Photographing tips for Dolls

I have taken a LOT of doll photos over the past several years.

I admit to being an amateur when it comes to photography. 

But, I have learned a lot from my mistakes.

I have also learned some simple tricks!

I want to share what I have learned.

Who is this sad, depressed looking doll?

This is one of my first photos of my 

Madame Alexander Cissy doll.

She looks like she just put a toddler to bed.

Here is my latest photo of Cissy from my Easter Post.

So what happened between the first photo and the second?

WELL! That is what I am sharing with you today.

ALL my photos are taken with the camera on my phone

and edited on my computer with a basic photo editor

I'll be talking about:

BACKGROUND

EDITING

POSING

and

LIGHT

Let's start with

BACKGROUND

Here is a perfect example of my early photos.

Cissy is beautifully dressed, but sadly

the extra set of legs and the horse head,

 in the back, are distracting.

(feel free to laugh - I do)

I did what a lot of us busy ladies do, 

I just propped my doll up and took a picture.

Here is an easy idea to make your photos better!

BACKGROUND

NOTE: click on my photos to see them close-up!

Here is a very common doll background,

The SEWING MACHINE!

SO, what I do is grab a piece of fabric

or in this case a pillow cover.

Here is my Patsyette in front of my sewing machine.

So simple and a much better photo.

BUT! WHAT ABOUT LARGER DOLLS!?!

Here is my Patsy Ann in front of a dresser.

OK, but not great.

So what do I do?

I just tucked this table cloth into a drawer.

You want some of your fabric to cover the floor

to create a seamless backdrop.

Much better!

Definitely an improvement.

After I saved this photo to my computer,

I double click on the photo to edit.

THEN I used the 'vignette' slider to create soft edges.

Move the button left for light framing

and right for dark framing.

Here is my final photo.

WAIT! 

What am I talking about?

Our next step:

EDITING

This is another popular place to photograph dolls.

Yes, on the computer desk.

ALL the bric-a-brac in the background

 is distracting to say the least!

Here is the same shot but I draped a scarf

behind Nina. Better! Right?

But I can still see some of my desk there on the right.

After saving my photo to my computer,

I double-clicked on my photo and 

my computer editing program comes up.

All Microsoft computers have this built in photo editor!

At the top right is the EDIT button - click it.

I select CROP and move the white corner

 buttons, with my mouse, until it looks right.

Don't be afraid to crop in close!

This program also has lightening and 

darkening.  You already saw the 'vignette' slider.

This is a filter called "Icarus".

Yes this program has filters!

Play around with some photos you saved as a copy

or photos you don't care about.

It is So much fun!

Next we will talk about 

POSING.

This is another early photo of mine.

Patsy Joan is lovely, but looks grumpy.

Here is a more recent photo of Joan.

Another trick to remember

about photographing dolls is...

THE HEAD TILT!

No one takes a good photo looking straight into the camera.

Notice in the second photo, Joan is tilting her 

head slightly and looking off to her right.

Here is my Cissy again.

In the first photo (your left)  her chin is up.

On the right she is looking slightly down,

which makes her appearance softer.

Here is my Charlotte, she has a slight chin tilt

and her body is turned away.

Here is my Little Miss Revlon, Julia.

Her head is turned toward her shoulder

and tilted down slightly.

Turning your doll from looking directly

 front, gives them a livelier appearance.

Next, LETS TALK ABOUT LIGHT

Here is Cissy again. I bet you can already see

some of my mistakes.

She is looking up, at I don't know what,

and the lighting has her face in shadows!

SAME DAY, I took her out to my entryway.

Here she is in shady, natural light. 

She is looking over her shoulder and

  turned until her face is in the best light.

Natural shaded light is the best!

Here she is again on a cloudy day.

The shadows are lessened and there is

no harsh shine

I hope you find these hints helpful!

Just remember:

BACKGROUND

EDITING

POSING

and

LIGHT!

Most importantly, have fun!