BJD Photography

I'd say a DSLR is a good investment There are also mirrorless cameras which are easier to carry and have interchangable lenses like DSLRs. For dolls, it would be good to use prime lenses (50mm) that are for portraits and still-life subjects. It's also good for low-light, esp indoor shooting. I'm not very good at poses as well, I mostly just take portraits of my dolls On lighting, I always prefer natural light and use big illustration boards for white background. It can also reflect light as well

 

I use my iPhone camera. It's even more advanced than my point-and-shoot, has a portrait setting and everything. A DSLR would be nice but it's bulky and heavy, and expensive. My phone seems to work pretty well.

A light tent is a good investment for good lighting, it difuses harsh light nicely and gives it a daylight look.

 

I am planning to get a macro lens for my iPhone camera as well, I love BJDs but I don't think I'd spend enough time and effort photographing them to make getting a DSLR worthwhile. Kudos to you and your lovely future photos, tho!

 

My camera is a canon rebel t6, but people say the version with 'i' in the end are better (like t6i). I live in a small city so there is not a lot of options here, I just had to choose between canon and nikon cause all the stores only had one model of each anyway But I do like it, so nothing to complain about it.
I don't know if it would be worth only for the hobby though, cause smartphone cameras are great nowadays (I have an asus zenfone selfie 4 pro and I love it)...

For the tips, I think its pretty obvious but daylight make things so much easier to work with.
When using fake lights to shoot remember that UV is yellowing factor, so you may want to research the light bulb before.
The workshop session of doa has a lot of great tips too, some users even have "doll photography manuals" they did and share for free, I learned a lot about there.
Stand may help with some poses, if you have editing ability is even better cause you can just photoshop it when the stand cant be off picture.

 

There’s a wealth of information on DoA about this! You’re going to want to go through the Photography Forum on here (it’s under the ‘Workshop’ tab).

Personally, I think a DSLR is a good investment if you enjoy photographing your dolls. I have a Canon, and it’s been going strong for several years now. I’d second @Kamotekid’s suggestion to look into 50mm lenses (or lenses with a wider aperture in general, because they create that nice soft background behind the doll), and I’d suggest that when you’re starting out, don’t worry about lighting so much! Just take your doll outside and experiment with natural lighting. Or if that seems scary, stick them in a window. It takes the lighting worry off the table while you get to know your camera.

Also, don’t be afraid to roll around on the ground to get eye level with your doll, because it helps bring them to life in photos. And don’t be afraid to waste “film.” I sometimes take twenty photos from the same angle and post only the best one. Hope that helps!

 

For me I think posing, natural lightning, angle and elements in photo are more important!
I think you should have some more knowledge about photographing before be sure to invest in them. I have a mirror-less camera but have no idea how to use it and it just sits there
I use my phone camera to take my doll’s photo, and it still looks relatively good with a little bit of editing, these are all phone camera and instagram editing





But having lens and a proper camera would make it much better, if you're confident I think go ahead with it!
It's really rewarding when you come back to look through your doll's photo and feel satisfied about them : )

 

I totally agree. I personally think smartphone camera is better and more convenient to bring.

 

If you're serious about photographing anything then a DSLR is
definitely the tool of choice anyre. While a new one will set
you back $500 or so you can get really competent DSLRs a
couple of generations old on eBay for $100 or so. Do some
research to see what you want before you just buy the first
one you find. When you purchase a DSLR you're buying into
a system. If you stay at photography you'll eventually have
much more invested in lenses than in camera bodies. Having
said that, you'll not go wrong with any of the leading brands,
think Nikon, Canon, Sony, Olympus.

For posing, BJDs love to have something to sit on, chairs, couches,
rocks, stone walls, ....

While daylight is your friend, direct sunlight is not! The UV will
hasten yellowing of your doll and the harsh light is not flattering
so you'll need to use a reflector or fill flash or... to soften the
light. Cloudy days are good. Full shade is good though you may
find that reflected light is producing a color cast.

If you get a DSLR learn to use the RAW image capture mode.
It requires more in the way of post processing but is ever
so worth it.