***************************************************************
I'm so excited to be sharing this photoshoot and behind the scenes with you today!
Last month, my amazing friend Jenn flew all the way across the continent to come see me and it made me SO super happy! She also brought my very favorite AG doll ever... and guess what?
Please tell me you guessed that we did a photoshoot. ;)
It. was. amazing. I haven't done a lot of photoshoots with another person, but it was so much fun! Plus, I think this is the best photoshoot I've ever done - and we had to becreative 'cause it was raining so.... without futher ado, here are the models!
Juliette Albright, Alanna Mitchell, and Mia Stanford, models for Dolls N' All!
None of the photos are edited - I'll add some edited ones later, but I just wanted to show how perfectly some of these turned out ;) plus, I'll share how you can get the same results!
When Jenn flew here, she brought several dresses that she thought I'd like - and I LOVE these! My favorite is Alanna's (Nanea) - I've always loved Lea's Celebration Dress!
(see what I mean?! The detail on this dress is in my favorite color AND in a really pretty pattern!)
Being able to photograph such gorgeous dolls was so much!
Not only did we get to dress them all up, I did their hair (which was insanely fun - Alanna's hair is so amaziiiiing!!) and Jenn did their makeup (on Mia and Jules)!
I honestly can't get over how gorgeous Alanna is. Perfection, really.
I love the way Mia's photos turned out - and I really like the accented freckles that Jenn did (tips on that in a little while, keep reading and enduring through all these photos!)! She's really such a lovely doll!
I love the backdrop here, and when I tell you what it is, you're going to be dying to try it!
I'm honestly so in love with this photoshoot. XD
With this stunning dress, all I could think of was that Mia looked a bit like a mermaid... so I played off of that and...
This has to be one of my favorite photos I've ever taken!
Please tell me I'm not the only one who wants doll dresses for myself! This hot pink dress with the gold dots is beyond stunning. I want one!!
I really like how these photoshoots turned out so professionally! I'm saving the best for last, by the way. ;)
The uniqueness of these dolls combined to make a really interesting photoshoot! I've never ever seen one quite like this in the blogosphere before. ;)
And now... allow me to present...
Miss Alanna!
Real life convo from pre-photoshoot prep:
Jenn: "It's perfection!"
Me: "She's perfection!" (in reference to Alanna)
Jenn: "... you've got a point."
Honestly, Nanea is the most gorgeous doll American Girl has ever made. Yes, their stock photos actually look a bit creepy. But in real life, she's absolutely beautiful. Her skin tone, her face mold (which makes her look more like a model than any other doll), her eyes (which are stunning), and her hair (which is kinda like mine, dark brown with reddish highlights) create the perfect doll! I love her so much!!
Plus, she looks amazing in everything. XD
Isn't she beautiful?! I can't get over how stunning she is!
Now that you've made it past the photoshoot... want to see how it was done?
DIY: PROFESSIONAL PHOTOSHOOT
Behind the Scenes
ALL YOU NEED
- a camera
- a really pretty doll with a pretty dress and hairstyle
- a piece of white foam board
- a house fan
- a plastic tablecloth (and table)
- an amazing friend
optional: a cute photobomber (see photos below)
Did you catch that? Those backdrops were all leftover plastic party tablecloths from my sister's grad party! All I did was tip the table onto its side, drape the plastic tablecloths over and around it, and voila - an amazing set! You can get them in ALL sorts of colors for a variation of shoots at a dollar store and it's super cheap and easy! Isn't that FANTABULOUS?!?!?
It was drippy outside, so Jenn and I did this photoshoot on the screened porch. The lighting was absolutely perfect because it wasn't harsh like typical middle-of-the-day sunlight. It simply filtered in through the sides and I placed the table on the side that was getting the most light above it.
But what?! You might be wondering why in the world there wouldn't be shadows. I mean, come on. If the light is coming from behind the dolls...
Use a reflector! Before, I used a piece of posterboard which is super cheap at the dollar store and super handy - and then I realized that foam board stands up by itself waaaay better than posterboard, so I upgraded. XD I used just a random stool to prop up the foam board and then I could tilt it wherever.
[also, in case your doll tips over... it kinda helps catch her from falling on the cement or on the wood]
The breezy model look came from *coughs* this little fan, positioned wherever Jenn and I thought it'd be handy. XD It worked! (see Mia's pictures for better examples)
THE SETUP:
fan.
foam board.
doll hairbrush in background.
all systems to go!
It was way more fun to take the photoshoot with Jenn, 'cause we both got some super cool photos and we could also ask the other person to just move the doll a little this way or a bit that way!
And um... well... no photoshoot is complete without a photobomber, right? Cue entrance of my absolutely adorable little sister Melody!
And YES, in that second picture she is following in my footsteps - she took the doll laptop and was pretending to take pictures! How absolutely adorable is that?!?!?!
See that piece of string she's holding? Three minutes later..
Mhm.
Anyways, there are my tips - if you take a shoot with any of these tips, comment with the link below or send me some of the photos! I'd love to see it!
(also... see those necklaces? #thinlinewashitape)
I love y'all so much and I love blogging! I'll see you next month for September's post!
~ Ligh4theLord
photographer of the stars
Which model was your favorite? What do you think of the backdrops? Let me know in the comments below!
Mia was my favorite model! Great shoot, and I'm so glad you got to have fun with a friend. You're sister is ADORABLE. She actually looks similar to a little 3 year old girl I know from my church! I might try that fan trick if I can fin a small enough fan. XD
ReplyDelete-Jewel
https://treasuredscript.com/
http://www.dollnotebook.com/
Great shoot and great tips!
ReplyDeleteAww, I have to say Mia was absolute ADORABLE! :) The freckles are super cute. Also super creative idea for the washi tape necklaces! I'll have to try it. :)
ReplyDelete~justAG
https://justagd.blogspot.com/
Your dolls are so pretty, and I love the idea of using plastic tablecloths as backdrops! It turned out really well. My favorite model from this shoot was Mia, although they all look really good. I think I would have liked to have seen more photos of Mia with the white background, as I think it would have made her lovely aqua dress really pop. Also, one more thing: I love the windy effect in Mia's hair. It's really fun!
ReplyDelete~Sassafras
Very pretty pictures!!
ReplyDeleteAhhhhhhhhh first off, your dolls are gorgeous and you HAVE to teach me how you do hair!
ReplyDeleteSecond Melody is adorable. :D
(bwaahaha yes, Jo has Blogger XD)
Fun post! The pictures turned out so pretty, and all the behind-the-scenes and tips are great!
ReplyDelete~Gracie