Keeping a personal database of dolls you don't own

Doesn't that kind of exsist already, in the Sculpt Databases? I don't think it's bizarre at all; many people save photos of dolls, arranging them so that you could look them up later isn't unheard of. If someone didn't want people to enjoy and use their photos for personal enjoyment (compiling a folder of favorite photos/molds/faceups/whatever) they wouldn't have posted them in the first place. There's no way anyone could know where their pictures end up once saved. As long as you don't make a profit off of it, you should be fine.

 

I think it sounds like a fun idea. I myself, used to keep a collection of company pictures made into tiny avatars of dolls I planned to own. It's a fairly common habit. What you have mentioned is a little different. I know a lot of forgetful people who save EVERYTHING they come across on the internet that catches their interest, because they're afraid they'll never find it again. ^^;

 

I have to be honest, I do the same. I own two quite unpopular molds (maybe 3 even) and I just like to sort of keep track what other owners do with the same mold.

I also save alot of pictures (which I use as my screensaver on this computer), but that's mostly because alot of people make stunning photo's of their dolls and I just like to look back at them.

 

I do have something like that saved on my computer- I love seeing what other owners have done with dolls that I either own, or hope to own- it really helps me figure out what I want mine to look like. For example, my Lati boys- I have an M and a K, and painting them was really hard at first because I didn't really know what sort of style would look best on them. (Especially my K, his face is the hardest to faceup in my whole collection :'( ) But after I browsed the owners database here, and then checked them out on the Lati site, I saved a bunch of pictures so that I could go through and see how different wigs fit them, or what style of faceup (gothic, natural etc.) looked coolest on them. It really helped me quite a bit!

Also, having pictures of the dolls I hope to own on my computer helps me keep on saving- I can just go in and look at them any time I want and remember why I am not purchase anything else for awhile so that I can afford them XD

 

Heh, I organize them into folders by sculpt, size, and company. XD The photos here are so gorgeous I'm not surprised you do it!

 

I too save pictures of dolls I love or that are the same sculpt as mine, just to give myself inspiration for my own

 

I did that before... but now I have this "To sort" folder that is just filled with way~ too many things so I dont really save anymore pics of BJDs.... may start again when I get more organized xP

I feel that if its for personal use, everyone should be able to do it. But the moment someone uses the photos for something else, then that should be stopped.

 

I an really see the point in saving this kind of pics, but it somehow has never crossed my mind. :'D I have saved a couple photoes from the doll companies, an maybe one from a owner, but these were just to photoshop them a bit to see if some other hair or eye colour would fit them. But maybe I'll try this from now on. ;>

 

I do this all the time! Sometimes just because I love the picture, the doll, the faceup whatever. But also for inspiration for doing my own faceups, sewing projects etc. I figure no one will ever know so they can't be mad (It's not like I'm trying to copy any of the dolls looks exactly, I just enjoy going back & being inspired by them).

I know I would feel honored/happy if my doll inspired someone else, so to me it is a compliment. Plus, like you I just save them on my computer or use them as a screensaver. I don't post them anywhere else or anything. And most of the time they are dolls I want so they help with my own wait.

 

You know, it's funny, considering I have a Touhou image folder that is over 3 gigs in size and growing, I definitely have a pretty obsessive habit when it comes to saving pictures off the internet.....and yet I have absolutely no doll photos saved! Well, outside of the ones I upload off my own camera for my photoshoots, of course. It just never struck me to bother, really. Maybe it's because I have two dolls of my own that I can always look at whenever I want to see some?

But no, I don't think it's that weird at all. It's not like you're not doing anything illegal or anything, it's just your nice pretty private collection! I know -tons- of people that do this with their fandoms - yours just happens to be BJDs. Not a bad fandom to have!

 

I do this allll the time xD
Lately because I like finding pictures of the doll I'm waiting to be shipped, or if I see a doll I may someday want, it's just nice to see pictures of them that aren't just the company's ^^;

 

When my mom told me I was getting the doll of my dreams (Ante) I started finding every picture of her I could. I a have a little over a hundred. I thought about writing for permission first but then I decided I wasn't going to be using them as, or calling them mine, so I thought it'd be okay But yeah, you're definitely not alone. AND Hi LordBlumiere I recognize you from over at the Pullip forum. Come to the darkside as well have you?

 

Yup, I have lots of doll pictures on my hard drive. XD

I save them for several reasons -

I really like to look at what other people do with sculpts I own or might want to own but I don't always want to spend a lot of time finding them. Not everyone puts their dolls into the databases (in fact I'd say only about 1/3 of owners add them) so when the sculpt is uncommon you're forced to go digging for pictures in the galleries when you want to see more. I save those. I also sometimes use them for making mockups in photoshop when I want to see how a hair color or eye color will look.

When I have characters that I'm still trying to find the best sculpt for, I'll make a folder of possible candidates. I also save pictures of "character dolls" because I liked the interpretation the owner did.

And rarely, I will save a photo just because I really liked it. I don't do anything with them though, they're just for private enjoyment when I want to see pretty pictures.

 

I used to occasionally save pics of faceups from YJ, or clothing especially (since I have zero fashion sense), but I found I never really ended up using the pics so I stopped doing it. XD

Raven

 

Although I don't do this with dolls, I used to save photos of lolita clothes and coordinates I liked, as inspiration for sewing projects, drawings, etc. I can understand why someone would save photos of sculpts, faceups, mods, outfits, or setups they like and might want to refer to for inspiration later on (inspiration, not direct copying). I can't tell you the number of times I've searched for photos of something on DoA and found older threads with broken images. You never know when a photo might go offline so it makes sense to save something if you might not be able to find it later on.

So long as you're not using those photos in other places without permission or directly copying something unique that someone else has done, I don't really think it's a problem.

 

If I see a faceup I like, I tend to save it. That's especially true if the faceup is on a mold that I already own. I sit down about once a year to redo my doll's faceup, so it's nice to have a bunch of pictures handy for ideas. The last thing I feel like doing is dig through the galleries here when my pastels are all ready to go.

 

I will often save photos of dolls or faceups I think are beautiful, so I can look back on them later and enjoy them again. I also have a folder called "ideas" that is full of faceups, outfits (on dolls and people) and other things I want to remember later.

Also if I buy a doll secondhand I usually check and see if there are any pics around of what they looked like with their previous owner and will pull one or two for my "Before I got them" folder - just to have a little of their history preserved.

 

I don't have a database, but I do have a screensaver collection of doll pics I admire. As they belong to other people, I wouldn't dream of using or reposting them anywhere, but I like having my file of pretty dollies to give me ideas for what I want to do with my own dolls.