When You Can't Retake Your
Pet's Paw or Nose Photo

A photo from the past can still make a nose print

One question I receive the most is "Will my photo work?" for a Pet Nose Keepsake. For some pet owners, they are asking so they can decide if they want to re-take and submit a better photo. Others are in a position where their pet is no longer with them so they can't take a new photo.

So, what happens if you don't have the option to take a new photo? Take a look at how my childhood pet's nose print turned out from an old scanned photo.

two cats sitting next to frame cat nose print keepsake

My First pup and furbaby - Sinbad

This is me when I was 19 years old - over 20 years ago! Our family dog, Sinbad, was probably about 13 years old. We were never really sure because he was a rescue and they didn't know his age. Sinbad lived until he was about 15 years old and it was such a hard goodbye for me. He was the family pet, but the bond between the two of us was the strongest and he slept in my bed and followed me everywhere.

Above, is the best photo I have of his nose. It's not very detailed, it's kind of out of focus, but it gives a good idea of the overall shape and coloring.

yellow cat nose print art in frame on fireplace mantle

Here are the other few photos I found that also showed Sinbad's nose pretty clearly. Unfortunately, we're a bit far away from the camera and so there isn't much detail.

The World of TV magic Spoiler YOu can't keep zooming in on a photo

Unfortunately, as cool as it looks on tv when someone zooms in on a photo and they see more and more details, and then they solve the mystery - that's not really possible in real life. The more you zoom in, the more the photo looks like the little square color pixels that create the image.

Let me show you what happens when I zoom in on the one of the photos from above. It's really hard to see what his nose actually looked like!

So...Will the nose photo you have work?

The answer is most likely 'Yes' with some caveats. When the details in the photo are not very well defined, it will affect how detailed the print turns out. However, I can usually still capture the shape and some of the texture and/or color pattern.

Providing additional photos, even if they aren't and ideal shot of your pet's nose, can help me get a better sense of the overall shape, color, and any color patterns and marks that might not be easy to see from just one photo.

Here's how the print I made for Sinbad came out from the very first photo I mentioned above.

I am definitely not going to claim that I can create a perfect nose print from an old photo. There's lots missing in this print, for sure. But I was able to capture the dark colored edges around the light pink nose that he had, and the shape - I never realized he had a kinda wonky shaped nose on one side!

If having a traditional pet nose texture is important to you, I can add some in as well. It won't be the texture pattern of your pet obviously, but it can improve the look so it is more 'realistic.' That would be something you'd want to request by messaging me.

If you'd like me to take a look at your photo(s), just fill out this form and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Memories of a beloved pet

Most of my customers with a similar photo quality that cannot get any new photos are happy with the final print despite some loss of detail. You will have a chance to review the print via a digital proof, and if you aren't happy with the result we'll work together to see what we can do.

So, will your photo work? I guess it depends on what you're looking for. I'm happy that I was able to get a nose print from my childhood pet because he was my truly my heart-dog. ❤️ I wish that I had a really great photo to use, but I don't. But, what I care most about is his memory and finding ways to keep his presence in my life despite the many years he's been gone.