Phone photography

I've always really liked taking pics of my doll since I got my first one, and with my third one coming tomorrow I'm definitely going to be taking pics of her. I don't have any real/professional camera, nor do I really want one now since I don't go out often for pictures of my dolls or have the stuff for it (despite how pretty some of the photos i see here )

besides that, does anyone have any tips for taking pictures on phones? I have a iPhone 13 right now and it does well for taking some silly and basic pics, but I want some good enough that I would actually post online 

Is this thread for all? So i make phonefotos too in here after your Photos 🙂

58 minutes ago, OnlyMonicaDollphotos said:

Is this thread for all? So i make phonefotos too in here after your Photos 🙂

This section of the forum is more about technical questions and answers. If you post photos here, people won't see them. I'd stick to putting photos in the "Photos" sections up at the top of the forum.

1 hour ago, fiji said:

anyone have any tips for taking pictures on phones? I have a iPhone 13 right now and it does well for taking some silly and basic pics, but I want some good enough that I would actually post online 

I have a 13 mini myself, so I think our phone cameras should be pretty similar. I do own a more 'professional' camera, but many of my favorite doll pics have been taken on my phone. The main thing I worry with when taking my phone photos is making sure everything is in focus/not blurry. A lot of the other elements can be changed by the way the photo is edited afterwards. I typically move mine into Photoshop and edit with the camera raw editor, but I am sure there are plenty of free photo editing apps on the app store that would be just as good for photo editing (and probably a bit easier to use). The basic editing in the options in the photo gallery works quite well on its own a lot of the time too.

If your not too interested in the editing side, I would suggest maybe focusing on the lighting in the area you're taking the photos in and playing around with the exposure your phones camera. Playful angles are always a fun touch too. Hopefully this advice isn't too basic lol, wish you luck on your photography! 😇

I've used lots of different phones for taking pictures! I originally started with an iPhone 4, and have since moved up to my Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra that I've had for about two years or so. 

 

I'd recommend looking into  https://amateurphotographer.com/ to see what current apps might be available, and there's plenty of tutorials and Q&A topics on how to get the best out of your phone's camera! 

A lot of my photos here on the forum are from my phone, because I'm too lazy to break out all the DSLR/lights/tripod to just take a handful of pictures.. 

 

Have fun, and experiment!!!

 

Rick

The cameras in smartphones have gotten really good over time. With a little experimentation you can also take good photos with it. I personally use a Samsung A12 (when I'm lazy) and am satisfied. It doesn't really depend on the camera, but on who is behind it and what ideas that person has.

I think the smartphone cameras are quite beginner friendly as well, since they have gotten so good. I at least think that with my beginner skills, proper cameras feel so confusing with all of those settings and stuff. I'm not the best of a photographer, but I have taken photos I like with my Oneplus 12R and my old Oneplus Nord. I used photoshop express for editing with my Nord, but I mainly know how to change the colors and brightness a bit, so if you want to do larger editing I don't know what to use.

thank you for everything! i'll keep these in mind for the next time i take pics❤️

A lot of my photos are taken on my old Samsung smart phone. Phones are pretty good for doll photography and as with regular cameras lighting is really important.

I have some doll sized studio lights, and my top tip is to ensure there's some light shining in your dolls' eyes. If there isn't then they often end up with "black" eyes.

This photo of Misaki was taken in our pop up photo studio. It's not quite big enough for DD, but it's perfect for MDD.

Phone apps can be fun too... this montage was made with LINE Camera. The backgrounds in the shots are actually a book of art papers I found in my local crafting shop. They're not very big so using them as doll backgrounds is an artform in itself.

It depends on your phone but most mobile phone cameras are quite powerful these days and are capable of taking perfectly wonderful photos! Most of my own favourites are just ones I’ve taken on the fly with my iPhone, and I just process them on my iPad.

As long as you like them and enjoy taking them then I reckon go for it! Not all doll photos need to be magnificently set up dioramas (as lovely as they are) and I often find myself enjoying simple doll photos showing off their face, clothing, the expression and mood captured and your most powerful tool is often just the composition and lighting of the photo. Things like portrait mode can be fun to play around with too, and a lot of free photo programs can add in some simple bokeh, etc if you’re after effects like that. It’s good practice too if you plan on getting a DSLR or mirrorless in the future! 

Edited May 16 by Zai
words words words

I would like to recommend another approach:

First of all, avoid post-processing with apps. Not forever, but at the beginning. This is hard, I know.
Why I recommend this:
Get an eye for what you can do with your camera. If you learn to take good pictures with just your camera without any app post-processing, you won't be tempted to use any apps to salvage failed pictures. This will increase the quality of your images right from the start and increase your self-confidence that you are not dependent on technical gadgets. Ideally, things like brightness and sharpness should only need minimal correction.

or you say: no, I need an app! well, I'm very happy with Polish...

Good doll photos start with providing the right lighting and composition. No camera will compensate for the lack of those two.

 

Lighting

What works well for food will work well for dolls -- start with a window then place a white posterboard opposite of the window, then the doll in between. Adjust the distance until the lighting and shadows feel soft to your liking. If you want to take photos outside, do it on an overcast day or in the hour before the sun sets. 

Soft lighting isn't the only way to do it, but it's the easiest way to get satisfying results when you're getting started.

 

Composition

As for composition, this will be a mix of posing the doll well and then shooting it from distances and angles to make them look good. 

Japanese doll accounts on Twitter are excellent inspiration for this, but another would be watching a good anime you like and observing the poses and compositions.

 

With the iPhone 13, your main roadblock is going to be the lens - a wide-angle. It's good for a selfie but not ideal for taking a smaller subject like a doll.

Since your phone doesn't have a telephoto lens, you'll need to stand back farther since a shot taking close-up to fill the frame will look unflattering to the face. Use the digital zoom feature to help you frame it right. 

Edited May 16 by chef_mai

19 hours ago, Naoko2112 said:

I would like to recommend another approach:

First of all, avoid post-processing with apps. Not forever, but at the beginning. This is hard, I know.
Why I recommend this:
Get an eye for what you can do with your camera. If you learn to take good pictures with just your camera without any app post-processing, you won't be tempted to use any apps to salvage failed pictures. This will increase the quality of your images right from the start and increase your self-confidence that you are not dependent on technical gadgets. Ideally, things like brightness and sharpness should only need minimal correction.

or you say: no, I need an app! well, I'm very happy with Polish...

This definitely sounds like a great approach to improving your skills. Learning the fundamentals is always important, no matter the medium you are working in (drawing, cooking, dancing, etc.). Getting a good understand the tools you have and how your camera works in a more raw/unfiltered way would 100% push you to try new things, and to think more clearly about your decision making/technique. Filters and editing are great tools, and I do love them (obviously lol), but they definitely can't fix everything. Great advice!

This thread is actually exactly what I need right now, because I am currently struggling between the plan to get an actual decent camera or keep my money together for a while and get myself a recent Google Pixel as a new phone once my Samsung Galaxy S10e is retiring for real.

Because the problem that I have with the S10e is that you just can't avoid lens distortion with that thing ... do I assume correctly that this problem isn't present anymore with the recent generation of phone cameras, esp the ones that have a pretty strong focus on photography being one of their strong points?

I would love to be able to work with effects like bokeh and similar through natural means, but I feel working myself into handling a camera could get overwhelming for me. So I do gravitate to the phone option, if it really can give a comparable grade of quality and polish to the pictures.

Here's Iori taken with my Sony ZV-E10. It's not bad but I think there was too much scattered light. I should use the studio lights more or try a polariser.

It's an amazing camera but is exceedingly complicated - point and shoot it is not. It's also better suited for video work (it's designed as a vlogging camera). It is absolutely fantastic for taking doll videos.

For a budget alternative second hand digital SLRs are pretty cheap. I still use my Canon EOS 550D as I have a macro lens for it. The lens has stunning bokeh.

Below is Iori with my Samsung A70 phone (bought in 2019). Sorry about the filters but the girls just love LINE Camera.

Framing Iori and Usa-chan was more difficult with the phone and the quality isn't so high. It has been saved as a JPEG a couple of times though.