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Why do doll owners photograph their dolls?

Sep 24, 2010

    1. Why do you photograph your dolls and make photostories?
      A few different reasons. First, I have always enjoyed photography, and the dolls are very good models - they are beautiful and they stay still (for the most part). Second, just like many others have pointed out, it's a way to share them with others, it's making art, and everything is more fun when you can share it with others.

      Do you just simply enjoy your doll and play with her without photographing her in a story?
      Yes, quite often, I also enjoy making clothes and accessories for them, and posing them just for fun, I don't always whip out the camera (which, sometimes, is a shame).

      Why do so many people in the BJD community use Doll Photography as a hobby in itself? (not owning BJDs as a hobby, but the hobby of photographing the BJDs)
      This, I don't know... can't speak for others, for my reasons, see above :)

      What do you do with these photos that you take? Do you sell them like a print? Do you have them for personal enjoyment? Why?
      I post them, hoping others will appreciate them as well. Half the fun of making art is showing it to others :)
       
    2. This is a question I've thought about quite a lot and still I'm not sure.

      Why do you photograph your dolls and make photostories?

      That is something I enjoy. I like making stories and taking photos. But why do I share them? I don't know. Maybe I like to make other people happy through them. Of course I like receiving comments, mostly because I don't have friends with dolls and it's a good way getting to know people with a bit similarity to me. I mean, if someone likes my story, maybe he/she has some other things that we have incommon. hard to explain...

      Do you just simply enjoy your doll and play with her without photographing her in a story?

      Not as often as I would like. I have a little time of my own usually, and I mostly photograph everything. I have memories about what I did, and I've always been a "bad player". 8(

      Why do so many people in the BJD community use Doll Photography as a hobby in itself? (not owning BJDs as a hobby, but the hobby of photographing the BJDs)

      I think people want to share the stories. It's quite dull just keeping all for yourself. ;> Well, sure there are some things you don't want to share, but it is much more fun when others can read them too <3

      What do you do with these photos that you take? Do you sell them like a print? Do you have them for personal enjoyment? Why?

      I save them and post them. ^^ Why? See above.
       
    3. Why do you photograph your dolls and make photostories?

      I don't make photostories, but I do photograph my dolls. I think my dolls are beautiful, so I photograph them. I enjoy finding and bringing out their personalities through photography. I like to make a story surrounding my dolls because it makes them seem more real, that they have their own life. One of my dolls represents my high school years because it was a bittersweet time in my life, so he is a male representation of myself. I sew him clothes out of my clothing that I'm done wearing ^_^ So he is very much a part of me. However I would prefer writing a story about them than expressing a story through photography. The photograph is just a "snippet" of the story.

      Do you just simply enjoy your doll and play with her without photographing her in a story?

      Yep. I take one out at a time and they usually sit and hang out with me for the day if I'm not working. Otherwise I will draw my dolls, sew for them, and buy them things.

      Why do so many people in the BJD community use Doll Photography as a hobby in itself? (not owning BJDs as a hobby, but the hobby of photographing the BJDs)

      I view it as giving back to the community. I like to view owner pictures of dolls before purchasing them, and all of the wonderful people who have taken the time to share have helped me immensely in determining my future doll purchases. So I share pictures of mine so people can see what can be done with them and hopefully help others.

      What do you do with these photos that you take? Do you sell them like a print? Do you have them for personal enjoyment? Why?

      I post them on DoA. I also post on dA so I have an easy way to view my progress (both doll and photography-wise).
       
    4. Personally the photography came first by about twenty years. :lol:I like photographing dolls because they're interesting subjects, but I don't usually share the photos I take. I do like to do stories but I don't always photograph them. Everyone has different idea about what constitutes art.
       
    5. Why do you photograph your dolls and make photostories?
      My dolls embody my characters and I find it fun to dress them up in their character clothes and photograph them in scenes out of my stories.

      Do you just simply enjoy your doll and play with her without photographing her in a story?
      Yes, I spend a lot of time dressing my dolls and admiring them without taking pictures, but photography is something I enjoy with my dolls and outside of my dolls too.

      Why do so many people in the BJD community use Doll Photography as a hobby in itself? (not owning BJDs as a hobby, but the hobby of photographing the BJDs)
      I would guess that those people came into the BJD hobby from the photography hobby? That's how it happened with me. I already had a few SLRs of my own before I bought my first doll and I intended her to be a model for my photography. If you already have a hobby that feeds into the BJD hobby you probably see the BJD hobby best from the other perspective - people who get into BJDs from sewing and knitting or general crafting probably see their BJDs as an extension of those hobbies too.

      What do you do with these photos that you take? Do you sell them like a print? Do you have them for personal enjoyment? Why?
      I don't sell my BJD photos, I don't think they're that good! I just take them for myself and I enjoy seeing my photos improve over time. I like sharing them on Flickr and on forums to get other people's opinions and looking at what other people have got up to as well.
       
    6. Why do you photograph your dolls and make photostories?
      I was in the photography hobby way before I got into the BJD hobby, so taking pictures of them was natural as I like to take photos of most anything (including my anime figure collection) I enjoy practicing photography; posing, angles, different settings, indoor/outdoor, etc using my dolls

      Do you just simply enjoy your doll and play with her without photographing her in a story?
      Of course, it&#8217;s kinda a pain to get my camera out everytime I re-pose/play with them. And sometimes I want the simple joy of playing with my dolls :)

      Why do so many people in the BJD community use Doll Photography as a hobby in itself? (not owning BJDs as a hobby, but the hobby of photographing the BJDs)
      I think it&#8217;s because it&#8217;s so easy and fun to practice and learn. With digital cameras now, you&#8217;re not wasting film, you can see immediate results, and it&#8217;s so much easier to play with effects (in-camera, with special filters on he camera,and with photoshop/other editing program) and of course it&#8217;s fun to play with effects as well. I also think it&#8217;s a bit less daunting to pick up a camera than it is to pick up a needle and thread or knitting/crochet hooks. And as Jescissa said, hobbies merge and crossover so photographers would get into the bjd scene and then mix the two

      What do you do with these photos that you take? Do you sell them like a print? Do you have them for personal enjoyment? Why?
      I don&#8217;t sell them (I might if I think I have any that are good enough, but I don&#8217;t). I post the best shots on-line to places like DevianArt, Tumblr, Facebook for other&#8217;s to enjoy. I also do take photos for my own enjoyment, I have a folder (a couple actually) that have plenty of pictures that I like to look through &#8211; &#8220;Oh, right I remember that!&#8221; or &#8220;That was a fun day, I loved the (whatever)&#8221; or &#8220;I don&#8217;t remember that photo! I like it.&#8221;
       
    7. Why do you photograph your dolls and make photostories?
      -- I personally haven't made any photostories about my boy yet - I found that lacking in both clothes and time is the most notorious problem XD; I however photograph my boy because I feel like it's something that should be shared with everyone else, I like to admire other people's dolls and I like for others to admire (or diss XD) my doll :3


      Do you just simply enjoy your doll and play with her without photographing her in a story?
      As of now, I'm simply enjoying playing with my doll but maybe one day I will do a set of photos of him in a story~


      Why do so many people in the BJD community use Doll Photography as a hobby in itself? (not owning BJDs as a hobby, but the hobby of photographing the BJDs)
      I guess it's because BJDs are just too beautiful that it's hard to ignore and not take photos of them? Where ever you go, a BJD will always draw you attention and if people want to photograph or take photos of them as a hobby, then it's a good thing? At the very least, you get good photos of your dolls out of it :3


      What do you do with these photos that you take? Do you sell them like a print? Do you have them for personal enjoyment? Why?
      I just keep mine for personal enjoyment. I feel like mine aren't the type that would be sold like a print as they're just casual photos and not something that I've purposely put a lot of work into.
       
    8. Why do you photograph your dolls and make photostories?
      I photograph my dolls and make photo stories because it's fun. I enjoy photography and I enjoy my dolls, so taking pictures of my dolls is a good way for me to combine things that I like. I consider myself a creative person; I love to tell stories and share them with others. As some people have already mentioned on here, photography is really the only way to share dolls and doll experiences if you live in an area where there are no other collectors nearby.

      Do you just simply enjoy your doll and play with her without photographing her in a story?
      Sure. I enjoy my dolls even when I'm not taking pictures of them.

      Why do so many people in the BJD community use Doll Photography as a hobby in itself? (not owning BJDs as a hobby, but the hobby of photographing the BJDs)
      I can't answer this question. My hobbies include BJD collecting and photography, but I don't do "doll photography" exclusively. I guess to some people, doll photography is an artform in itself.

      What do you do with these photos that you take? Do you sell them like a print? Do you have them for personal enjoyment? Why?
      I post my photo stories on DoA to share with others, and yes they are for my personal enjoyment too.
       
    9. I think it's the same reason new parents show off pictures of their kids. Doll owners are proud of the unique individual looks of each doll. Even though they all come from a general mold and company, there are no two exactly alike, and that's something owners feel a need to share and celebrate, for understandable reasons. Funds, sweat, and probably a few tears go into each doll to get it looking the way each person wants, and it's only natural to try to show off such a chunk of work. :)
       
    10. Why do you photograph your dolls and make photostories?

      Because it's fun! It's another thing that I can do with my dolls. If I'm just doing regular photos, I get to experiment with posing. If I'm doing photostories, I get to flex even more creative muscle. Photostories are their main avenue for sharing their thoughts and personalities. And i just like taking photos of nice things :)

      Do you just simply enjoy your doll and play with her without photographing her in a story?

      Sometimes! When I get new clothes, I love dressing up my girls. Sometimes I feel like dressing them up in older clothes that they haven't worn in a while, too. I might not even take photos. I'll just do it because I want to have some fun.

      Why do so many people in the BJD community use Doll Photography as a hobby in itself? (not owning BJDs as a hobby, but the hobby of photographing the BJDs)

      I'd say it's a creative outlet for their photography skills. Instead of having real people be models, they get to play with the dolls they love and have them be photography models at the same time.

      What do you do with these photos that you take? Do you sell them like a print? Do you have them for personal enjoyment? Why?

      I only upload them to flickr and then post them to forums to share with people who will enjoy them. I also like nice comments ^_^'
       
    11. Why do you photograph your dolls and make photostories?
      I photograph my dolls because i think they are gorgeous and i love the way the pictures turn out. Plus, i spent a lot of money on them so i guess they should be used for something :P
      Do you just simply enjoy your doll and play with her without photographing her in a story?
      Yup. I just like taking pictures of my dolls. I have thought of making photo stories so maybe ill try it in the future.
      Why do so many people in the BJD community use Doll Photography as a hobby in itself? (not owning BJDs as a hobby, but the hobby of photographing the BJDs)
      I think bjd's just inspire people and are a great creative outlet: people sculpt, photograph, sew, design, write stories etc!! all because of bjd's. i think thats really awesome.
      What do you do with these photos that you take? Do you sell them like a print? Do you have them for personal enjoyment? Why?
      I upload some to flickr and i usually pick my favourite one and make it my computers background screen photo.