A Girl and Her Doll

This is nothing new as the black and white photograph can show but rarely has the doll taken up or been given just as important a role in the composition as the child.

Notice that I am not saying to take a picture of the child with her doll "sitting" or lying besides her basically used as a prop, nor should the images be of the doll itself or that the photos should be of the child and the doll used as a fill-in. The detail is to include the doll as if it were human, to be present just as if it were another child.

Most photographers concentrate on taking portraits of adults and children as this is usually done in a studio and during what many call standard poses; the subject sits or stands ,smiles and looks at the camera and the photographer snaps the shutter and voila! You've got a nice looking picture.

But you can also do these same children's portraits with a twist and include something that they like and often play with.

With children many photographers whose area of specialization is the younger generation use basic poses that are much the same as that of the adults.

One fun way of capturing nice images of kids and make then enjoy the experience as well is to capture images while they are "showing" of their favorite toys, pets and so on.

Girls and dolls go hand in hand much like boys and their action figures, so why not do a photo project with both as your main subjects?

Why not go as far as even applying makeup to the doll like you would to a real girl. Your model will definitely appreciate you taking the time to make her doll look just as pretty.

The more the two subjects look alike the more the photos will be interesting and appealing to a viewer.

Pay attention to the doll's dress and how you compose the images too.

This in itself makes the photos look as it they had two main subjects and goes a long way in showing how important is this doll to its owner.

Even better if the doll and the child can be photographed while wearing matching outfits or at least outfits that resemble each other.

Another way to add interest to the scene is if both; the girl and her doll, have similar expressions.

For example look at the photo of the girl in the snow (last photo) and look at the expression on her face as well as the expression on the doll.

They both have a similar expression and this adds interest and makes the subjects look like they belong together.

To photograph them all you need are the same things that you would use to take a normal portrait; your camera, your prime lens, one main light and a reflector.

Because most dolls have shiny reflective surfaces try not to aim the light directly at the subjects. Instead use reflected light.

Be sure that the child and her doll are clearly visible. Better if the child is interacting with the doll and not really paying too much attention to your or anything else in the room.

Let them role play with their toys and in a sense "become one" with each other.

The best photos are usually those that seem natural and unrestricted, unhindered by any constraints like those usually present in a formal photo session.

In other words let the kids have fun with their toys while you focus on the best moments to take your photos.

Do however explain to the kids that you are going to take their images and that you want to make sure that their dolls "come out good" in the pictures so although they can play with them they should stay in one place and "pretend to pose for you".