Using a Doll Stand
When taking photos of your doll, do you try to get the doll to stand totally on it's own, or do you use a stand?
Personally, I prefer the security of a doll stand. Only on the rare occasion when taking photos of one or
two of my smallest dolls, will I risk having them stand unaided.....as on the rocks in this photo.....
Personally, I prefer the security of a doll stand. Only on the rare occasion when taking photos of one or
two of my smallest dolls, will I risk having them stand unaided.....as on the rocks in this photo.....
My Iplehouse BIDs are just 25 cm tall, and stand quite well on their own, but I still
prefer the security of a doll stand, especially when there's a lot of dolls in a scene.
prefer the security of a doll stand, especially when there's a lot of dolls in a scene.
Doll Stands for Soft Surfaces
When posing my dolls on a soft surface (like grass, or my garden, or in the woods) I like to use a wire stand that pokes
into the ground. To make your own stands, I have a Tutorial available - 'An Easy Stand for Outdoor Photography'
into the ground. To make your own stands, I have a Tutorial available - 'An Easy Stand for Outdoor Photography'
Just make sure to hide the vertical wire behind one of the doll's legs.
I've made several of these wire stands, and they make it possible to shoot a scene like this one.......
I've made several of these wire stands, and they make it possible to shoot a scene like this one.......
It's the only way to pose my dolls to look they are 'running' on a spongy, uneven, forest floor.
I've also used the stands in my garden and in the desert. In the picture below I was in a hurry because I wanted to minimize the doll's time in the sun, so I didn't notice Leona's wire was showing. But it's not too noticeable - it sort of blends into the plant....
I've also used the stands in my garden and in the desert. In the picture below I was in a hurry because I wanted to minimize the doll's time in the sun, so I didn't notice Leona's wire was showing. But it's not too noticeable - it sort of blends into the plant....
The wire stands are also very helpful in windy locations, because the dolls won't topple over, as here in very windy Newfoundland.....
Doll Stands on a Hard Surface
So, what do you do if you don't trust your doll to stand on it's own on a hard surface? Or you are posing several dolls in a scene and don't want to risk them toppling each other over like a set of dominos? I use the standard metal doll stands for most of my doll photos. I hide the top under their clothes, and pay attention to positioning the vertical support behind one of the doll's legs, and then I try to hide the base. If I can't hide the base, I can always Photoshop it out later, but it's so much easier, and more natural-looking, to just hide the base right away when taking the photo.
Even when taking photos in my backyard on my picnic table, I will camouflage the bases of the stands with
some sand the same colour as the wood of the table....as I did here.....Can you see the doll's bases?
Even when taking photos in my backyard on my picnic table, I will camouflage the bases of the stands with
some sand the same colour as the wood of the table....as I did here.....Can you see the doll's bases?
One of the best examples of hiding the doll base, is the series of photos I took of Isar in the Southwest back in 2012. The
US Southwest is mostly rock - lots of bare rock - red, yellow, or white rock. There was no way I'd risk Isar falling onto rock, or
tumbling into a canyon, so I always posed her on her doll stand and covered the base with a bit of sand or small stones the same colour as the rock she was standing on. Now that you know my secret, see if you can spot the covered doll stand base......
US Southwest is mostly rock - lots of bare rock - red, yellow, or white rock. There was no way I'd risk Isar falling onto rock, or
tumbling into a canyon, so I always posed her on her doll stand and covered the base with a bit of sand or small stones the same colour as the rock she was standing on. Now that you know my secret, see if you can spot the covered doll stand base......
In this next setting, I had to balance her doll stand on top of some rocks, then hide the base with small matching stones....
I use this same technique of hiding the base of the doll stands when taking photos of my dolls in the snow......
If you look very closely, you can see a bit of the vertical support peaking out behind Efreet's one leg
(pants aren't that straight), and there's also a bit of base showing in front of one of his shoes.
Here's another photo with the doll's stands hidden with snow.....
(pants aren't that straight), and there's also a bit of base showing in front of one of his shoes.
Here's another photo with the doll's stands hidden with snow.....
Of course, now that you know my secret, you'll be looking for that bit of sand, dirt, or disturbed snow around the feet of the dolls in my photos. I'll bet you never even noticed it until I told you about it. It's a great way to take photos of your dolls outside without worrying about them toppling over and getting damaged (unless it's very windy, but that's another story) So why not give it a try?
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