How to Choose the Perfect Photo for Your Pet Keepsake
The photo matters more than the pendant. The same piece can feel unmistakably them — or just like a nice generic keepsake — depending entirely on the picture you send. Here's how to pick one, in about four minutes of reading.
Go close
A pendant is small — around 25mm. A wide shot of them across a park reduces their face to a few pixels. Choose a photo where their face fills most of the frame: eyes visible, expression clear, ears or whiskers in shot. If your favorite photo is a full-body shot, crop it tight before sending — most phones can do this in two taps.
Choose light over resolution
Phone photos are completely fine. What ruins a photo isn't megapixels, it's blur and darkness. Daylight near a window beats flash every time. Avoid motion blur (the mid-zoom wobble), heavy filters, and anything shot in dim lamplight.
Pick the expression you knew best
Not the fanciest photo — the most them photo. The sideways glance they gave you at breakfast. The sleepy squint. The slightly goofy tongue. You'll be looking at this piece for years, and the photo that makes you smile is worth more than the technically perfect one.
For paw and nose prints
A straight-on photo of the actual print, in daylight, fills the frame. A clay or ink impression made at the vet (or at home) is ideal — photograph it flat, no shadows across it. A photo of their paw from above also works if the print is clearly visible.
What to avoid
- Wide, distant shots where they're a small part of the scene
- Motion blur, heavy filters, or very dark photos
- Screenshots with watermarks, borders, or date stamps
- Photos of photos (the glare and edges always show)
- Sunglasses or anything hiding the eyes, if the face is the point
Not sure? Send two or three.
When you order, you can send a few options and we'll tell you honestly which one will look best on the piece — before anything is made. If none of them are quite right, we'll say so and suggest what to look for in your camera roll. No charge, no pressure.