ok photo that turned into a really lovely clock.  The view of this golden retriever puppy is from the front with a slight turn to the body … it’s really good.  The background is a little less than wonderful though.  The first thing that needed to be done was to get rid of all of those grout lines in the floor, then the date stamp & toy needed to be removed.  After that was done, the photo was perfect & made a really wonderful golden retriever clock.

What’s really fun to me about this clock was that my client was almost certain she didn’t have a good photo.  And that’s the point I’m trying to make with today’s post.  Just because your photo isn’t perfect, doesn’t mean it can’t become a great clock.  Send me what you’ve got so I can help you to find the gem in the rough.  Photo editing is part of the process in designing a clock … it’s what you are paying me to do.  So don’t worry about cluttered or messy or boring backgrounds. 

Ok, one more example.  I was thrilled when I saw this photo of a german shepherd.  I thought that this would be an easy one because the background of the photo is lovely … all that fabulous greenery.  And then my client told me she wanted a blue background.  Oh well, back to the drawing board.

This time, the task was a little more complicated.  I needed to completely change the background in order to do what my client requested.  This took a bit more time than the golden puppy clock, but it gave me lots of creative license.  I pulled the dog out of the photo & tried him against several different blue backgrounds till I came up with the right mix for my client.

The thing to remember from all of this is not to worry about the background of your photos.  I can fix a background 99% of the time.  What I can’t fix is a photo with the subject in a pose that is not suited for a clock … a side view.  So go grab your stash of photos of your pet & look for the ones that show him or her from the front.  Send me a few & I’ll help you pick the one that will work best for your clock.

Till next time …