Experimenting with backdrops with Chloe and Mai

15th June 2026

Things have been a little busy lately, with not a lot of energy or time for dolls. But I stepped into the doll room today after remembering that I owned a 35mm lens. Let me explain: it's apparently been so long since I took photos that I forgot all about this lens, and spent an hour researching possible options to buy, before I remembered I already owned one. Anyway, after that slight lapse in sanity/memory, I decided to compare the 35mm lens with the 50mm that's usually on the camera - and obviously that called for a small photoshoot.

I bought Chloe (a Volks SD13 Chloe) back in March, directly from Volks. Since then, I've kept her on the table of the doll room (which is protected with blackout curtains) so I can pop in from time to time to look at her cheerful little face. I'm keeping her in her stock outfit for now while I work on a more elaborate Edwardian-style dress for her, but I gave her this hat for a bit more visual interest. I need more props - maybe a few doll-scale books, a basket, flowers...

Three-quarter portrait of a female ball-jointed doll in an old-fashioned looking blouse and skirt, holding a mesh hat trimmed with small fake flowers. She has long wavy peach-orange hair with a thick fringe, and a slight smile.

This was taken with my 50mm lens, because after all that, I preferred it over the 35mm.

And now I realise I really should update my blog more often, so I don't end up introducing two dolls in one post, as is about to happen.

I welcomed Volks Mai (also known as F-81) after a very long time of admiring her. The sculpt has some of my favourite qualities: sweet, sad, and maybe a little concerned.

Portrait of a female ball-jointed doll in a light pink dress with a large white collar and a white ribbon belt. She has long silvery-white hair pulled back into a half-up style with a fringe, and a rather worried expression.

She's wearing the Orietta dress I made back in 2024, which I think looks very sweet with her colouring.

Three-quarter length portrait of a female ball-jointed doll in a light pink dress with a large white collar and a white ribbon belt, and big puffy sleeves. She has long silvery-white hair pulled back into a half-up style with a fringe, and a rather worried expression. She holds a large white paper rose.

I tried to actually create a backdrop for these photos and put in a bit more effort there. Usually the level of effort is: open the curtains, put doll on desk in front of sewing machine, take photo. This time I also hung some fabric over some empty doll boxes, and tried draping some tulle around Mai for a soft/romantic look.

The results aren't exactly what I pictured in my head, but I learned a few things and have some ideas for the next attempt - for instance, maybe I'll make a couple of small books as props? I made some books with hand-sewn bindings years ago, and I reckon I could do it again (given enough time...). All in all, it was a very relaxing and calming moment in my day.