reference photo tips.

  • Your tattoo will only be as good as your reference photo is.

    The reference is the most important part of the tattoo. If you need help choosing or taking a photo, I have some helpful tips!

  • Pets who don't sit still.

    We’ve all had a pet who doesn’t sit still. But that’s okay!

    If you have an iPhone, turning on the LIVE camera helps.

    But the biggest thing that helps— take a video instead of photos! Then send me the video. I will be able to go through the video & grab photos from there.

  • Convincing your dog to look at the camera.

    I hear all the time “my dog doesn’t like the camera!” And I have a couple tricks up my sleeve to help.

    First, you’ll want to get on the floor/ground with your dog eye-level. Then try this!:
    1. Hold a treat or ball by the camera
    2. Make a funny noise that will catch their attention.
    3. Say something that gets them excited! This can be “Want to go to grandpas?,” “Want to go for a walk?,” etc.

  • Photo integrity.

    Please stay away from photos that are:
    - blurry
    - pixelated
    - small
    - edited
    - taken with older phones
    - screenshot


    I tattoo what I see. If your photos are any of the above, the less lifelike your tattoo will be.

  • All-black or all-white pets.

    “Is it harder to tattoo all-black or all-white dogs?”

    I get this question a lot. The answer is no!

    The only thing that makes tattooing these animals more challenging— is when my clients choose certain photos to give me, thinking I won’t be able to work with others.

    Please do not edit photos nor limit our options with the intentions of making my job easier. It is my job to figure these things out.

  • Positioning

    The best references I’ve found are usually eye-level, with neck visible.

    Usually, if photos are taken from above with no neck visible in the photo, the tattoo will look like a floating head. We don’t want that!

  • This page is a work-in-progress.

    I wanted to start this page ASAP and work on it here & there when I have time. Bookmark this page on your phone so you can come back to it!

    There will be more tips to come!

  • If you want to submit additional photos or videos, create & share a Google Drive with me!
    Or you can email them to references@megantattooer.com

    If you have multiple pets you’d like tattooed, please create separate albums on Google Drive or send them in different emails for each pet.