What tips can you give for photographing your dolls?

[Alliecat]

I prefer to stand them up (unless they're actually supposed to be lying down)... dolls lying on a background look more like, well, dolls lying on a background, rather than doing things in a setting.  A knitting needle strategically placed behind a leg will prop them up (get the angle right means you won't have to photoshop it out!).
Backgrounds are distracting when they're in focus.  If you have clutter or scenery behind that is mostly in focus, it can take attention away from your subject.  Choose a smaller depth of field to throw it out of focus, or change your angle.  Since I mostly shoot outdoors I only occasionally use a fabric backdrop -- quilters' 'fat quarters' for the minis, or maybe a shirt, or random piece of fabric in a colour/pattern that won't draw attention.
Outdoor lighting... cloudy-bright is best to reduce contrast and light the doll evenly, especially the face where you probably don't want very contrasty shadows.  I use a piece of white paper to bounce some light back on the doll if it's a bit shaded.  
Poor light in the winter is a pain.  Try setting up as near a window as you can.  I have used little desk-lights also.  Can you change the shutter speed?  If your scene isn't well lit, a longer ex.posure can allow more light into the camera, but you do need a tripod for that.


Sticking this here from the other thread in case of future readers looking for photo tips all in one place:

Lighting can make or break a shot, but with dolls, posing is right up there with making the difference between toy-snapshot and making them look like real little people. Yes, how do real people sit -- little details like how the doll's hands & feet are placed; are they a few mm above what they're supposed to be resting on? Are they turned in a natural position like a real person would hold their hand? Center of gravity can be important too -- if they're leaning in a way a real person wouldn't, it makes them look more like objects & less "alive". Also if they're supposed to be looking at the camera, they should be looking right at the camera; I often reshoot or move because someone's gaze is just a little 'off' where it should be. If they're doing something, are they looking at what they're doing like a real person would be, (hard with poor Pullip articulation sometimes) or gazing off disconnectedly?