Yeah, many the times I'm going to list a doll up for sale and 'BAM' the photos come out way better then expected and then I decide to keep the doll instead. I do a lot of doll photography so if I can't get a decent picture of the doll then it would be one of the reasons it'd be off to a new home! I must say my liking of dolls themselves vs doll photos is pretty equal. More so that the photos capture the best of my dolls and having dolls lets me take more photos of my dolls looking their best. About your first doll, bjds can take getting use to. I used to collect pullips/azones & while the bjd aesthetic was a little confronting at first you get used to it
I feel like I have the opposite problem where I love how my boy looks irl but I can't seem to capture how I see him on camera? he's always distorted in someway even when he looks good in the viewfinder, its so weird.