Small Things Make a Big Difference

(Not sure if this goes here, please redirect topic if needed!)

 

As a disclaimer I want to say that I don't want anyone to feel like these comments are directed at them. I am just pointing out simple things that can really make a difference. Most of these things I have seen as a common problem. Do not get offended if you do any of these things, they are not directed personally at anyone. I am also not a professional photographer and I have only recently started photographing myself. (my knowledge of photography extends to a photography class I took in high school LOL; )

Just wanna make sure everyone is clear on that(:

 

So as stated in the disclaimer, I have noticed a few things that many people do that I personally think that if corrected, the photos and the dolls would be presented in a much better manner!

Just sharing a few tips that seem to really make a world of difference in my experience of photographing dds!

 

1. Wigs.

I've noticed that when photographing their dolls, wigs seem to be a really big issue. A good photograph of a doll may look horrendous with an unruly wig.

Tips!

-keep your wigs well kept! Even if you don't have a 'tenshi no hairbrush' or a hairbrush at all, just using your fingers to gently comb through the wig before a photograph can make a huge difference. Keeping the hair really neat makes your doll and your photograph look much better! OtakuDepot recommends the VS Dollfie Wig Oil Spray!

-bangs! I know that I guess this is really hard to say and maybe notice if you're not a girl (no sexist comments intended!) but a lot of people seem to have their dolls bangs either in a really awkward/not realistic placement or have the wig riding back on the head too far back (unless you're trying to go for a really big forehead look, in that case, I would actually suggest cutting the bangs rather than riding the wig cap back). If the wig cap is too far back on the doll's head, it looks like, rather than a high forehead, the doll is balding. It also makes it look really awkward and weird.

 

THE MOST COMMON ONE:

- side burns!!!!!! I know I know, this is really weird to say. And again, maybe this is purely a girl's perspective on this but MOST girls have side burns. (especially if they have hair on their head OTL; I'm not even joking ) Its REALLY REALLY REALLY awkward/weird to see it when a doll is pictured but the poor girl has no side burns. even I have a problem when sometimes I forget about Sanae's side burns but believe me, its REALLY important. It is almost never the case in real life/anime/anything where the girl has long hair but she has bangs and then no side burns. I feel like this mistake is the most common and that if fixed, a LOT of pictures would look sooo much nicer. Sometimes, its hard to get the side burns to be covered but its possible. I think this is an aspect that a lot of people look over? (unless you're doing it on purpose then I'm sorry and in no way did I mean for this to be offensive OTL;;; )

 

2. Eyes.

I understand that eyes are hard to place. I have trouble placing them sometimes too but I think there are times where the eyes are placed in a manner where the poor girl looks cross eyed. There's not much else to be said regarding this topic hehe;;

 

3. Placement.

This is a basic lesson of photography/composition, I suppose. But don't ALWAYS have your subject in the middle. For portraits or if you're trying to sell something, that's fine but to ALWAYS have the doll in the middle is really boring and especially in a photo story or in a series of photos, its really lackluster for the subject to always be placed in the middle. I'm not an amazing photographer by ANY means but I think that it makes it more fun for the pictures and for the photographers when you play around with you composition. Try taking shots a bit diagonally, change the angle, do something to make it more interesting to look at!

 

4. The Neck.

Dollfie Dreams are like giraffes, they have REALLY long necks. And that's fine! but its really odd when you have a photograph of the doll standing eye to eye with you and their head is tilted up and the curves of the top of the neck joint show. Try to tilt their head down a little, it will make a lot of difference!

 

5. Blur Tool.

IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. Don't fake an out of focus background. Unless you have superamazing photoshop/whatever editing program skills and can prove me wrong, it is generally a rule of thumb to not use the blur tool for this purpose (faking an out of focus background)!

 

6. Backgrounds. (submitted by archangeli ^ ^)

When using a fabric backdrop:

"If you're going through all the trouble of taking your DD out for a photo session, you've spent $$$ on wigs and outfits and are using a fancy DSLR camera, PLEASE take 2 minutes to iron or steam out the bedsheet or curtain (or in my case sometimes - a cape ) that you will be using as a backdrop.

 

It's much easier to iron out wrinkles beforehand than to try to photoshop them out afterward"

 

7. Joints. (submitted by OtakuDepot)

"This sometimes happen when you pull the elbow out of socket a bit to get more movement or when changing hands. I think it's best to just make sure it's put back in tight so it doesn't look so distracting.

 

Here is a shot of my Airy to better describe what I'm talking about:

"

 

 

I think that's all I can think of for now. In the future, I want to add some example pictures of what I stated so it doesn't just sound like I'm spewing gibberish.

I hope that at least SOMEONE finds this helpful (that would also help me to not feel like such a bitch >__>;;; ) and I hope that again, no one finds this offensive. I have liked a lot of photos that still had these problems but I probably would have enjoyed those photos a TON more if some of these rules were followed.

(not that these are really.. rules but tips;;; )

If anyone has any other tips that they would like to add, please feel free to share! I would love to see what others see that I may correct in my photography as well!

 

Thanks for reading! And thanks to everyone who submitted more ideas! I hope you learn something by reading this~

Happy doll photographing!

 

-Panda

 

Edited April 27, 2012 by Guest

Nice list of definitely small things that someone may not notice when taking photographs of their DD! I'm going to keep all these in mind for when Saber Nero finally arrives and I start taking photos of her

Great tips - another thing that bugs me is wrinkled backgrounds!

 

If you're going through all the trouble of taking your DD out for a photo session, you've spent $$$ on wigs and outfits and are using a fancy DSLR camera, PLEASE take 2 minutes to iron or steam out the bedsheet or curtain (or in my case sometimes - a cape ) that you will be using as a backdrop.

 

It's much easier to iron out wrinkles beforehand than to try to photoshop them out afterward

Thanks, Inno! I hope that its not too overwhelming when you are photographing! Didn't want to make it more complicated than it actually is Dx I hope it helps :>

 

Ohhh, Arch, that's a good one! I actually thought about just background in general (like when people take a photo with the messy room as a backdrop) but figured that some people might have certain cirbleepstance that prevents them from shooting else where. But in regards to a fabric backdrop ,I will add that to the list! : D

 

Nice list of definitely small things that someone may not notice when taking photographs of their DD! I'm going to keep all these in mind for when Saber Nero finally arrives and I start taking photos of her

Me too! ;D

Wigs can be a real pain to photograph. It doesn't help that just about every wig we have came badly cut. It's really hard to make them look good in photos when the bangs are uneven. Keeping the frizz down is a pain too, I need to start using water or something to keep them controlled better.

 

With composition, when in doubt, the rule of thirds is usually a good bet. Not every good composition conforms to it, but it's an easy way to get a nicely balanced photo.

omg wigs can be such a pain, MaxArcher. Especially curly ones *cringes*

I think water or even using hair product (like water wax?) could help a lot for those crazy flyaways. Another really great way to keep a control of the bangs.

 

Oh yes the rule of thirds. A lot of cameras (including digital cameras! not just dslrs!) actually have a grid function that allows you to help with composition! Place the subject anywhere the points intersect to create an interesting composition! (or at least, that's how I learned it hehe)

Thanks for pointing that out, I forgot about that(:

 

 

omg wigs can be such a pain, MaxArcher. Especially curly ones *cringes*

I think water or even using hair product (like water wax?) could help a lot for those crazy flyaways. Another really great way to keep a control of the bangs.

 

Oh yes the rule of thirds. A lot of cameras (including digital cameras! not just dslrs!) actually have a grid function that allows you to help with composition! Place the subject anywhere the points intersect to create an interesting composition! (or at least, that's how I learned it hehe)

Thanks for pointing that out, I forgot about that(:

 

 

 

I hadn't even thought about the built-in grid but yeah, just about every digital camera I've used has one. (Except my D3, which actually needs a part swapped to put one in!)

 

The only problem with using the built in grids is that you have to be careful not to rely on it too heavily and use it as a "crosshair" on the doll's face, it's good as a general reference but you still need to look at the framing of the overall picture and make sure it works. I've been shooting for years and even I end up using the third lines a little too heavily when cropping in Lightroom.

Definitely but I think it makes a really good guideline for a lot of beginner photographers(:

You seem really knowledgeable in photography! I will make a note and ask you any questions if I ever have any -w-b (if you don't mind hehe)

 

Even though I haven't been photographing for long, my experience as an artist in general has helped me a lot with composition as well ^ ^

I sometimes use a grey fleece blanket as a plain backdrop, and I don't bother to iron it, and I don't photoshop it out, but this is all done on purpose.

Excellent tips Pandacornn. I'd like to add one that I've seen before, and I'm sure I'm guilty of it as well. Having your girls wrist and elbow joints be loose and calling attention to their joints.

 

This sometimes happen when you pull the elbow out of socket a bit to get more movement or when changing hands. I think it's best to just make sure it's put back in tight so it doesn't look so distracting.

 

Here is a shot of my Airy to better describe what I'm talking about:

 

I didn't want to make it overly obvious so I kept it small. Maybe this only bugs me?

 

Oh, for frizzy wig problems I really like using Volks wig oil:

http://www.volksusa.com/matlst0002.html

 

It's not cheap but it works well. I'm not sure if there is a safe cheaper alternative to it but it helps to keep the frizzies down and make the hair more controllable.

 

Should I bring up setting the white balance in your camera? Usually setting it to 'auto' will do a good job but if you are getting shots that are colored a Yellow/Orange color, try changing it to "Tungsten". Below is an example showing this problem (on the right) and how using the correct white balance (on the left) improves the look of the photo:

 

hi, nice tips.

 

especially about the wig! i will be very careful in placing it

 

i would like to see pictures of incorrect compared with correct wig placement for reference

 

 

on crossed-eyes though... Psuedoesotropia is quite common in children

 

this is where the skin of the wide nose-bridge obscures the inner corners of the eye.

so i think on really cute MDD or DD it can make her cuter.

 

a slight crossing of the eyes is also a function of binocular vision, the eyes both focusing on the same point... so if you follow the tip of your finger closer to your eyes, your eyes will naturally cross more and more.

 

just thought i would put out these points

Woah! This thread was revived! hahah.

Thanks for the tip, Otaku Depot! I will update that in the first post as well(: I think this actually is going to be an even tougher problem with the dds and dd3 bodies since they are meant to somewhat pop out? I love the poseability but not so much the look.

As for the wig oil, I think even some regular hair products would work well too. Even just water helps a ton(:

 

Yes! White balance is very important. I often forget to adjust mine and I get all sorts of nasty photos that I have to retake haha. I think in general it should be left at auto unless someone knows their camera pretty well.

 

@ Marisa_doll; Oh! Okay! I will be sure to post example pictures when I can!! (: [since it would be kind of rude to bring up someone else's photos 8D;; ]

Hrmm, I think maybe that would only pertain to rounder/larger eyes. When the eyes are smaller or more 'anime' shaped, it looks very odd and they look almost disoriented?

Do you knowwww... uhmm.. haha I forget her name! In charlie's angel! OH! Lucy Lu(?), she is slightly crosseyed and rather than making her cuter, I sometimes find it extremely distracting from her nice face!

But I guess this could all be subject to opinion though!

Setting white balance in camera isn't that important if you're shooting RAW, which for photography like this, you absolutely should be.

Setting white balance in camera isn't that important if you're shooting RAW, which for photography like this, you absolutely should be.

 

Hmmm I'm new to the field of more technical cameras and so I have no idea what that means

Setting white balance in camera isn't that important if you're shooting RAW, which for photography like this, you absolutely should be.

 

For all of You "not technical" persons - RAW is an unprocessed (in most cases) output directly from camera's sensor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_image_format

http://www.photoported.com/raw-definition/

 

But not all cameras support RAW shooting.

On the other hand, all cameras have white balance, and most of them have manual white balance option.

I'd say, that it's way more important to learn WB settings than shooting RAW,

because if You set WB right, You can make the whole photo session straight in JPG.

And if You don't feel this WB thing, You can spend hours trying to make the RAW colors look acceptable.

 

Especially it's worth learning to set the manual WB using gray card or even white sheet of paper.

And then, if the camera allows, fine-tune it to our tastes.

Time is money, some say, so even shooting RAW (or RAW+JPG) it's good to have the WB set right, because then we have a good starting point to further processing - photo software reads the stored WB settings from RAW files as well to display them on the screen.

Shooting RAW is fantastic, it's the best way to make sure you have the absolute most amount of data from the photograph to work with but it does add more steps into the process. You can't upload a RAW image to the Internet for people to see.

 

I like to think of RAW photos as the digital equivalent to film. You have to develop film in order to get useful pictures out of them and the same is true for RAW. What surprised me a bit when I first shot RAW was the images don't look very good till you work on them. The same is true for film I believe. The developer adjusts levels and other aspects to get better looking shots from the film.

 

The best part of RAW is you can do a lot more with the images than you can with a .jpg. Your adjustments are more powerful. You can even change your white balance settings after you take the photos but I still prefer to set a custom white balance when I take shots to make it easier to get it right later on.

 

Some people just prefer shooting .jpg because it's quick and easy and that's fair. I shoot RAW because I like to know I'm getting the best looking photo possible and I have more freedom to adjust it later. It all really depends on what you want out of your photos.

I disagree about shooting jpeg only. Even if it's Doll photography when I can take my sweet time setting up my camera, I still shoot in RAW. Because IRL when I have to shoot for wedding or action stuff, One do not have the time to set your camera settings, and the least to worry of all is White Balance.

 

Last and not the least, my camera only shoots in RAW (.3FR). Jpeg is no longer for masterraces apparently when you can't even choose what quality you want for your pictures in the camera lol.

 

Nikon RAW = .NEF

Canon RAW = .CR2

Sony RAW = .SR2

Panasonic = .rw2

 

Exotic files:

 

Phase One RAW = .eip

RED = .R3D

Hasselblad = .3FR

I disagree about shooting jpeg only. Even if it's Doll photography when I can take my sweet time setting up my camera, I still shoot in RAW. Because IRL when I have to shoot for wedding or action stuff, One do not have the time to set your camera settings, and the least to worry of all is White Balance.

 

Last and not the least, my camera only shoots in RAW (.3FR). Jpeg is no longer for masterraces apparently when you can't even choose what quality you want for your pictures in the camera lol.

 

Nikon RAW = .NEF

Canon RAW = .CR2

Sony RAW = .SR2

Panasonic = .rw2

 

Exotic files:

 

Phase One RAW = .eip

RED = .R3D

Hasselblad = .3FR

 

My Sony A77's RAW files are .ARW

Coincidentally, I don't change the quality settings on mine usually, preferring to leave it set at max so I can shoot RAW+JPG. I do this because I don't have Lightroom or Photoshop to process the RAW files. I can look at them in the PMB software that came with the camera to compare the JPG files to their RAW counterparts to make sure they're at least usable by comparison.

Besides, after uploading them to pretty much any place on the internet for others to see (Flickr, Photobucket, FB, etc.), they're compressed so much that any real issues with the .JPG files are almost compressed right out of the files...

 

AntElitist, if I were shooting with a camera that cost as much as a car, I'd be offended if it even allowed for the option of shooting at less than maximum output. lol That camera is just too crazy, but I'd imagine is a lot of fun to take pictures with.

I disagree about shooting jpeg only. Even if it's Doll photography when I can take my sweet time setting up my camera, I still shoot in RAW. Because IRL when I have to shoot for wedding or action stuff, One do not have the time to set your camera settings, and the least to worry of all is White Balance.

 

Last and not the least, my camera only shoots in RAW (.3FR). Jpeg is no longer for masterraces apparently when you can't even choose what quality you want for your pictures in the camera lol.

 

Nikon RAW = .NEF

Canon RAW = .CR2

Sony RAW = .SR2

Panasonic = .rw2

 

Exotic files:

 

Phase One RAW = .eip

RED = .R3D

Hasselblad = .3FR

 

My Sony A77's RAW files are .ARW

Coincidentally, I don't change the quality settings on mine usually, preferring to leave it set at max so I can shoot RAW+JPG. I do this because I don't have Lightroom or Photoshop to process the RAW files. I can look at them in the PMB software that came with the camera to compare the JPG files to their RAW counterparts to make sure they're at least usable by comparison.

Besides, after uploading them to pretty much any place on the internet for others to see (Flickr, Photobucket, FB, etc.), they're compressed so much that any real issues with the .JPG files are almost compressed right out of the files...

 

AntElitist, if I were shooting with a camera that cost as much as a car, I'd be offended if it even allowed for the option of shooting at less than maximum output. lol That camera is just too crazy, but I'd imagine is a lot of fun to take pictures with.

Ooohhhhh .ARW. Nice.

 

You have a valid point though. But then if I were to upload to a place like my website, I would prefer to leave my compression to the lowest so they don't look horrible lolz. I don't think Flickr compress your photos though. Unless it's site like Facebook which matters about quantity instead of quality.

 

RAW to me is like a part of my body. Without it, it's hard to serve my photography well with limited PP settings.

 

And yes! Hell yeah that's what we call "power". Go MAXIMUM! Not downgrading yourself haha. When you have a beast, just unleash it! Don't bother to hold it back

 

Fun factor wise, it's not that fun when you are dealing with studio equipment, you must deal with serious attitude when it comes to photoshooting so you can concentrate on getting the best picture. But the fun comes in when you can see all the fine detail of your girl

 

http://leukemio.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d4j647h

 

Make:Hasselblad

Model:Hasselblad H3D

Shutter Speed:1/250 second

Aperture:F/5.6

Focal Length:50 mm

ISO Speed:100

Date Taken:Nov 26, 2011, 3:54:53 AM

Software:Adobe Photoshop CS5 Windows

 

The color richness, the dynamic range is there on the print for sure, This camera is an absolute beauty when it comes with color because it is blessed with a legendary Kodak CCD sensor. Hence granting a 16-bit color depth compare to other camera which comes with only 12/14 bit. So yeap. Lovely one

There's definitely room for both RAW and JPG in any photographer's toolkit. If you're in the studio and aren't pressed for time to make adjustments, can spend time in Lightroom tweaking, and don't really need to get some output quickly, then RAW is great. However, if you are pressed for time (and time is money), then JPG will be infinitely more useful. There are other considerations as well, like shooting speed, storage, and ease of use to consider.

 

For the most part, I shoot RAW because it allows me the greatest flexibility to make changes after the fact. However, my camera's buffer does better with JPG in high speed bursts, so I'll usually flip over so that I can get the most shots taken. I don't want to miss anything because the buffer is full! In that instance, I'd happily sacrifice the flexibility for the ability to actually get the shot.

 

Ken Rockwell did an interesting comparison between the two formats. Some of the technological limitations he mentions are less prominent today, but the message is still very true: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/raw.htm

 

On the topic of film though, RAW is almost the digital equivalent of a film negative. Even though they are similar in that they both capture the essence of what comes in through the lens, RAW is still limited by the resolution of the sensor. There are limits as to how big you can blow up a RAW, but there isn't really a limit on how large you can blow up good film (and there different qualities).

 

If you really want to challenge yourself in photography, I would suggest getting a manual film SLR (like one from the late 1970s or 1980s) and load some good quality film in it. For an even greater challenge, pick up some slide film!

There's definitely room for both RAW and JPG in any photographer's toolkit. If you're in the studio and aren't pressed for time to make adjustments, can spend time in Lightroom tweaking, and don't really need to get some output quickly, then RAW is great. However, if you are pressed for time (and time is money), then JPG will be infinitely more useful. There are other considerations as well, like shooting speed, storage, and ease of use to consider.

 

For the most part, I shoot RAW because it allows me the greatest flexibility to make changes after the fact. However, my camera's buffer does better with JPG in high speed bursts, so I'll usually flip over so that I can get the most shots taken. I don't want to miss anything because the buffer is full! In that instance, I'd happily sacrifice the flexibility for the ability to actually get the shot.

 

Ken Rockwell did an interesting comparison between the two formats. Some of the technological limitations he mentions are less prominent today, but the message is still very true: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/raw.htm

 

On the topic of film though, RAW is almost the digital equivalent of a film negative. Even though they are similar in that they both capture the essence of what comes in through the lens, RAW is still limited by the resolution of the sensor. There are limits as to how big you can blow up a RAW, but there isn't really a limit on how large you can blow up good film (and there different qualities).

 

If you really want to challenge yourself in photography, I would suggest getting a manual film SLR (like one from the late 1970s or 1980s) and load some good quality film in it. For an even greater challenge, pick up some slide film!

RAW (+ Jpeg if possible) is always for me, no doubt. There's always time to look at RAW.

 

Also I probably start to use film, since I have a Nikon F3

RAW (+ Jpeg if possible) is always for me, no doubt. There's always time to look at RAW.

 

Also I probably start to use film, since I have a Nikon F3

 

I don't usually find a use for RAW+JPG, I did that for awhile when I got my D7000, but found myself deleting the JPG files. If I have time to do the processing, I'll end up overwriting the JPGs later anyway. It's space that I can use for other pictures.

 

I actually shot JPG over the weekend because I was at a dragon boat race as the designated team photographer. The D7000 is nice because of the quick 6fps it can shoot, but the buffer can only hold about 9 pictures. It's also not quick enough on the writes (even with SanDisk Extreme cards) to keep the buffer empty to support shooting at sustained bursts with RAW. In this case, I switched over to high quality JPG which helped a lot in keeping the frame rates up so I could capture everything that I wanted to.

 

But if you're going to shoot film, do it right and get an older camera that is fully manual. You'll have a much greater appreciation for your high end digital and really polish your skills when it comes to getting the settings right the first time. The best part is, your modern non-G lenses will work just fine on the older Nikon bodies. I still find myself reaching for my Nikon FE for the mechanical feel. Makes me wish the modern digitals had some of the design touches from the classic cameras.

RAW (+ Jpeg if possible) is always for me, no doubt. There's always time to look at RAW.

 

Also I probably start to use film, since I have a Nikon F3

 

I don't usually find a use for RAW+JPG, I did that for awhile when I got my D7000, but found myself deleting the JPG files. If I have time to do the processing, I'll end up overwriting the JPGs later anyway. It's space that I can use for other pictures.

 

I actually shot JPG over the weekend because I was at a dragon boat race as the designated team photographer. The D7000 is nice because of the quick 6fps it can shoot, but the buffer can only hold about 9 pictures. It's also not quick enough on the writes (even with SanDisk Extreme cards) to keep the buffer empty to support shooting at sustained bursts with RAW. In this case, I switched over to high quality JPG which helped a lot in keeping the frame rates up so I could capture everything that I wanted to.

 

But if you're going to shoot film, do it right and get an older camera that is fully manual. You'll have a much greater appreciation for your high end digital and really polish your skills when it comes to getting the settings right the first time. The best part is, your modern non-G lenses will work just fine on the older Nikon bodies. I still find myself reaching for my Nikon FE for the mechanical feel. Makes me wish the modern digitals had some of the design touches from the classic cameras.

I must say being able to use CF cards sure have it's pro's too. No problem on buffer haha

 

I'm pretty sure F3 is fully manual too, also IIRC FE is complete mechanical, when you don't even need battery. It's unfortunate that I cannot use the G lens on it due to the lack of Aperture rings. But see how it goes. Hasselblad already makes me appreciate my Nikon D3 more due to it's "film-like operation". Very traditional, like only 1 AF point and some other manual stuff.

I must say being able to use CF cards sure have it's pro's too. No problem on buffer haha

 

I'm pretty sure F3 is fully manual too, also IIRC FE is complete mechanical, when you don't even need battery. It's unfortunate that I cannot use the G lens on it due to the lack of Aperture rings. But see how it goes. Hasselblad already makes me appreciate my Nikon D3 more due to it's "film-like operation". Very traditional, like only 1 AF point and some other manual stuff.

 

Yeah, high end CF cards would be nice. Then again, the price difference is pretty huge from even the high end SD cards. For those of us who can't afford the super nice professional cameras and gear (or know someone who would let us borrow it), we have to make due. Even so, that level of camera body would have a much larger buffer to play with so you wouldn't run into the same issue. I would venture to guess that even the high end CF cards would have trouble keeping up and eventually the buffer would fill up. Given that the RAWs out of my D7000 weigh in at around 20MB and a max speed of 6fps, the card (and interface) would need to be capable of writing somewhere in the range of 120MB/s. I don't know of any portable storage media that can hit that level of sustained write speeds. Even in standard storage terms, you'd be going into the territory of higher end mechanical disks and low end solid state drives.

 

The Nikon FE series was among the first Nikons to use an electronic shutter. It did have an override mode for if your batteries ran out, but you would be tied to shooting at 1/90 and the meter wouldn't run. Still, a very fun camera to shoot with, and the one I have looks awesome with its silver finish.