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First Photo Tips

3/9/2015

7 Comments

 
Okay, I'm super busy sewing clothes for my Ryung - too busy to take much time for interesting doll photos - so I thought this might be the perfect time to start fitting in some simple doll photography tips. 

It's warming up nicely outside, but there's still a lot of snow, including a huge pile in the middle of my patio. In winter I don't want to get down in the snow to photograph my dolls, so I prefer to pose them on something a bit higher - like on top of that big pile of snow. I'm aiming for a nice 'Feeding the Birds' photo this morning.

First Tip - watch the direction the light is coming from. The brightest light - which means the sun - should be behind you. If you shoot into the sun, or bright light, your dolls will be dark, little more than shadows against the bright background.  Like this....
Picture
Second Tip - make your dolls look like they are interacting with their environment. So often I see photos of dolls where they are just standing there looking straight at the camera. Someone will post a photo like the one above, and call it "Feeding the Birds", and they'll get all kinds of comments like "Wow, Great picture!". But it could be so much better.

Third Tip - take your photos at the doll's eye level, and not from above. That's how you make the dolls really look like they belong in their environment.  I prefer to pose my dolls on something higher up so I don't have to get down too low. Which is why I posed them on top of a huge snow pile for these photos.

So often I see photos of dolls taken from above (standing higher than the dolls and shooting downwards)  Like this.....
Picture
Okay, I have the dolls interacting with their environment now, and the sun is behind me, but having taken the photo from above, they look like 'dolls'. The out-of-scale stone fireplace in the background also gives away that the girls are just tiny dolls.

Tip Four - Avoid background clutter that ruins the scale of the photo. 

Tip Five - Get in close. But make sure you know how close you can get with your camera before your subject is out of focus.

So here's my final photo - taken in close with no out-of-scale background clutter (the edge of the fireplace can pass for a garden wall) taken in close at the doll's eye level, with the sun behind me, and with their heads turned and tilted so they are making 'eye contact' with what they are supposed to be looking at, which is the feeder and the birds...
Picture
Well, that's my lessons for today. Now back to my sewing.....
7 Comments
Babel
3/9/2015 01:49:40 am

Thank you for all advise I can throw all my photos.
But I am delighted to see your new dresses ...... :o))

Reply
Catherine Lewis
3/9/2015 01:51:24 am

What wonderful lessons on photography, Thank you so much Martha, you are a Professional indeed. I thank you about the Sun behind you!

Reply
Jane
3/9/2015 01:58:13 am

Thank you so much for the tips.

I love my dolls to look as alive as possible too, and I so hear you about getting the dolls to look at each other rather than the camera!
Best tip of the day!

Have fun sew for for your beautiful Ryung!

Reply
Kendra link
3/9/2015 02:15:32 am

Many thanks for these tips! Especially for the eye level advice. I have to give it a try.

Reply
Charie Wilson
3/9/2015 05:44:28 am

Great tips Martha I will try and remember them.
Hugs Charie

Reply
Martha
3/9/2015 07:03:57 am

I will start a Photo Tips Page in Tutorial, so they will all be in one place, and easier to find for future reference.

Reply
Donna
3/9/2015 10:36:55 am

Thank you for sharing all the great tips. You have such a gift for making your dolls come alive in photographs!

Reply



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    Author

    Martha Boers is an award-winning Canadian doll maker and costumer specializing in fantasy and historical-style costumes.
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