Breaking the fourth wall

I usually try to make sure that the wig cap is hidden, but other than that I dont worry too much. I admit I find it kind of endearing to see dolls next to everyday objects and people, but I prefer to keep my dolls in scale in my own photography.

 

I actually like it! My favorite pose is a doll holding a tablet pen over a tablet like she’s drawing! I call it ‘elf on the shelf’ style, and it works well for me because I don’t have a space to do more realistic and scaled photography. I think it’s fun to make the dolls look like they’re getting into something.

 

I prefer to intermix elements that can take you back and forth between believing they are more person-like and more doll-like. So I do a lot of the things you're referring to and I enjoy it that way.
There is a conceptual reason for me, but I could understand how people might have a preference and not like one or the other.
I have almost no experience of the uncanny valley. Most of it is with people sized things, like mannequins (which I love but often think they are people) and my ultimate nemesis, cardboard standees.
I like that my dolls are dolls and so I think it's funny to show them being tiny house goblins sometimes.

 

My goal is to make my dolls look as if they were alive, but not necessarily as humans. Scale differences don't bother me at all, but bad angles and awkard eye placement do. I haven't quite perfected human body posing yet, but that's on the list of goals. It would be cool to have a full in scale set someday, but not top priority!

@AlisonVonderland when a Kam cardboard standee shows up at your house, just send it to me. I'll take care of it.

 

Okay, ‘house goblin’ is going to be my new go-to term for doll mischief. Thank you

 

Like others before me, I don't mind if my dolls look like dolls in my photos. I take terrible photos anyway. Which is probably something I do worry about, most of the time. More so, than keeping up an "illusion."

I have gotten a few people commenting on how realistic some of my dolls look over the years. However, from conversations with other doll owners, and just general discussion. I don't feel most mean they look like actual real living people at all. I feel realism when mentioned to describe one of these dolls means something totally different, depending on the viewer. AI has censored photos of some of my dolls on certain places as well, as in hidden them from searches, completely removed them or tagged them as "mature" content .

That does bother me, censorship is something I don't appreciate, unless I'm the one deciding to do so (on my own work). I don't ever do doll p0rn for any reason, so it's quite infuriating to have AI thinking my work is inappropriate or sexual in anyway, for absolutely no reason. DX

 

I think either way is a cute way to photograph dolls! Props and dioramas are so much fun to have/make, but I also love taking pictures of my dolls in our "human world" because the way that they look so tiny is adorable!! Like a big ol couch with just a doll sitting in the middle. That kind of thing is endless entertainment to me!!

EDIT: And I don't necessarily care if there's a mix either, unless the doll props are inconsistent and out of scale with the dolls, THEN it definitely peeves me juuust a little, LOL.

That being said, I am not a huge fan of photos of dolls interacting with people? It's not a bad thing (nor does it give me uncanny valley), it's definitely fun and creative! Just not something I would personally decide to photograph, as I see myself more like my dolls' "manager" than their friend or parent-figure... y'know, 'cause I schedule their photoshoots, hire their stylists, etc...

 

I guess I'm a mix? A wig slipping back too far or eyes not angled quite right do bother me, but that's more about the dolls looking presentable than about them looking real. My doll photos seem to fall into two categories: in character photos and out of character photos. In character, I want everything to scale or just blank wall so it's more believable that they're their own characters in their own world, not a doll in a human world interacting with their owner. Out of character is like box openings, working on the doll, comparison photos, a funny pose they did just sitting around the house, etc-- about the doll itself and not about the character much at all.

It might be weird, but photoshopping out the joints actually feels more unsettling to me than seeing them. The proportions are almost never to human scale, and the resin doesn't look like skin. The joints are often too big proportionally when smoothed over as the body doesn't "squish" like a person. At best, they look less like dolls and more like plastic figures to me. That feels even less "real" than a bjd.

 

While I enjoy collecting and creating scale items for my dolls, they're still dolls. I don't feel the need to make them look human in my photos. I also find it charming to put small dolls in a human sized environment, like so:

 

Nope.

I mean a beautifully crafted, in-scale, scene with all the accessories and set dressing for a photo is a nice thing but, honestly, it's way too much faff&bother for most of the time when I just want to share a picture of my doll.

Personally, I hate photography but regard it as a "necxessary evil" if I want to share my dolls with the community. I'm happy if the photo comes out clear enough to shopw the doll/outfit or whatever I'm sharing by taking it.

Teddy

 

I do try to at least put some attention to making sure wigs aren't complete messes, poses look decent, and eyes are facing a reasonable direction. Even if I had much Photoshop skill, I'm too lazy to put the effort into hiding all the joints, and most of my dolls have at least somewhat stylized proportions, anyways!

In regards to scale, I don't have a lot of doll-sized stuff, nor do I have room for it. When I photograph my dolls "in-character," they play the roles of dolls living in a human-sized world. House gremlins, as it was put earlier! They help each other climb up the couch, dive into my yarn and fabric stash, watch out for my cat, etc. Growing up, I was enamored with the idea of being very tiny in a very big world, stuff like the Borrowers and all that, so even though my dolls are bigger than a Borrower, there's still that magic of everything mundane to my eye becoming fantastically giant, and something as simple as sitting on the couch becoming an entire adventure.

Some day, if/when I move somewhere with more room, perhaps I will get the chance to build areas that are in-scale for them, and then there can be some photos where they're living in their world and some where they live in the human world. But for now I'm having fun with them as my house gremlins.

 

I like both styles of photography but I take more photos of them in portrait style or use in scale props. I think of my dolls as tiny beings in a human size world, and I provide items in their scale for them to use if that makes sense.

 

I like the use of "breaking the forth wall" to explain this
Personally, what I prefer is creating situations for my dolls where they are in their own world, so I try to make them look as "human" as possible, but I am not a very talented photographer so I don't know if that's the effect, let's say I tend to it
But there are some nice pictures where dolls are taken as dolls, like when the owner is on the pictures for example and the result can be quite nice, it's great to have so many possibilities

 

Since I've only been in the hobby for a little over a year, I've primarily been focusing on finding the dolls I want. And then, of course, I have to spend more on on figuring out their looks with clothing/wigs/eyes/etc.
Unfortunately, that means I haven't been able to justify dropping even more money on tiny furniture and props I want for my boys!

I'm planning to do so, though! I do love photos of dolls where they're living in their own little world . . . I'm beginning to pick up some little things for my off-topic 1/12 boys! It just seems there are way more options available for 1/12, and I can pick them up for reasonable prices on AliExpress and Taobao.

So for now, my BJDs are out here breaking the fourth wall

It's not a huge problem for me, though. I admittedly enjoy seeing dolls (mine and others') existing in human settings and just lookin' tiny! Especially my little 1/12 babies . . . I just think it's silly and cute

 

Huh...I don't think I've ever really considered this much, so this is a really interesting thread! It makes me think of that bit in the movie adaptation of A Little Princess where dolls and things come to life when we're not looking at them (which I guess is also the thing in Toy Story now that i think about it). I've always thought that was a fun idea, so photoshopping out joints or things like that would feel weird to me personally.

 

Doll joints can add to the charm

 

I do it all the time but not on purpose it's just I'm so terrible at organising an taking pictures lol so well yes guilty as charged but that's still better than not taking pictures at all

 

It's very important for me to show my dolls as people. I tell their story, so... realism is my goal. I have a bit of a problem with too much Photoshop. I like to know what model it is. Fake smilies and retouch of joints is on the edge for me. But I admire anyone who creates dioramas in scale. I like to hear different opinions on this topic. It's okay that we are all different and original. I also break the fourth wall sometimes, but mostly I prefer to leave my dolls in their world. I can see the magic behind it.

 

If my doll has some flyaway hairs or her wig cap is showing, I’ll edit them out. Heck, before I blushed my first doll, I would add it in facetune lol. It’s not about making them look human for me, but making sure they look their best