We love taking our American Girl dolls on outdoor photoshoots. It’s fun to find new places where our dolly sized friends can have new adventures. I much prefer natural outdoor light to taking photos indoors, so the girls often get to go on field trips with us.
I’m by no means a professional photographer and have lots to learn about taking photos, but I have found a few things that work well for me. I’m also a pretty lazy photographer, even though I have a dslr camera, my trusty iPhone 12 is my camera of choice (despite my love/hate relationship with the faux apeture of Portrait Mode). I also refuse to spend too much time editing and transferring photos. So keep that in mind as you read on. 😜
Finding the Right Spot for Photos
Background and lighting are just as important as the subject you are shooting. Since American Girl dolls are so small, we can often find little nooks and crannies where we can get a good photo of them. I often take photos on the sidewalk with an interesting plant or fence next to the dolls. A pathway, fence, or wall can create some visual interest in a photo.
Lighting is an important component of photos. Personally, I like to take pictures outside in the shade. The dolls won’t have harsh shadows on their faces or strong light on their plastic hair and limbs that can make them look too shiny. I use my reflector to light up their faces a bit more. You can also take photos right before sunset when there is soft lighting (sunrise is a no go for me—partially because I’m not a morning person and partially because we have mountains blocking our morning lighting).
Photography Essentials
Here’s six essential things I take with me on photoshoots:
1. A Big Tote
I take a large, lightweight tote to carry all my stuff. Mine fits my supplies plus 3-4 dolls. It was a gift from Mexico, so I’m not sure where to find this one. I love it because it’s plastic, super durable, and easy to wipe down.
2. Light Reflectors
Light reflectors really help brighten up doll faces, they also help brighten up eyes so they photograph closer to their true color. I use both a 24” and a 43” reflector. The smaller one is great for taking pictures of one doll and the bigger one works with multiple dolls. It can also be used to create shade to avoid harsh lighting. Check out my video below to see what a difference a reflector can make. You can really see the difference when the reflector is pulled away.
3. Blanket
I take a small blanket with me in case I need a clean spot to lay the dolls while setting up or rearranging.
4. Wire Hair Brush and Water Bottle
Just in case we need any hair touch ups!
5. Clear Hair Bands
Clear hair bands are the perfect tool for helping dolls hold on to any prop or to clasp their hands in front or behind them. In the photo below, Saige has quite a few hair bands lassoing all her accessories to her.
6. Skewers
Falling dolls everywhere! American Girl dolls want to only stand up straight with their feet flat on the ground. In order to get more movement, like putting a leg up to look like they’re walking, etc. wooden skewers are great for propping up dolls. They are the perfect length and slim so they often are hidden behind the doll or can be edited out with a photo editing program (or just leave them in if your lazy like me. Did you notice the skewer holding up Ivy in the photo above? Probably not, which is why I didn’t bother editing it out.)
Do you take doll pictures? What do you like to take with you on doll photoshoots?
Sunshine and Hairbows 