The Ruff & Royal Journal

Notes on photographing, painting and printing animals

Written by the people who print the work and check every proof. Mostly practical, occasionally sentimental.

How to Photograph a Black Dog Without Losing the Face

Dark coats swallow detail in the wrong light. Here is where to stand, when to shoot, and what to avoid.

Ruff & Royal · July 2, 2026 · 1 min read

4 in Cats

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Cats

Defaults are tuned for landscapes and faces, not for a moving animal. Five changes take about a minute.

Ruff & Royal · June 24, 2026 · 1 min read

Cats

Cats do not go outside on request. Work with a window instead of fighting the ceiling light.

Ruff & Royal · May 29, 2026 · 1 min read

Cats

A commission that put two cats in one frame who never actually met.

Ruff & Royal · June 19, 2026 · 1 min read

Behind the Scenes

What started as a leaving present ended up on the side of a van.

Ruff & Royal · May 21, 2026 · 1 min read

Photo technique, style explainers, and the customer stories we had permission to tell. It is the same list as our product updates.