Taking Beautiful Photos of Your Doll

So you’ve seen your friends’ dolls and how stunning their photos come out, but you just can’t seem to capture the same magic? We’ve got you! Go ahead and pick out your favorite outfit, hair, makeup, and nails – then we can get started.

1. It’s all in the eyes!

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, and that’s also true for dolls. The right look can totally bring her to life! With that, it’s important to make sure the eyes are adjusted correctly, which is super easy. First, start with making sure they’re symmetrical (unless you’re into the lazy eye look, in which case, you do you ��). Before you start snapping away, take a moment to consider the scene from the doll’s perspective – where would your eyes be drawn to? What is she looking at?

2. Strike a Pose!

This is where you really start to see the whole picture! You don’t want your doll to look like she was just plopped down on a chair – there needs to be some movement and life. It’s important to know your doll’s range of motion, since each model may be slightly different in how they can move around.

You’ve paid a lot for your doll, and I know initially it can be nerve-wracking to start moving the joints around, since you don’t want to break them; just go slow and gentle, and you can position the doll to fit your vision. Of course, we detest violence, but the dolls aren’t as fragile as you might think.

With the arms and legs, make sure nothing is too stiff – that immediately breaks the illusion. How often do you see a model posing with their arms and legs straight out? Never! Go back to the doll’s perspective; how would you place your arms and legs?

Now that the face and body are set, you may think you’re ready to start shooting, but hold up! Did you check out the fingers? Most dolls have wire fingers which can get twisted and creepy. Do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to arrange the hands and fingers. Personally, I like to pull up hand models and try to replicate the delicate placement.

3. Shooting Angles

Why do others’ dolls look so cute? It’s all in the angle, my friend. This is more of an artistic choice, so there’s no right or wrong way to go about it. Much like the fingers, I recommend pulling up some portraits online for inspiration. You can try to mimic what you like, and the more you practice, the more insight you’ll gain to help in developing your own style.

4. Location, location, location!

Most photos are taken at home – and if you’re going for more risqué photos, the public park obviously isn’t the place. Surely, you already keep your home neat and tidy, but make sure to minimize clutter and ensure the background is adding, not distracting, from the doll.

Some people choose to get a hotel for the night to have a photo-shoot. Anime-themed hotels are especially popular, but there’s no shortage of themed hotels to fit your personal style! Personally, my favorite are secluded cabins and mountain retreats, but again, it just depends on the look you’re going for.

Local parks and scenic spots can also be great places to visit! Of course, keep your local laws and regulations in mind – while dolls aren’t people, parents won’t take very kindly to a nude doll on the swing-set next to children, so use your adult judgement on what’s appropriate. Generally speaking, if it would cause an adult to get in trouble for lewd or inappropriate clothing (or better yet, lack thereof), it’s probably not a great idea.

For public shoots, we’d recommend having a suitcase or something to help transport your doll safely. A friend can also come in handy, as you’ll certainly be getting a workout in! If you’re a bit on the shy side and someone asks what you’re up to, you can always just say you’re doing an advertisement or something – after all, we’ve previously written about how dolls are used in art, such as modeling and photography.

5. Equipment

You’ll obviously need a camera. If you’re using DLSR, use it often to take photos. Somewhat like seasoning a cast-iron pan, you’ll want to use the camera often and click the shutter upwards of 100K times. Yep, I know that sounds like a lot, but once you get into it, you’ll realize you may take 1000 photos to select just a handful. Smartphone cameras have the benefit of being lightweight and convenient. Most flagship phones have a number of camera settings you can play around with to get the correct look you’re going for. You may also want to consider a tripod – this can help stabilize your photos, while also allowing different angles you may not be able to capture yourself.

6. Composition

Composition is crucial! You should be going in with a clear idea of what kind of image you’re wanting. Avoid distracting elements, as the goal is to showcase your doll. Don’t let clutter detract from your subject and draw the eyes towards unimportant details.

7. Lighting

Let’s be real – we’re playing with dolls, so I’m sure we’re not all professional photographers. You don’t need a full professional lighting setup (not that it would hurt, either!) to take beautiful, captivating photos. It’s best to shoot in well-lit areas because low light can cause noise interference, which really relates to how sensitive the camera is. To make it simple, the less light available, the longer the shutter – with a longer shutter time, any slight movement can be picked up and translates to noise in the final image.

Look around – do you have table or floor lamps? Simply removing the lampshade will allow more light to reach the camera. If that’s still insufficient, you could consider buying photography bulbs online, which are quite affordable.

A reflector is also helpful in creating more light! These are the big foil pieces you may remember from school picture days. These are also quite inexpensive, but a simple white piece of cardboard will also do the trick! The reflector will allow you to play with the strength and direction of the light. While I could go on and on with lighting, I’d recommend checking out a photography book or online resources if you’re interested in more specifics.

8. Post-Production Processing

Congratulations! You’ve taken a photo that you absolutely love, and now, you can further manipulate the images using digital tools. We recommend Photoshop, but feel free to use whichever editing software you prefer.

Cropping the photo will create a clearer composition by taking out any distracting background details.

Exposure is simply the brightness of the photo, and it’s recommended to play around with it to see how the exposure changes the tone of the image.

Contrast is the difference between the brightest and darkest spots, and it’s crucial for visual effects. Generally, the higher the contrast, the more vibrant the image will be; lower contrast will dull the image. High contrast is typically preferred, as it aids in image clarity, details representation, and gray level expression.

Saturation is a measure of how vivid the colors appear. Increasing the saturation can breathe new life into the photo and really make details pop!

Now you know all the basics and best tips for breathtaking photos! We’d love to see the photos you’ve been able to take, as well as any tips or tricks you may have picked up!