Send a photo with the whole boat in the frame, taken from the side or three-quarters on, in daylight: at the dock, on the mooring, under way or on her trailer. A phone photo is fine and it need not be sharp. Avoid a bow-on shot that hides the hull, and a marina with other boats in front of yours.
What angle should the photo be taken from?
Side-on or three-quarters from the bow: that is where a boat shows her lines. The sheer, the stripe, the wheelhouse windows and the stern all read, and the design draws her the way an owner sees her from the dock. From dead ahead or dead astern the hull collapses into a wedge and the piece loses what makes her yours.
- Side-on or three-quarters on, the whole boat in the frame
- Daylight, overcast is fine; avoid the sun straight behind her
- At the dock, on the mooring, under way, or on the trailer
- Under sail if she sails: the design draws the sails as it sees them
- A phone photo is enough; sharpness matters little
What cannot be worked from?
A bow-on shot where the hull is hidden; a marina where another boat's stern crosses yours; a photo taken from on board that shows the deck but not the boat; and a shot so far away the boat is a few pixels. A person on deck is fine and is left out of the design, which draws the boat alone.
| Send | Avoid |
|---|---|
| The whole boat, side-on or three-quarters | Bow-on or stern-on, the hull foreshortened |
| Daylight, the sun behind you | The sun behind the boat, hull in silhouette |
| Her alone on the water or at the dock | A marina with other boats across her |
| Close enough to read the stripe and the windows | A distant speck on the horizon |
| Any phone photo of her | A photo of a photo at an angle, with glare |
What if the boat is gone?
Many pieces are of a boat that was sold, or lost, or was a father's. A print photographed flat on a table in daylight, with no glare, is enough: the design reads the lines and draws them clean. If the print is small, photograph it as close as the phone will focus. The old-photo guide goes through it.
Does the name in the photo matter?
No. The design never copies lettering from the photo; the only name on the piece is the one you type, up to 20 characters, set in script below the hull. Leave the box empty and the piece carries no name. If the drawing comes back with lettering you did not ask for, run it again on the create page; it stays free until you approve one.
Questions this leaves
Can I send more than one photo?
One photo per design. If you have a side view and a detail of the transom, send the side view: it is the one the design draws from. The detail can come in a note to the studio after you order.
Will the design show the people on board?
No. The design draws the boat alone, on her water, and leaves out crew, dogs and fenders. If you want a figure at the helm, say so in the AI touch box and look at what comes back before you approve.
Can I describe the boat instead of sending a photo?
Yes. The describe tab draws from words: the type, the colours, the stripe, under sail or at the dock. It is the way to make a piece of a boat you have no photo of, or of a boat you have not bought yet.
