Big dolls wanna have fun too.

So when we think of photostories we tend to think along the lines of 1/6th or smaller or similar scale.  Larger scales are seldom thought of, in my personal observations, when it comes to really involved photostories.  In photostories with larger dolls they tend to be in the “real world” because building sets for them to “play” seems to be costly and time consuming.  I found out today this is so not the case.

 

I came across an interesting website today called American Doll Outfitters.  They sell clothing and accessories that they make for dolls, currently bjds, as well as offer sewing and photography tips as well as free patterns for you to use.  I found this site very interesting and useful with the information they give.  But another thing they also do is play with their dolls.  They are currently into bjds and decided to do photostories with them.  But with bigger dolls they had to think bigger in the sense of scale and their sets.

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First they had to come up with an idea on how to make a set for their dolls to play in.  They came up with an idea of getting office partitions from an office supply store at 10 dollars each for a 4X4 piece, then they secure them in a way that they can easily be removed for easy picture taking.  They got some simple lighting in the form of portable lights, track-lighting, and miniature lamps they could easily plug in.  Fabric was used on the “walls” so that art and whatnot could be pinned up, and they either used their own carpet or popped a small carpet into the scene and they had an instant room that their dolls and they themselves could go into.  Go here for more pictures of their behind the scenes look at how they set up their room.  They use the room for different kinds of scenes in their stories.

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After the room is made, they now needed to fill it with props.  This is where they got very creative.  They looked everywhere and thought from a small state of mind.  The simplest item easily became a glass, vase, shoes, toys, etc. for their dolls.  They talked about how they stopped off at a ice cream store and on the counter were key chains with shoes on them.  They ran out to their car where their dolls were and brought them into the store to try the shoes on and found they fit.  They found a left and right shoe in the same color and bought them.  Go here to learn more tips they have on where to look for great props for dolls.

I know a lot of us deal with smaller dolls, but I felt these tips could work for any doll.  Especially if you deal with smaller dolls, this let’s you see if they can do it for much larger dolls then it’s defiantly possible for us to do it for a smaller scale dolls.  We don’t need a big elaborate set to do stories in.  We just need a sturdy 4 walls, some decent lighting, some creative props, and of course a camera and we are set for some creative adventures.

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Speaking of photography, like I said they gave photography tips on their site as well.  I found their tips to be very interesting.  They inform you about a lot of things that maybe we wouldn’t think about or perhaps forgot to look out for if we are “old pros” at picture taking; such as framing the scene, looking for caught or messy hair, making sure zippers or something you don’t want in the shot is hidden, getting the right lighting you want, and more.  Go here to view their pages about photography.

So all in all what I really learned from this site is that not only is photographing and playing with your dolls fun and exciting, but it can also be adventurous and mind-provoking.    Also, it’s very doable no matter what size your doll is.  So let’s pull out our dolls and try to make some interesting stories.    You don’t have to have a crazy perfect set.  You just need a little time, a little bit of funds, and a little bit of creativity to make some fantastic sets. 

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Want more proof?  Have a look at the photostory from American Doll Outfitters called “Hidden Agenda” and see if you aren’t amazed.  Be sure to read the bit of text at the top of the pages as they let you into some of the tricks they used for the story that may surprise you.  I know it surprised me.    Enjoy and get back to or start playing.  You have no excuse now.    Bye for now.

Loves ya,
Mouse