Here’s a question we get almost daily: “Can we do a portrait of both me AND my partner with our pet?”
The short answer is that a DUO portrait is one person and one pet. Two photos, two subjects. But — and this is the part that surprises people — couples have turned this into something really special anyway. Let me explain.
The “Two Portraits” Move
The most popular approach from couples is to order two portraits. One of each person with the pet. Same pose, same palette, hung side by side.
This actually looks incredible on a wall. Two matching oil paintings, same warm tones, same composition style, but each one capturing a different relationship. Because here’s the thing people forget — your partner’s bond with your dog is different from yours. The way they hold them, the way they lean in, the energy between them. Two portraits show both sides of the same love triangle.
We’ve had couples frame them symmetrically on either side of a doorway. One couple put them flanking their TV. Another hung them in their bedroom, one on each nightstand wall. It works because the paintings clearly belong together without being identical.
If You’re Picking Just One
Sometimes it’s a gift. One person wants to surprise the other with a portrait of them and the pet. In that case, you need to pick whose photo to use — and this is where people overthink it.
My advice: use the person who’s more physically affectionate with the animal. If your partner is the one who’s always on the floor with the dog, or the one the cat always sleeps on, use their photo. The portrait will look more natural because the body language in their source photo already carries that warmth.
Also — and this is practical — pick the person with a clearer solo photo available. You need a decent shot of just their face and upper body. If one of you takes more selfies than the other, the math kind of does itself.
Why It Works as a Relationship Keepsake
There’s a Dutch genre painting tradition — 17th century — where families were painted with their animals as symbols of domestic harmony. The dog at the feet meant loyalty. A cat in the lap meant comfort. The animal wasn’t decoration. It was a statement about the household.
A DUO portrait does something similar, whether you realize it or not. When you hang a painting of your partner holding your cat in your living room, you’re saying: this is what love looks like in our house. This is our family. Three heartbeats.
That sounds like a lot for a portrait that takes thirty seconds to preview. But I think the best keepsakes are the ones that feel bigger than what they cost.
Digital downloads, museum-quality prints, and canvas all available. All physical products ship free with express delivery, and everything comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
