The first pics...also looking for some advice... *pic heavy*

[Prixton]

Of my first (real) doll! Okay, yes, I did have 2 mini pullips at one point, but the minis don't really count do they? It seems Monomono is pretty common, but I couldn't resist her charms.

Here she is in her stock outfit:


I will never understand why they made such an adorable doll and put her in such an ugly outfit. What the heck is that staff thing she is holding anyway?

And yes, I know zilch about photography. I am trying to eeriment with lighting just using what I happen to have (which isn't much); next time I will try to go outside on a nice day and use the sun. Which brings me to advice bit #1: What is your best advice for taking good doll pics on the cheap? I have a decent Cannon digital elph, but nothing more than regular old lamps around the house, and I always seem to end up with glare or just poor lighting Do you recommend flash or no flash?

Eerimenting with lighting (and in her undies, poor thing!):
Lamplight:


Flash:


Candlelight:


I realize that the candlelight is the darkest and probably therefore the poorest quality pic here. But there is something about the natural glow of the candles I really liked; hence all of the other pics are taken with just the candlelight.

And now we can get on with it.

Meet Sappho: "Great, now I'm out of that stupid Monkey costume. Love the dress....what else ya got?"


"Oh, ponies...yeah...um...not really my thing but they're okay I guess."
(too bad, you'll likely be living with them for a while!)


"For me? Ooh now we're talkin'! This is so soft and warm..."


Sappho is home at last!


First off, I did name her Sappho after the Greek poet; I thought I should include a couple lines of her poetry for good measure:
"With rosy cheeks and glancing eyes and voices sweet as honey."
"The Muses have filled my life with delight."
"Like the mountain hyacinth, the purple flower that shepherds trample to the ground…"
(Most of what is left of her poetry are small fragments)

Secondly, as I was posing her, I noticed that one of her ankles was able to move a bit (like pointing and flexing ones toes), but the other one seemed to be stuck. I tried moving it gently, and even though I was trying very hard not to break it (I've heard how delicate Dal bodies can be)...well, it broke. The foot hasn't come off completely or anything, but I can tell the little bit of plastic that holds the joint together has broken at least in one part; I'm pretty upset about that.

I was considering putting her on an obitsu body at some point so I guess it doesn't matter /too/ much, but I did want to ask: If I decided I wanted to keep her on her Dal body, is there some way of fixing or replacing the foot/ankle part? Or possibly like, replacing that whole leg from the knee down? I am very glad to have Sappo now but pretty disappointed with the faulty ankle joint.


*Dress made by DollsAhoy (from Etsy)
*Hoodie made by Petiteamie (from Etsy; also known on the Doll forums as Zoegirl)

[Zoegirl]

Congrats on getting her - she is a cutie! That is a shame about her ankle. It's so frustrating, especially when it's your first, but it seems to be par for the course with these JP dolls. I'd probably just go ahead and obitsu her, but you could alternately post in the wanted section saying you'd like a left (or right- whichever it was) dal shin and foot - you might even be able to find Monomo's (each dal's skin tone varies slightly).
As far as good pics go- my advice would be use natural light as much as possible, and don't be afraid to get close- use the macro setting on your camera, if you have one (usually denoted by a flower symbol). And always take lots of pictures - then whittle them down to the best two or three to post on flickr, etc.
Enjoy your new girl! ( oh and I'm glad she likes her cozy hoodie!)

[birdie]

I always use flash when taking indoor photos, especially since I tend to take those photos after dark. However, I have a flash which can be angled, and I never point it straight towards my motive. I use other light sources too, I don't have a light box or light tent, but I use reading lamps and point them towards a spot behind the dolls. I try to calculate where the light from the flash bulb will "hit", then balance this out with the extra lamp. On my wishlist is a light tent and daylight lamps.

I like your candle light picture!

[kaoskat]

I have no advice about pictures as mine stink but Sappho is adorable! Huge congrats!

[psychopatti]

If you are looking for a cheap lightbox, you could use an Ikea laundry basket.
it's the cheapest one they have, foldable iron x-frame with a white 'fabric' bag.
This is the one you need: http://www.ikea.com/nl/nl/catalog/products/70118968
cut out a square in the front, use some cardboard as a floor and put some bright lights on the outside.

take your pics through the hole, that's all

the light will come through the fabric really nice and evenly, no harsh shadows at all.
This kind of light is great for sales posts.

[booksanddolls]

I'm really bad at taking photos so I can't give advice on that, I will say though Sappho is adorable, especially in that hoodie!

[Prixton]

Thanks so much for the advice and kind words everyone To be honest, I don't think I will bother setting up (or buying) a lightbox, as photography isn't something I'm really "into," I just wanted to get some tips so my doll photos don't look like total garbage. I'll just try to use natural light whenever I can and fiddle with my cameras settings a bit more; someone on another board suggested that when taking indoor pics with flash, to put tissue over the flash so it isn't as harsh; I'll have to give that a try...

Thanks again guys; I look forward to sharing more pics of Sappho later