No good place to take photos?

Have you considered a popup light box? You can get pretty inexpensive ones online!
Something like this maybe?

if you get some green fabric for the inside, you can use it like a green screen to edit in different backdrops!

 

I live in a basement to take photos of dolls, so i dont get the best light, especially when i get home from work its dark already, so i do bring them outside somewhere either just outside or down the street (or since you have a truck, maybe bring them to a nice area), otherwise, maybe some different kind of fabric or blankets. i bought a nice throw from wish and use that at times too. as long as its useful for yourself too.

Please the popup light box is a great idea too !! i'll have to consider that if i can get a good size (for all my for sale stuff too)

 

I've been looking into roomboxes on Etsy. I've yet to purchase one myself but they are my next goal! That way you have our own room to decorate just for them and you can get a good shot with no worries about the background. I've favorited some on Etsy myself.

 

Honestly if you have a truck, just hit up nature if you can.
Outdoor shots can look gorgeous with dolls, and have very different feel depending on the weather and current season. I'm actually sad that I do have indoor space but can't go outside much (city life, no car).

Otherwise yes, go for the lightbox indoors.

 

You might also consider buying a couple of backdrops, since they roll up for easy, out of the way storage. Legend Doll, for example, has 14 pages of them. But if you're good with green screen and your dolls are all fairly small, I agree with the light box idea...or finding some natural beauty in a nearby park or forest, if you have one.

 

Anywhere. Is a good place to take photos imo, if your area is less then great use it to your advantage. Find a grunge looking spot and use it for photos. Make it a theme

 

I don't know what it looks like outside for you, but I used to live with my dad in a pretty awful trailer when I was younger. Outside, we had a lot of random appliances, trash, old cars, etc. A lot of things were rusted and as a result had super interesting textures -- especially items where paint was peeling off to reveal different colors. A lot of it was also overgrown, so there were places where the grass was extra tall near tires or the base of appliances (like washers). The bottom of the trailer was a bit beat up too, so there were places where the lining had peeled away and you could see underneath, like a cave!

Since you are taking photos of dolls, you can use all these things to your advantage. You might look at your outside setup with your human eyes and think; this looks awful!

But imagine if you were a young child or a doll exploring the world for the first time instead. How would those things look to you then? Try to choose, small, specific areas for grungey photos. If you have holes in your trailer, you can make photos like your doll is exploring a cave. If you've got old cars or appliances in the yard, you can take photos of your doll hanging out in the rims of the tires or climbing the appliances. Alternatively, you could just use these types of locations as interesting backgrounds. Even if you want to do wider shots, as long as you shoot with a blurred background no one will see the 'issues' your big/human eyes see, they'll just see the little details you focus on with your camera that make for an interesting photo.

The IG link in your signature is broken, but I'd be happy to follow you. I'd love to see what you come up with if you choose to go outside!

 

I don’t know how tall your dolls are, but those 3 panel science fair boards might help? You can get them just about anywhere (Walmart, Target, michaels,etc) and I think they even come in white, now, instead of brown cardboard. A pop up lift box (mentioned above) works the same way, but the science fair board might be easier and faster to get your hands on, if you can’t wait to get started.

 

Honestly, the quickest and cheapest backdrops I’ve found are plain old white foamboard. They double as self-standing reflectors, too! I’m also partial to sticking dolls in windows to use as backlighting.

But nthing everyone who says take your dolls outside. Even the scrubbiest foliage can look like a jungle at 1/3 scale and it can lead to some really interesting shots.

 

Oh, well yes I can completely understand. I take most of my doll photos on my bed, hehe (the blanket issue is real). But today I went to Ross and found a big art thing that was a beach scene for $30 and took this photo!



I live in the desert, so I never thought I'd be able to take beach photos!

 

If you have an all black or all white sheet, you can drape it off of a table and kind of spread what hangs down flat on the floor. This will make it look sort of like you doll is in a photography studio. It's a really simple background and you could use it to get some cool modeling type poses. If your doll is wearing bright colors, this will also make the colors really stand out.

I also have been thinking of bringing my doll to some fun places. I went to my first meetup the other day, and I got some fun pictures in a coffee shop. I also want to take him to a park or someplace with some cool scenery. I might even take him downtown and find somewhere with some cool graffiti. I feel like that would be a lot of fun

 

@Swifty The Wish Blankets that i got are really good. mine has long strands and my sister got a similar one at a store somewhere or amazon. its just as good quality for that one. plus if it comes in damaged etc its super easy to get a refund as well.

 

When I take photos of figures, I use two sheets of finnboard to take photos. I put one on the ground and lean (around 70°) the other against the wall. I actually bought them for architecture models but I find them great for making a simple background for photoshootings. It's not very expensive (~3€ per sheet depending on the thickness) and it has a nice soft, beige color.
Even though I didn't take photos of bjds yet, I think the size should be big enough

 

Personally I take most of my doll photos in front of poster prints from my photos.

On the Waterfront by Tom Beach, on Flickr

Get yourself a carry case and take her to a public garden where there will be several
places you can poe her.

Water feature by Tom Beach, on Flickr

If you want to composite your girl into another setting understand that there is nothing
magic about green. Actually I find that strongly colored backgrounds add unwanted color
contamination to the edges of my selection. I strongly advise a neutral background behind
my subjects for compositing.

Western Town by Tom Beach, on Flickr

Best of luck!

 

I just literally got a doll house to take pictures of my 1/6 bjds so I can change up my backgrounds. Its also a nice storage spot for them.

 

I've been looking on little bookshelf dioramas after seeing Monde's. You can keep it close for a tight alleyway or open it up and have a street backdrop.
They won't be good for much other than Head and shoulder shots due to the size, but you can really make it look like you're doll's in that location!

 

My favorite bright blue towel has become my favorite backdrop to take realpuki photos against. I live in the country, so I am lucky, I can take pictures just about anywhere. There is an old falling down log cabin nearby that is my next planned photo shoot. My best friend drug me to a Home show last weekend, I plan to go back, it is the hugest place called "the Warehouse", owned by a charity, it has all kinds of cool stuff like climbing walls, those big playgrounds with nets to climb, and cavelike things to crawl through. Another friend who is a pretty serious photographer took me to a junkyard once to take pictures of rusting motorcycles. If you just look around, it is just astonishing what amazing places one can find to take photos against!

 

i use to use wrapping paper as backgrounds, just make sure it not to glossy because if will reflect the light. they have nice ones in Marshalls sometimes and i saw some in Joanns in the paper craft section, they have floors and bricks. check it out https://www.joann.com/fadeless-paper-48inx12ft-reclaimed-brick/16917452.html

 

I use clothes as a background. I used a dress here: