Doll Photography in Public

I don't think this is "off topic," exactly, but I wanted to ask about taking pictures of dolls in public. Do people look at you weird? 

I've take pictures of my Picco Neemo/Obitsu hybrid, but she's tiny. I can pop her in and out of my purse and nobody notices. But a bigger doll... I haven't done that since 2009 or so, and I'm wondering if it's any different? (I was in my late teens/early twenties then, but also, anime, etc. wasn't as big where I lived then as it is now.)

So... I guess this is a thread to share what it's like taking your dolls in public. Any funny horror stories? Made new friends? Etc?

I would be so worried that someone would deliberately try to harm them. I'd love to hear people's experiences too.

I just started taking photos of my dolls in April and when I go outside of course people stare and some even walk past me on purpose to verify what I'm doing lol. 

When I went to the beach I had a bunch of people just looking and staring but none came anywhere near me, just walked past from a distance and then walked back to wherever they were.

I think a lot of people don't really understand photographing dolls/figures and things like that because it doesn't really seem that common. People might just think you're a little strange, and that's exactly what its felt like all the times I've been outside. But I am 100% okay with that, I love photography!

I've been taking photos of anime figures for over a year now and it seems to be a lot easier taking photos of figures in public since they're so small and people might not notice that you're doing that from behind, but with a doll they're so big so of course people will be more curious. 

I'd rather someone come over and ask what I'm doing than just stare me down though haha!

Edited June 11, 2020 by Chiakisenpai

In my experience most people state but don't approach you, except small children. They are more likely to walk up to you, even getting between you and your doll or trying to touch, if they weren't being closely wrangled by an adult. In these cases I will pick my doll up and consider whether the picture I wanted is worth the hassle of trying to get it while the kid isn't paying attention. This happened to me both at a park and at an aquarium. Adults who are more attentive to their child will most likely grab their hand and keep them from getting in the way, and will sometimes be answering questions that the child is asking, like, what's she doing? Haha. 

I did have one lady approach me while I was sitting on a bench in a garden with my doll sitting next to me after I was done taking pictures. She wanted to know if my doll was Irish, since she looked that way to her, and was sad when I said she was Japanese. 

The only people that have asked me more direct questions about the type of doll and where to find one are people at conventions. Most of the con people are respectful of my doll's space, and only touch if they ask first. 

Last weekend I was taking pictures of some of my dolls at a local park and someone apparently called security on me. 
They made me leave and told me that I needed to apply and pay for a photography permit with the city and that it didn't matter that I was taking pictures for hobby reasons. <___>

Normally people leave me alone though. Occasionally, people make comments about "My daughter/kids would love this" but I've never had any harmful encounters so far.

Edited June 11, 2020 by Subaru
dumb typo

I've taken some photos of my dolls in public, only usually my yosd though so if anyone is paying enough attention all I usually get are strange looks, never anything more though.

I've been very pro public photo taking with my girls from the beginning.  Of course at first I was a bit shy about doing it but after one or two sessions in parks by myself, I gave up caring what anyone has to say to me or what they think.  I'm too old to really care about others opinions of me, especially if I don't know them and they don't know me.  Will I ever see these people again?  Prolly not.  WIll they see me again?  Prolly not.  So who cares what they think?  Also, I'm very lucky that most people don't approach me due to how I look.  Most people in public don't want much to do with a 6 foot tall 280 pound bald headed guy taking pics of dolls with big boobs.  LOL 😉 

For the most part I've had good experiences with people in public areas.  Most people are just genuinely curious about what I'm doing and where the dolls are from.  Having a DSLR camera also helps because you look more "professional" when taking pics than just using a cell phone.  I only say that because it's been said to me many times while out and about.  Here's a few things I've been told or asked while taking pics of my girls out and around....

 

 

 

Almost every time I'm out with the local doll group doing photos, people think we are part of one of the local art colleges classes and we're doing a project.  And when people ask if that's what we're doing, 90% of the time I'll just let them think they're right and say "sure".  If they seem genuinely interested I tell them we're a club of sorts and like dolls and photography.  I've had a very few people actually know what the dolls were and then rattle off a few anime series they liked. Those are the fun ones to chat with and run into.

 

I was doing pics with 5 of my girls by myself once and no one would approach me.  Suddenly a small girl walked up to me and looked at the girls I had set up in kimonos and enjoying tea.  She smiled at them, smiled at me and said "I like your big Barbies!" and walked off.  Part of me was like THAT WAS SO CUTE! but another part of me was like THESE COST WHAT 152 BARBIES COST!  LOL  Later on an older lady told me my girls were cute and asked if they were having tea.

 

Price is ALWAYS a thing when people who don't know ask about them.  I've been to many conventions and people go "Oh!  Those are so pretty! What stall or booth sells those here?  How much are they?  Like $100 or so?"  Then I have to politely explain that they aren't for sale at the con and that they definitely aren't $100.  😉  One lady about lost her mind when I told her my Saber Extra cost me $800 brand new.  She backed slowly away and waved goodbye.  😄 

 

One negative thing I heard once was when we were downtown in a park and two guys were walking around watching me and my doll group take pics.  I overheard one say to the other "They'll let any old freaks down here won't they?" And they laughed.  I picked up my girl, walked right up to them and said "They sure will!  Just look at you two!"  And I waited for the reply.  They stared at me, wondering what the heck was happening.  I just smiled and waited for a response and none came.  They walked off silently.

 

Another guy was with his girlfriend and she asked how much the dolls cost.  I had Kanu with me and told her if I had to buy her today that she'd cost me between $1200 and $1400 bucks.  The girl was like wow, that's a lot.  The guy was like "That's more than I paid for my car!"  I looked at him and grinned then said "But she looks a lot nicer than your car and retains her value better."  He was like huh?  His GF laughed and high fived me then they left.  😄

I in no way advocate going up to people who are being jerks and being a snarky jerk back at them.  But my size, my outgoing personality and my ability to not give a sheep about much allows me to get away with it almost every time.  If you're going to make fun of people in a public space, you best be ready for retaliation of some type.  I find that really well timed cutdowns and snark will get you far with the type of people who like to pick on others.  😉 

 

 

So anyways, most of the time people aren't going to run up and kick your doll while you're trying to take pics of them.  Most people are genuinely curious because it's not something they see everyday.  The best advice I can give is to always be as polite as possible, always smile and always answer questions as basically as you can without going into too many details.  Doing that turns on the fanboy/fangirl switch inside us and it will either bore or scare people off.  LOL  Just be nice and things usually play out just fine.

 

 

Billy

I've had 3 experiences taking dolls out in public. One was at a greenhouse early spring when flowers were just blooming. Another was last year at a local park in the autumn, and the 3rd was hiking a trail and I saw few people. No one said anything negative to me. I got the most reactions while at the park in the fall. People were curious and thought what I was doing was cool. I know there will be rude comments made at some point, but don't let them ruin it for you.

I hesitate to take them out anywhere where I know there will be grabby kids (or adults). Going to the beach in a few days and I will probably leave my girls home just because I don't want to be around that many people and worry about my dolls with the sun, sand...etc. My biggest tip for anyone who wants to venture out and get some outdoor shots--bring a friend/family member who doesn't mind your hobby. You will be less likely to receive negative comments. My husband helped me at the park back in autumn, and it was a fun experience for the both of us.

I just ordered Towa and I am definitely nervous taking her out. I've yet to see her in person, but I know her anti gravity tatas WILL draw attention LOL.

Basically, do what you love.

 

(Photo below was taken when my husband was in the hospital last year. There is this beautiful indoor garden and I thought, why the heck not?!)

Currently I only own two dolls, a Smart Doll Crimson, and a mini DollifeDream. I really have only taken my mdd out for photos, and like others have been saying, most of the time people will just walk by and stare a bit, because they're curious. One time, a lady came up to me and asked " is this anime?", and I was like.... how am I suppose to respond to that haha. Also at the same location, a little girl asked me about Rua (my mdd), and tried to touch her @_@! I've had mostly positive experiences with her but my SmD on the other hand, oh no... it's a much different story. I've actually never have brought him out for a photo shoot, just more for the sake of bringing him somewhere. One of the most persistent comments I get is that he looks like a girl, and when I try to correct people, they sometimes get pretttyyyy....strange. One of the most popular responses is "oh no that can't be a boy, thats a girl" or something that suggest that I'm the one confused about which gender my doll is, which is yikes. People also sometimes make slightly transphobic remarks.... yikes. The one instance that clearly sticks with me is the time I brought Crimson into a market. It was a really hot day and I didn't want to leave him in the hot car. So I thought it would be fine to take him in... right? Everything was going smoothly. Obviously people where staring but nobody had said anything to me until we reached the milk isle. It's right next to the storage room and employees walk in and out all the time. One such employee took it upon himself to walk over to Crimson and I, and tell me something that makes me angry to this day. In a valley girl accent ( ya know what he was trying to insinuate) he said " she looks fabulous, what's her name?" I....I..... was so shocked I kind of laughed and said " oh his name is Crimson", 🙃. He laughed and said " that's why he's so fabulous" and walked into the storeroom. Ew. Gross. But unfortunately it wasn't over. Later we ( my sibling and mom)  were walking down an isle, that employee from before was talking to another employee. He then looked quickly over at Crimson and I. They both where kind of smirking and one of them then said " I HEArD THAt beiNG tRANsGenDER HAs aLot OF BENiFITS NOw AdAYS🤪"  I..... as a trans person( although I didn't know at the time), my brain fricking shatters eveytime I think about these two clowns. Just... ew. Although after that, I continued to bring Crimson to places with me! I even took him to anime expo, where he received mostly nice compliments! I was still a bit hesitant to bring him places though, for mentioned reasons and also the fact he's so big( I need a bag!). Recently I got a new camera, its given me motivation to start taking him places again! I dont know why people always seem to have something to say when he's around, Rua always gets compliments, haha^^

Edited June 12, 2020 by Mame
Can't spell haha

Honestly, this is my biggest concern with Megumi(my SmD), for I haven't really taken her out in public for a photo shoot yet. I have had experiance with taking other doll types out in public such as pullips and monster high, and for the most part no one battled an eye. Only time I got attention was when someone recognized either the character(Monster High), or was curious about the head of my pullip... which was always a lot of fun showing off what she could do! I think I am less afraid of judgement than having her stolen, as I have heard some stories of doll theft in some groups I have been in.  The thought of losing something I sold off old passions to be able to get is just terrifying to me? Though I am itching to take her out and get some interesting photos of her... she's just too cute to stay home.

ahh yes, the eternal question. Have no horror stories of the doll issues themselves, only of myself almost getting heatstroke by getting way into a photoshoot
Its very fun doing lil outings, absolutely go for it if weather permits! .. if you can, scope out the place ahead of time to check when least crowded and whats the best area to use

About 90% of the time nobody cares. Everyone is caught up in their own fancy selfies and photoshoots (fall is foliage!! summer so much flowers! spring is dripping in pink blossoms. Is the weather nice? There's at least 5 pros doing couples photos in your periphery)

Most of the times people just give curious glances, I've had ...ehhh... a hotel security asshole ask us to leave a NOT HOTEL AREA (it's a mini public park on top of a parking garage that just happens to connect to the hotel on one side. Apparently I made the wedding photoshoot uncomfortable by asking the women to not leave their purses all the way by the elevators unattended? Because they were like 50ft away and this is seriously a public area anyone could come into and does...and... _ahem_)
Anywhoooo, adults will come up and ask what I'm doing, children have been just gawking and actually better than adults at not trying to touch. One girl was very impressed by Saber's "big knife" which may have been exactly why she wasn't touching. The only recent memory of someone trying to be passive-aggressive jerk backfired as they were walking their dog in a tiny garden that specifically forbids dogs. Sign right on the gate as you enter
At conventions (ok all of one time) everyone has been absolutely excellent at not being grabby. We're all nerds who know not to touch other people's outfits and accessories... and whats a big doll but yet another accessory! (In a few cases someone was very curious about Saber's armor and politely asked if they may touch it. a BJD fan was excited her hands can be popped out so easy for changing them and wanted a closer look)

My absolute favorite was taking MDD to a Ren Faire! Got a few silly pictures near shops and suddenly people would come to me specifically??? To see my lil fairy friend?!?!
One of the games' dudes started throwing out pose ideas for Mari to try
One of the performers came up telling me he's heard around town of this little "friendly fairy" and wanted to meet her. He wanted to pose her on his drum but this isn't over, oh no! A flower-seller was walking by, friend of his. The guy flags him down and suggests another cute idea - lets place Ms Fairy in the flower basket! He then very neatly arranged her on the guy's flowers for a photo-op  (and had everyone in his group searching their bags/pockets for a pen to give me their FB info because they absolutely wanted these photos)

... Maybe people have tried being snarky at me, but am kinda really good at just opening my eyes wide and being the biggest idiot? Who also gives vague-enough answers that doesn't give a follow up hook
Why/what are you doing? "art project"  "photography practice"
Oooh thats a big toy, how much does it cost / Can I get one for my kid? "oh you know, its costly like American Girl dolls"
hey, where can I get one of these? "the internet" (totalz aware I am absolutely sounding like the jerk in this conversation, but an average rando on street doesn't need to know the number of zeros in Saber's cost, and isn't looking for solid info. People at cons/into hobby stuff/ know to expect ridic numbers and phrase the questions accordingly)

Edited June 17, 2020 by Chise

It's great hearing tha people hav mostly had positive experiences. I might have to get myself a carrier to take my dolls on outings.

Simple, take photos when no one's around 😛

Park in north of Japan in winter was pretty quiet XD

Edit: I also wouldn't want bugs to get on her while she's sitting on the grass or stone work.

Edited June 23, 2020 by RobotDollOmega

Oh hey a Libidoll. Really rare to see them nowadays;  Good picture

3 hours ago, Meguchi said:

Oh hey a Libidoll. Really rare to see them nowadays;  Good picture

Hehehe, thanks. This one was before I used velcro to stick the wig to her head, so it was a little high.

She's a cutie, saw a Libidoll a year before getting her and bought her pretty much as soon as I went to Japan 😄

Ive taken my resin MSDs out for photoshoots at the park a lot, most people ignore me but I've had a few weird interactions!

The two that stick out in my mind the most:

1) I had Ichabod, my little pumpkin boy and a kid started crying to their mom because they wanted him. Mom just sighs deeply and says "I know, you always want what you cant have - everyone's else's toys are cooler."

and 2) another time when I had Eshne, my DZ Benjamin elf boy out for a shoot and someone shouted "I LOVE YOUR TINY MAN" and I just shout back "THANKS!"

10 minutes ago, PumpKing said:

Mom just sighs deeply and says "I know, you always want what you cant have - everyone's else's toys are cooler."

Because we don't really outgrow toys, they just get progressively more and more expensive as we get older.

40 minutes ago, PumpKing said:

someone shouted "I LOVE YOUR TINY MAN"

This is the only kind of reaction I would ever want to encounter lmao

7 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

Because we don't really outgrow toys, they just get progressively more and more expensive as we get older.

Aint that the truth! 

On 8/25/2020 at 4:26 AM, PumpKing said:

Aint that the truth! 

As they say, "The only different between men and boys is the price of their toys."

I've taken photos of my dolls in public but it varies based on the circumstances. My immediate family and I take a yearly vacation to Mt Desert Island, Maine, and since it's a very touristy area I've not been self conscious taking doll pics there- mainly because, when am I ever going to see these people again? But also the idea that tourists can be a little weird anyway, like it's almost expected. Plus photography being a common attraction anyway in these areas. I tend to go for less crowded areas but some places just don't get many people in one place (and the pandemic has definitely affected that- more on that later). It's easy enough in places like that with a lot of nature to find even a smaller area that has a lot of potential for a photoshoot and good pics in general. On my last day up there this year I had my mom drive me along a scenic route and we stopped at a couple places because they were "a good spot" even though they weren't a main tourist attraction- often just a patch of bushes by the side of the road near an outlook/parking lot or something similar.

Around my hometown, I used to take my resin 1/4 scale girl Laika out to places like the green and the coffee shop and, when asked, or sometimes just preemptively, I'd call her a "photography model" and claim I was working on a "project". I wasn't really worried about people thinking I was weird, and a lot of times people didn't even seem to notice. Now, though, since I've graduated high school and I don't know a lot of people in the area anymore, I feel more self-conscious when taking dolls out due to not having a sense about how people- especially the younger high/middle school age crowd, would react to a grown adult taking doll photos. And now that I'm trying to get to know people in my neighborhood better I don't want to weird anyone out if they see me out and about doing "weird" stuff.

That also applies to the city I would commute to for college classes, since I don't want to be seen by someone I know without having a way to control the impression. Other states/counties and conventions tend to be the most comfortable for me with regard to doll photography.

I actually also came up with a whole spiel for when people saw me with my Smart Dolls that I ended up using a couple times: "this is a Smart Doll, a Social Media Art Doll made by Danny Choo, son of Jimmy Choo- you know, the shoe designer? They're good for photography practice and very versatile, you can customize and pose them however..." Obviously I'd base how much of that I actually said on how interested they seemed. Now with all the drama regarding Danny Choo I'm more reluctant to use this because people might look him up and see the bad stuff. But having a way to make it sound professional does help, as does having a professional-looking setup/camera/etc.

Also, due to the pandemic I've been doing fewer photoshoots in public for obvious reasons but there was a time in Maine where I met another photographer who joked about my doll not having a mask, and I realized more recently that having my out-and-about dolls wear proper-looking masks some of the time could actually be a shield against negative judgment: instead of "oh that person has a doll, how weird" the first impression might be "oh that doll has a mask too, how interesting". The former could still be a reaction that happens but the extra layer of doll-with-mask might reduce that slightly, or at least distract from it. It's the same reason I want to learn to sew my own human-size clothes for myself- aside from having the ability to use cool patterns and fabric and make what I want custom to me, having people be impressed like "you made that??!" draws attention away from the "weird" or unusual aspect of the styles/outfits I like.

One other thing of course is that I'm used to resin dolls and only recently have gotten into the vinyl side of things so they still feel fragile and like they'll stain or break any second if they're not in an absolutely controlled environment. I know I have to get used to it but without replacement parts (with the skintone discontinued) from the company, I feel like I have to be REALLY careful with my Smart Dolls because they might not be fixable, so I tend to be reluctant to do anything too elaborate with them without working up to it a bit first. On the other hand, posing and standing my resins in a way that is self-supporting/good for elaborate photoshoots is tricky, whereas SMDs and other vinyls hold their poses and have easy option hands and such. Plus, I don't like taking my resin dolls outside due to fear of yellowing, so I really don't have them out much these days.

Basically, safety of the doll is always important, so that affects confidence re: public photo shoots as well.

I also had the experience a couple years ago with one of my dolls where the convention security were walking nearby and commented that the doll looked creepy, so I picked up the doll and posed her arms all-zombie like and approached them rather quickly as a joke. In retrospect I know how stupid that was but they just gave an awkward laugh and I moved on.

Lastly, in dealing with mean comments I tend to go for engaging rather than ignoring, where if someone were to say something mean I'd act very peppy and conversational and probably kind of snarky in response, but also feign ignorance? Like if someone says to their friend, "that doll is creepy" I might jump up and say "oh, you wanna see my doll? I think she's cute! Don't you?" and appear to disregard the "creepy" comment, but also make it clear that it's exactly why I'm responding. Kind of like, if they want to talk shit they can say it to my face crossed with giving the benefit of the doubt. If they call her creepy again I'd be like, "whoa, that's mean, are you really so scared? It's just a doll" etc. with the purpose, of course, being to make them regret commenting in the first place. It's hard to describe but I'm fine with being seen as weird by people I wouldn't get along with anyway- i.e. buttholes- but of course if they were local people I might react differently, because, again, I have a certain impression I want to give around home. But BS-ing nasty people is kind of... fun, even. So there's that.

Most people with dolls outdoors...

 

_DSC2902 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

ME outdoors with dolls....

 

_DSC2928 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

_DSC2940 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

_DSC2960 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

Life is short.  Have fun.  Be yourself. Enjoy your dolls and your friends.

 

 

Billy

On 9/27/2020 at 1:25 AM, baldylox said:

 

_DSC2960 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

Life is short.  Have fun.  Be yourself. Enjoy your dolls and your friends.

 

 

Billy

Beautiful, thanks for that Billy xD

6 hours ago, RobotDollOmega said:

Beautiful, thanks for that Billy xD

You're welcome!  And thank you too!  I think hobbies are meant to be fun and if you can't have fun then something's wrong.  So go out there and take as many pictures of your dolls as you can!  Who cares what other people think?  If you start worrying about it then think of these questions and answers:

 

Do you know them?  NO

Do they know you?  NO

Will you ever see them again?  NO

Does it matter if you do?  NO

 

All in all, opinions are like butts..... everyone has one and most of them stink.  So why worry about those stinky butts?  😄

 

 

Billy 

I've had exactly one (1) outdoor photoshoot attempt thus far with one of my resin dolls and I specifically chose a quiet area of a cemetery to avoid people and also it suited the character so I'm fairly certain no one saw, but man I really want to try again sometime. There's loads of fun places/backgrounds around here, but it's also a heavily populated tourist trap which can be, you know, kinda scary when you're trying to carefully pose and photograph something so fragile and expensive. The children are little monsters who throw merchandise all around my booth at work so I can't even begin to imagine having a doll anywhere around them, even if it's something a little more forgiving like the vinyl. It would probably be different if there were more doll people involved, but alas.

 

@baldylox

Those are great, I especially love the third one down lol