Tips for Point & Shoot photography?

Personally I'd recommend playing with the 'manual' settings. Check how which mode (weather setting for example) affects the pics to come out in which way.
I've used the automatic mode for a long time, which makes good pics in good light, but after playing around with manual settings (and getting some stuff shown by a friend) I take most pics with adjusting the settings myself. It might take a while longer to fiddle around until you get a good setting, but after you get used to it...
Also just look at the doll and try changing the angle by changing your position until you think 'this looks good!' or 'this would look better if the head was tilled slightly up and *adjusting*' and then lift the camera to eyelevel and try to get the picture done in just THAT angle.

That's how I usually work. On dolls and on cosplayers ;P

 

So the flower is macro? I never knew that! I'll have to try it!

 

It sounds like you've got a pretty good handle on it. I'm no expert, but to me the two main things are 1) read your manual! and 2) LIGHT! Basically all a camera is doing is recording the light (reflected off of things) so good light is important. Natural light is good, artificial light is OK if your camera's white balance can deal with it (the manual will help there). More light is generally better. I've seen lots of indoors-at-night photos that are pretty bad, that could have been much better if the overhead light was turned on and the doll was turned to face a lamp or something. Use a piece of paper or something to reflect light onto the doll more if you need to. If it's during the day open the curtains or go outside. Direct sunlight can be harsh, but you do want there to be plenty of light. Flash can look OK if it's diffused, so don't be afraid to try it! Stick a piece of tissue or paper over the flash and see what happens.

Macro mode is really helpful for closeups. If your camera has manual settings (and many do) where you can set the aperture in particular, I'd suggest learning how to use those. I tend to use Aperture Priority mode the most even on my nice camera, because what matters to me for doll photos is the white balance, ISO (just making sure it's getting enough light but not so high it gets too grainy, some cameras let you set a maximum ISO which helps in most cases) and the depth of field. The doll isn't moving, so shutter speed rarely matters to me, so I let the camera set that. If the speed gets too slow you'll need a tripod or to sit the camera on something, maybe using the timer so there's no shake from pushing the button. The wider open your aperture is (smaller numbers = more open) the shallower the depth of field is so you have to watch what the camera is focusing on, but also the more light is let in. If there's not a lot of light, a more open aperture can help sometimes.

Mostly just play with the camera and see what it can do. Read the manual and learn the controls, and read reviews of the camera to see what limitations other people have found. Most recent cameras can do a lot, so it's a good idea to learn the one you have! Once you are doing that you'll start to see where it's limitations are, and will figure out if it is good enough for your purposes, or if you start to feel limited by it then you might want to consider an upgrade.

 

I've been in the photography hobby for a long time, not just with dolls. Beyond the camera settings and lighting (which are both important), one thing you can do to instantly make your photos better is to use the Rule of Thirds (or the Golden Ratio) when composing your shots. Just imagine a tic-tac-toe board over your shot, with two vertical lines and two horizontal lines that create four intersection points -- thus dividing your photo into a 3 x 3 grid. Choose the focal point of your photo, or where you want the viewer to look -- usually it's a face (eyes), a specific detail on an outfit, the center of a flower, etc. -- and place that focal point at one of the grid intersection points. All other things equal, if you use the Rule of Thirds, your photo will instantly look better.