Behind the Scenes
Taking a look at the set-ups for some of my photo shoots this year - when I remembered to take them
In the order they were taken;
In the order they were taken;
Bianca and Lawrence
I wanted something that looked like a fancy 'mansion' interior, and the only thing I have that can pass for anything close, is the bottom of my dining room china cabinet, which only has dolls and music boxes in it. The china went into hiding down below decades ago. So I rolled back the corner of the carpet to expose the parquet flooring, and laid down a carpet. I hung a Rembrandt painting on one of the cabinet door handles, and set up my dolls...
It's always important to take photos at the doll's eye level, if I want them to pass as real people. The scene was too low to use a tripod, so I had to get down on the floor to take the pictures, and shoot hand-held. Getting down is hard, and getting up is even harder, but worst of all is trying to scoot back and forth, while seated on the hard floor, trying to make little posing adjustments.
The photo taken...
Winston Flying
To make it look like Winston (and Willie) were flying, I suspended Winston by several strings from a long stick, which my husband held overhead out of camera range...
The photo, taken with me lying on the ground behind the dolls...
Another of the shots taken during that photo session...showing the strings...
...and with the strings Photoshopped out...
Aaron's Birthday
Most indoor settings get set up on the window end of my dining room table. I set up my camera on the tripod in the window, and mostly try shoot at the doll's eye level. I usually put a small table to one side to hold my props and stands...
The picture.... see the difference it makes to shoot down low at the doll's eye level?
Steve in the Bathroom
When I was making Steve's Victorian outfit, I made the pants first, and they looked so much like pajama pants that I wanted to take a picture of him having just gotten out of bed in the morning. I needed a bathroom, and a mirror, and of course don't actually have a mini one, so set up one on the counter of my own bathroom. Then just cropped in close....
Fantasy Banquet
It wasn't until AFTER I'd taken all the photos and was in the process of cleaning everything up, that it struck me how interesting the table and chairs looked sitting there in my upper garden. I wish I'd remembered to take a photo sooner - before taking all the dolls back inside and cleaning up most of the props - but better this shot than nothing at all.
It was early spring, and the new plants were just tiny. Each day those little plants would grow taller, and if I'd waited another few days they would have been way too tall scale-wise. So, timing was everything.
I had asked Jan to place that big root up in the garden, and to put a basket of blue violas off to one side of it.
It was early spring, and the new plants were just tiny. Each day those little plants would grow taller, and if I'd waited another few days they would have been way too tall scale-wise. So, timing was everything.
I had asked Jan to place that big root up in the garden, and to put a basket of blue violas off to one side of it.
A photo, with the dolls still there....
Whispering Grass Welcome Party
The plants in my backyard are WAY too big scale-wise most of the year, especially for the really small dolls. So, to set up a 'garden party' scene for any of my dolls, especially the really small ones, I set up on the patio table, and place hanging baskets with small flowers around the perimeter to act as background. The hanging baskets get propped up on overturned pails on the benches behind and beside the table, letting the plants spill out over the table. There's always a dragon-wing begonia with huge red flowers on that stone pillar, but for this photo shoot it was replaced by some much smaller purple and white violas, just in case....
The party...
Summer Fiesta
Another set up on my patio table. On a sunny day, I always have to wait until late afternoon until the table is in the shade. I've surrounded the edge of the table with propped up hanging baskets of violas again...
The picture...
Once Upon a Time
I needed a picture for my Wizard's home, and wanted to do something like one of my favourite paintings by James Christensen...
So I first set up a tentative scene on the end of my dining room table, to see how many dolls I could fit.
I had originally wanted to use the gryphon and a Giant character I have, and the little fairy gnome on a mouse, but they just took up too much room - space that I'd prefer to fill with my BJDs instead. So they had to go....
I didn't care about background since the set up was just for reference purposes. I took a photo and printed it out so I'd know roughly where everyone should go when I brought them all outside.
Ideally the scene should have been shot in the woods, but there was no way I was going to haul that many dolls to set up along some public trail, and have to lie on the ground and get eaten alive by mosquitos. So my patio table was just going to have to do. Again.
To help simulate a bit more of a 'woodsy' feel, Jan stuck the big roots in huge pots on a bench behind the table. We used the violas supported on overturned pails again. By this time they were getting rather 'leggy' and didn't have many flowers anymore....
Ideally the scene should have been shot in the woods, but there was no way I was going to haul that many dolls to set up along some public trail, and have to lie on the ground and get eaten alive by mosquitos. So my patio table was just going to have to do. Again.
To help simulate a bit more of a 'woodsy' feel, Jan stuck the big roots in huge pots on a bench behind the table. We used the violas supported on overturned pails again. By this time they were getting rather 'leggy' and didn't have many flowers anymore....
I set up the scene with pieces of driftwood, wood chips, sand, and moss, as well as some of my mushrooms. Then we brought out all my dolls - plus some extras that weren't in the original setting. It was still early on a partly cloudy afternoon, so the sun was occasionally coming through the crabapple leaves overhead. So Jan had to protect everyone.
The picture...
the Ruins Garden
One morning in summer, we took three of my FIDs to the Guildwood Ruins Garden. When shooting out in the real world, I use the technique of 'forced perspective' to make my dolls look like they actually fit into the scene, and that the background is their scale. So to make my dolls fit in with the huge stone arch behind them, I placed them at a distance on the walkway just beyond the shade of the tree. I don't normally like to shoot in the sun, but if the background is in the sun, then the dolls need to be as well. Which is why we went first thing in the morning when the sun was still low in the sky. It makes for better lighting on the doll's faces, than later when the sun is directly overhead creating harsh shadows....
I had to lay down flat on the ground to take the picture....
Next setting was a big stone monolith made up of several salvaged architectural pieces. I thought I'd try use the 'columns' of the railing. We were on the north side, in the shade, so lighting wasn't a problem here...
I sat down on the ground, roughly where the camera bag is, to take the picture...
Taking over the Diningroom China Cabinet
I needed more display space for my smaller BJDs, so the porcelain dolls on the bottom row had to go,
and Jan made another narrow shelf to fit along the back wall to hold more miniature cakes and tea sets...
and Jan made another narrow shelf to fit along the back wall to hold more miniature cakes and tea sets...
Starry Night
It was very windy that day at the Ruins Garden, so Jan had to keep brushing their hair out of their faces....
the Compost heap
I used the side of our brick fireplace for the setting. Our compost heap is behind it, but I piled a bunch more stuff spilling out from behind and over the side....
the Spinning Wheel Story
The scene was set up on the end of my dining room table....
...and cropped in closer....
Kaye Wiggs Christmas
Just a quick picture to show all five girls in the setting on the end of my dining room table....
...and the cropped-in final photo.....
To the North Pole
I had wanted to take 'travelling' photos of my Santa and his companions, but we weren't getting any snow. So I thought of taking everyone over to the local Recreation Centre where the zamboni dumps the snow after clearing the ice rink. I set up the horses and dolls, and Jan held up a big white sheet in the background. Then I took photos from several angles....
Then I'd take a photo like this....and found this other photo I shot several years ago of Bow Lake in Banff....
...and combined them in Photoshop, to make this....
I took this photo........ and found another photo I'd shot during a blizzard, of Tangle Falls in Jasper National park....
...and combined them to make this....
Santa's Workshop
I needed a really big space for the North Pole workshop, so we turned our dining room table sideways and inserted a leaf to make it even wider. Then I set up the row of background cupboards, and the foreground furniture....
The photo taken at the doll's eye level, using a try-pod.....
the Little Drummer Boy
For the Little Drummer boy, I wanted something suggesting a 'stable', so taped some strips of wood onto the back of my work-table. And Ringo needed some books to stand on to make him rise high enough above the 'manger', which was really just my grape-vine cart....
I wanted some kind of fuzzy 'magical' background, so have our Christmas tree in the background, and because all the lights were behind the little scene, it needed some help from my one photography light....then I shot in close...
..oh, and that mug with a brush in it, is for the water to put a teardrop on his cheek....
..oh, and that mug with a brush in it, is for the water to put a teardrop on his cheek....
Homeless Guy
For the 'panhandler' shoot, I set up on the slide projector stand, under a street light, on the walkway by our town's city hall. Unfortunately most of the Christmas lights were not turned on yet, but the snow was going to melt the next day, so I had no choice....
Spying on Santa
I needed a picture of some kids spying on Santa as he sampled the cookies and milk that they'd put out, but the dining room table was set up for a different scene, and Santa wasn't wearing his Santa outfit. So I decided to fake it. I had a really nice picture of Santa from last Christmas.....
And I wondered how hard it would be to clone two kids into the picture. So I positioned the tree and cabinet exactly like in the older photos, and posed the kids behind the tree, and took a close-up and a further back shot....
..and through the magic of Photoshop, I added them into the picture....
Copyright © 2018 Martha Boers
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All Rights Reserved