October 2023 Featured Photographer

Meet Ananya

The Doll:

Ananya, is an Irontech 165 with their Ella head. Dark brown tone weighing 78 lbs. She accompanied me on a 13,000 mile cross country trip that travelled through all 48 states. She was a trooper, as she never complained about the extreme heat and cold, the falls and the constant posing against rocks, boulders and trees. I can honestly say that she is the only doll that has travelled the entire USA.

The Shoot:

The plan was to spend four weeks hitting every state in the lower continental USA. It was still during the heart of the pandemic, so I tried to avoid the cities and stayed on BLM land or national forests. Each day, I would get up about an hour before dawn and start scouting for any photo opportunities, knowing that the "Golden Hour" was approaching. Was fortunate to get some national landmarks at sunrise with my model and without people to distract me. Any shots at sunset in national forests.

The Gear:

For the photos provided. I used my Canon EOS SL1 with a standard 18-55mm f3.6 lens. It is just an entry level camera. I haven't invested in higher quality equipment as I feel composition, posing and lighting is so much more important in doll photography. All lighting was "au natural" constantly taking advantage of the Golden Hour and use of shadows for mid-day photos.

Ananya & Panther68