Photographing dolls in the Great Outdoors

Really, before doing an outdoor shoot you need to ask yourself honestly if yellowing is a big deal to you or not, really weigh the pros and cons and decide. If it is a big deal to you, even while doing outdoor shoots you won't enjoy it at all and will be upset about the yellowing it will cause. If you really think about it and know you'll love your doll, even if it becomes yellowed quickly, then you have no problem. If that is not the case, I'd just avoid it if I were you.

I've never had a problem with being really bothered by people around me when taking pictures. People may point and come gather around me to see what I'm doing, but more often than not it's in awe rather than in hostility. But that may be because I give off an artistic aura versus a 'kid with a camera doing something weird' aura. More than anything, you need confidence in yourself and to keep your mind on the task at hand, not worry about the people around you.

I just ignore the people around me unless they start talking to me. Most people don't really want to interrupt while they see you're so busy at work, being all artistic in your own world, they feel uneasy suddenly barging in talking to you. I have had people sit around behind me and wait until I set down my camera for a minute to ask me what I'm doing, in which case I just reply, "I'm a doll photographer, so I take pictures of dolls.", then to give them a few examples I'll scroll through my camera and let them see.

They're always in awe when they look at it through the camera versus the real world. In the real world they see a doll standing in the mud, in the world portrayed by the picture, they see a little girl, not necessarily a doll, walking around a park, with wide sparkling eyes. Then they can understand why I do it, it is different in pictures.

~Edit~
As an example:
When people walk by and see you taking pictures of your dolls, remember that all they can see is this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ssrain/3533899908/
They don't see what it really is, the beauty of it, which is this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ssrain/3533899658/

 

For yellowing, you could coat them with UV-resistant MSC. And there are always things you can do AFTER yellowing, like body-blushing, or I've even heard there are ways to bleach the yellow out. (It's all in the Painting, Customizing and Esthetics section.) honestly it worries me a little too, but it would be a shame to let that stop you taking nice outdoor pictures. >3<

And as for strangers.. in my experience, if people seeing you doing something weird but fun, (as opposed to weird and suspicious) they'll either ignore you, or smile/laugh and maybe make a comment, but not really do much else. Most people will avoid being hostile with strangers unless it's necessary. :3

 

My SDC Kurenai has yellowed a little, but she is 5 years old now Yellowing is inevitable really, and I don't think you'll accelerate it too much by taking your dolls outdoors if you follow the same 'safety in the sun' rules you'd follow yourself; don't go out when the sun is at it's strongest and bring a cover-up with you

You could always plan ahead as well if the thought of being caught in a crowd makes you feel uncomfortable, decide where you want to go, what shots you want to take and plan which time you plan to be where, so you avoid things like the end of the school day if you're in a park near a school, or you avoid public areas when it's a Bank Holiday.

The thought of strangers asking me questions or being hostile makes me nervous too, but there's always safety in numbers. An outdoor meet is often the best time to learn about the principles of outdoor photography as well as a great chance to photograph dolls other than your own

 

How often have you seen someone doing something strange and gone up and STARED at them, or yelled at them to cut it out?
People are going to be curious, but I've taken my girl out to photograph her around the neighborhood, and in public parks, and nobody has ever come up to me and gone "HEY, what do you think you're doing??" If anyone DOES get up the cahones to come talk to you, just keep your doll in hand and answer their questions - they probably don't mean any harm. And if they do, you'll have a camera in the other hand. Cameras are heavy and blunt. Use as you feel appropriate.

As for yellowing, it'll happen to the best of us, but unless you have a French Resin or Special Tan skinned doll, yellowing isn't toing to be too noticable if you just follow your everyday "safety in the sun" guidelines, as outlined by Jescissa above.

 

Meh, as long as you don't stay outside for hours photographing them, the yellowing won't be sped up that much.. It will a little of course, but staying outside for two hours versus twenty minutes, it a whole different thing

about people.. some might react negative to you photographing outside. But then, personally I think the most beautiful places to do outdoor shoots are the most quiet places.. Not too many people..
So I'd just find a very quiet part of a forrest, beach, anything you want to do your shoot. If you want to do it in a public park, go early in the morning if you're very worried about people commenting.

 

I totally recommend having a carrying case or basket to transport the doll and any props in. If people are vibing you out, you can hide the doll, and you can also stash them in there if you don't want to leave them in the sun while you look for a good place to shoot.
Also, if you're feeling nervous, just take one doll--it's easier to handle one at a time.
I've never had anyone be really hostile--more sort of curious. I usually say something like, "I'm an artist, and I'm part of a community that dresses dolls up and takes pictures to share," or even simpler, "It's for an art project".
I wouldn't worry too much about yellowing--if you're keeping your dolls protected at home, it won't happen that fast. The "yellowed" dolls that I've seen have been sort of ivory or peachy toned, not bright yellow. They're still a plausible human skintone. I actually rather like the look of yellowed dolls.

 

If the covered patch has about the same colour as your full Lishe, then the darkness is likely to be yellowing. If not, one would need to wonder why the covered patch has a lighter tone...
Note however that not only sunlight causes yellowing — exposure to air and moisture, for instance, does too. The UV rays in sunlight speed up the process.

As for handling outsiders, I've said something similar in both the "urban photography" and "outdoor photoshoots" threads: demeanour is key. Show everybody around you that you are at ease doing what you're doing, and half the battle is won.
As it were, acting like a Charlotte Bartlett will get you in trouble anywhere, whereas acting like a Elanor Lavish (or Granny Weatherwax) will get you through anything...

 

Whichever way we act, I am sure there is a fictional character somewhere that acts in a similar manner...

The resin ... truly puzzling. Can't make heads nor tails of it.

 

I've only been on one photoshoot, and through that experience, no one even paid attention to me. But if other people being rude worries you, why not bring a friend along? They don't have to love your doll, they just have to like you ^^ And talking to a friend while you're taking photos will keep your mind quite a bit off of the attention you may get, while allowing you to have more fun and be more comfortable.

 

Bringing someone along is a good idea, indeed. Not only they can keep you company and help you carry and handle all things , but also they can "cover your back", as a friend of mine said. In my experience, most people don't seem to pay too much attention to others taking photographs outdoors; I've come across people photographing buildings, objects, trees and even the occasional rock by the side of the road, and apart for some bystanders getting in front of the camera without noticing it, they hadn't been interrupted or harassed in any way. Why would photographing a doll will be different? I suppose people might get curious and hang around just to get a better glimpse at your doll, but I don't think they'll get hostile or anything.

...But then again, we do have some other people who might. It's happened to me that I've taken my dog for a walk and out of the blue, a small child has come running and tried to kick it for no good reason at all. Or those boys who were playing soccer at the street, kicked the ball at my dog and were completely unapologetic about it... It might be a good idea to have someone with you to watch out for people trying to touch your doll, or maybe even walking on it - hey, I've had people stomping on my dog because they were just looking away or checking their cellphones when walking... Besides, it's hard to be aware of your surroundings as you're concentrated on shooting a photo of your doll. All the most if you're taking other things such as doll carriers, extra clothes or stands with you and you need to keep an eye on all the gear AND the doll.

 

I haven't photographed my doll outside but I've photographed my friend's dolls outside and it really takes a lot of sunlight for them to yellow, or to speed the process. As a rule, (since I'm primarily a people photographer) you don't want direct sunlight because the shadows are harsh. So finding a nice cloudy day to shoot or a good spot of shade that isn't dappled will be perfect.

And a rule of photography: the Sunny 16 rule! If it's sunny outside, the best aperture to use is 16.

 

Okay putting in my two cents.

On Yellowing: If your in the shade your not getting UV which is the big one that speeds up the yellowing. Be aware that Yellowing just happens over time. Your more likely to do major damage by leaving the doll out by a window in your house day in and day out than one jaunt out in to the sun for a bit. Also aim for the "sweet light" which is the sunset, sunrise which gives you a nice filtered light that makes lovely shadows.

On crazy doll ladyness: Your more likely to get people curious about the dolls than saying too much negative. I usually suggest green houses or local conservatory's people seem to be very interested rather than nasty.

 

Today I went to a meetup in which we photographed our dolls outside a museum. Thankfully there were no grabby-hands kids or mean adults that we encountered. In fact, some people wanted to take their own pictures of our dolls! For anyone who asked we just calmly explained to them about the hobby, where the dolls came from and why we like them. If a price question came up we just said "they are expensive". Lots of people said our dolls were "pretty" and "unique".

In my experience the majority of passers-by will either just leave you alone or express a genuine curiosity about BJDs. I can count on one hand the number of truly mean-spirited people I have seen insult me or my dolls, and all of them I already knew in one way or another. I just ignored them...

It really helps to be in a group when you take photos in a public place!

 

I took my Komori to the Smithsonian's Moongate Garden a few weeks ago to take some pix of him sitting in their gorgeous weeping cherry tree. The garden was full of tourists with cameras, and no one gave me the least bit of attitude about posing my dollie in the tree--in fact a couple of ladies came up to say how pretty he was and ask if they could take his photo too! I'd be willing to bet that would be the commonest combination of attitudes you'd be likely to run into. =)

[As for yellowing, I kept him in my bag until we actually got to the garden, and there was plenty of shade in the tree, so i doubt he got hit by more than a few sunbeams. ]