Advice needed on photographer wanting to take photoshoots of my bjds

I would not rent my dolls to anyone, think of them like an underage model, and if you were the parent. You should be present for all shoots. It sounds sketchy to borrow a doll for a week. What if he takes it and doesn't give it back? There is no reason why he wouldn't let you be there while photographing them unless it's something shady, and this is coming from a photographer.

 

I agree with Sicktress. I would be careful, and its up to you if you want to do it or not. If you do choose to take him up on it, for sure, be there for the shoot and don't let him keep them overnight. Protect your dolls with your life... ahaha. Good luck it sounds like a cool opportunity to me if he's really going to pay you for it too.

 

I wouldn't lend/rent my dolls to a photographer unless I could be there. Even if the photographer was a friend and I wasn't worried about scams, I'd still be concerned about things like pets, the dolls getting too much sun, etc, and I'd want to be around for the shoot.

I think your concerns are totally reasonable, and if you feel like the photographer is pressuring you, feel free to say no. Someone who gives you a hard time isn't someone you want around your dolls anyway.

 

Yeaaah, I would say no. That seems pretty shady and like he just wants to disappear with your fancy dolls. I would link him to DoA or even just a dealer in your region so he can get his own if he's legitimately interested.

 

I think that this might be a good chance. I wouldn't rent them out though. What you can do is say, [sure, you can take pictures of my dolls, but I can't give them to you. you can only take pictures of them if i'm there. in exchange, i'll bring my dolls with me to where you want to take the pictures] or something like that. The photographer may still be really interested in bjds and they might take some really good pictures, that you can also have copies of, right? Think about it, but never just give them to someone else. Always bring them with you to the photo-shoots and keep them when the photographer isn't taking pictures of them. Just explain that they are very special to you, in addition to being expensive both in the money and time you invest in them. They shouldn't have a problem with that.

 

Great to hear that. I think if he keeps you aside when he is photographing, it's nothing bad about that and if I were you, I would appreciate the chance.

 

That's great that he won't keep them. But, if he's going to be handling them, you should think about writing up a contract that if he damages them, he has to pay for repairs. You said he's retired so he might not have insurance, but a contract could protect you if anything happens.
Good luck!

 

If the requests are reasonable and you are there to advise and keep the dolls safe (or if the photographer really understands how to handle and care for dolls), and you are certain you can trust him/her, it might not be a bad thing. But there is always a risk of course. Even in your own hands, dolls can be damaged or lost or stolen.

I used to say that i would never let my dolls out of my sight, but now I've had them for a long while and maybe have gotten complaisant since nothing has ever happened to them... So if I knew the photographer well and knew that they would be honest and careful, I would lend my dolls out. But that is a very rare situation.

 

I had a photographer ask to do some shoots with my dolls once -- she came over to my house, picked out which dolls she wanted, I packed/carried them to the photo site, and she let me wrangle them 100%. There's no way she wanted the liability on her hands if anything happened to them, and there's no way I would've let her do the posing anyway! She handled nothing but her cameras & equipment. During the shoot, she would just ask for certain poses, ask me to move the head/hand/etc. this way or that, until she got the shot she was looking for. I'd tell her whether or not a certain pose was possible, or sometimes hold the doll manually while she zoomed in for a cropped shot. And a fun time was had by all.

 

I would be very uneasy about not being there to make sure they were okay. I wouldn't want anyone else handling my dolls. I think what JennyNemesis is a much more professional and comfortable way to go about doing something like this!

 

To be honest I would be worried about what they do with the photographs.
They could sell them as stock photos or something and you get nothing more for them.

On top of the creepy "Why are you posing them like that?" or "They don't bend that way!" of someone else touching them.
Sorry, but I'd have to pass that up.

 

Hi dolls-in-wonderland,

This is a rather specific situation, so I'm going to lock it up. ^^ A better place for these kinds of inquiries would be on an lj or personal blog. Whatever your choice may be, I hope it works out well ^^

Best,
Laelen