Maple Insists: How to be a DW Fashion Model

Hola!

So this is going to be Maple's soapbox post/one of her "Maple Insists" posts.....
just so ya know....

What's happening peoples?

Maple here. Today I will talk about how to be a Doll Fashion Model here at The DW. It isn't easy. There are rules and regulations -- And I will turn these into advice, tips, and direct orders for what you should be doing when taking doll fashion photos.

Some of you are already doing just fine. So maybe this doesn't apply to you. But for those of you who want to make your photos look better, either for personal or commercial use (i.e. you are trying to sell stuff online) -- hopefully my commands will be useful.

And don't automatically think "Oh my gosh! She's talking about me!!!"

These are generic observations not meant to point specific people out.
Most of them are lessons we have learned by taking thousands
and thousands of doll photos.

Again, I am Maple the Fashion Dictator.

And this is my plan for World Domination!.... I mean, my plan to help you....

_______________________________

1) Make sure your doll is an American Girl Doll if you are trying to 

market clothing and items for AGs.

Not to be brand snobby. We have a point about this, and we've said it here before. But we'll say it again.

If you want AG-ists (young or old) to buy your product, put it on an AG doll. It is the only way we'll know if the item fits AGs well, lays right, and is what we are looking for.

I cannot stress this point enough. Here at The DW we only buy clothing shown on AGs. The times we bought something that wasn't shown on an AG - the items didn't fit. Lesson learned.

If you are saying "But AGs are too expensive!" -- Suck it up and buy one. Yep, that's me being blunt. If you are trying to run a successful small business you need to do your marketing right - that means: in the best way possible. Chances are no one else is going to market or advertise your products for you.

Show your items on AGs. Get one from Ebay and fix her up if you don't want to spend $105. Either way, it will be worth your money and effort.

______________________________________

2) "Hair, meet Brush. Brush, this is Hair. You two were meant for each other."

Brush or comb your doll's hair. 

Yes, even I have little fly-aways in the above shot. And Nichelle has a hard time taming her hair (see below). So we understand the issues inherent with doll hairdo's -- they take time, energy, effort and sometimes skilz.

But if you list an item and the doll wearing it has 

a) bedhead 

b) never seen a brush in her life 

c) has a ton of fly-aways and/or 

d) her hair is askew or in her face 

--- then we aren't buying your product. 

"Why?!?!?" -- I hear you ask.

If a person doesn't care enough about their doll's hair when marketing their items, then they probably don't care that much about their product in the first place. By including a doll with bedhead that tells me that the product itself may not have been made with care and precision.

It doesn't take 3 hours to brush your doll's hair and pull it back in a simple ponytail to get it out of your way. Or even to style it beautifully -- which will help sell your product.

If her hair is a "hot mess" that can't be fixed with a brush: try a Downy Dunk, a Downy spritz, or even re-wig the girl.

The better your doll looks in the shots, the better your product looks.

If your doll looks gorgeous in your photos, then people will think their doll will also look gorgeous in your items.

It is simple psychology. Why do human models look nice in fashion photos? So other humans will see them and say "I want to look like that!" in their minds and then they skip off and buy whatever is being advertised. Clothing. Hair care. Skin care. Shoes. All of these human ads present the best look possible - you should too.

Give your products the presentation they deserve.

_______________________________

3) Fix Your Outfit, Girl

The statement I said 5 seconds ago: Give your products the presentation they deserve is the reoccurring theme/main motto of this post. Just so you understand that I'll state it clearly, twice. And probably more later on.

Your doll's clothing should be presentable. Now we haven't always followed all of our own rules about this, but we do our best. 

What does presentable mean?

a) Clothing should lay properly on the doll, as straight as possible and symmetrical - How do you look when you walk out of the house? Yeah, your doll should look like that, too.

b) Iron the items -- No wrinkles please, unless it is a naturally crinkled fabric, of course.

c) No random fuzzies, no stray threads, no Irish pennants (unless fraying is your modern style choice). Use a lint roller if you need to.

d) No nudity - Again, do you walk out of your house wearing only the new shoes you wanted to show your neighbor? Fully dress your doll even if you are selling just a shirt or just accessories. Then say " X, Y, Z, and the doll are not included with the listing."

While bare human skin actually does "sell" products fairly successfully - the same does not apply to AG dolls. :-/

__________________________________

4) Speaking of skin....

Your doll's skin or vinyl is in your shots. You may not have noticed it. But it is there. And we, the viewers, are looking at it whether you want us to or not.

You may think "Well, they will just pay attention to the _____ I am selling." Nope. Your thumb? Yeah, we see that. Your pile of stuff sitting on your kitchen table behind the doll. Yep, spotted that. The marks on your doll's nose. First thing I saw.

If your doll has marker spots, dark marks, shiny spots, or scribbles on her vinyl chances are your potential buyers are looking at those things instead of what you are marketing.

For shiny spots try a damp Magic Eraser or a baking soda scrub. But don't get your doll's eyes wet.

For dark spots made with markers or even dyes from threads for example -- Use Benzoyl Peroxide - Acne/Zit Cream. Apply a good amount of the cream on the spot and let the treated area sit in a sunny spot or under a lamp for awhile. The cream is activated by light.

After a good amount of time, perhaps a day - remove the cream and check your spot's progress. Keep applying fresh cream until the spot is gone.

___________________________________________________

These last three tips are quick. So don't leave yet. ;-)

5) Arm Position

Chances are that while you were dressing and arranging your doll in her scene, 

her arms ended up in this position....

Don't photograph her like that though. That doesn't look very natural.

Do we all walk around the mall looking like Frankenstein? Nope.

Try to pose your doll in a natural way that flatters her outfit.

Not the "Gimme a hug" pose, a slight adaptation of Frankenstein.

And also not the "I am walking on a tightrope" pose.
It's looks kind of natural, but it really isn't.
Unless you are indeed on a tightrope.
Or perhaps daintily stepping across a stream.

Avoid those.

___________________________________

6) Shoes - Put them on your doll

The previous pictures of CeCe also help call attention to this issue.

Just as your doll shouldn't be nekkid while she is advertising your "shoes for sale" for example -- the same applies to when she is wearing an "outfit for sale."

You don't want her to look like orphan Oliver walking the streets and begging for food. 

Put some shoes on that girl!

Feel free to say that the shoes are not included with the listing.

Times that it is okay for a doll to appear without shoes: when she showing off beach attire, a bath time towel set, washing a family pet, or pretending to be Shoeless Joe Jackson.

______________________________________

7) Control your Background

You remember how we mentioned that we can see your cluttered kitchen table behind your doll in the "skin care" section of this post?

Yeah. When you click that picture-taking button, everything behind your doll doesn't magically disappear -- even though that would be awesomely convenient sometimes.

Try to keep your backgrounds uncluttered, simple, and non-distracting. You want the viewer's focus to be on the doll and her outfit. Avoid bold colors, patterns, and textures behind her. Fun, funky backgrounds are fine for photo stories. But when you are trying to clearly present an outfit or accessory -- they just don't work.

Make yourself a white-box if needed, a mini photography studio, or even better find a nice place to pose your dolls outside. A professional-grade background will make your items look more professional themselves.

For example, who doesn't want this green coat now? 

Doesn't it look awesome?

And also, who doesn't want a MyAG #55 now?

I also look awesome.

Remember: Give your products the presentation they deserve.

______________________

That's all I have to throw at you today.

Hope this was productive for those of you who got this far in the post. ;-)

Also, today's "Maple Insists" post is related to an older one we did on taking doll photos and editing them.

You can find that post here: http://thedollwardrobe.blogspot.com/2011/07/maple-insists-anatomy-of-dw-photo.html