A lot of the Blythe On A Budget articles here at BlytheLife.com have to do with taking photos because, let’s face it, those big-headed dolls are awesome for photography (who doesn’t like a model that looks gorgeous and a cute wardrobe?). This week’s installment of Blythe On A Budget is all about photo backdrops and I’ll be going over 5 different photo backdrops for you to utilize that you can find in your very own home.

1. Walls – I like using my own bedroom walls for photos, I don’t have to move very far and it’s a very bright green. Sometimes it shows up as pale green (depending on the lighting) and sometimes it shows up as very bright. I also use walls from other places in my house – there’s all sorts of colours. It’s also helpful if you use a wall that’s close to a window during the daytime (and there’s sun) for some natural light.
2. Paper – You can use all sorts of paper, but I’m going to focus on scrapbooking paper, because it’s awesome. I love scrapbooking paper, it comes in some amazing patterns, colours, textures. Some are glittery, some are glossy, so there’s always a huge selection available. I’ve found that scrapbooking paper (12″x12″) can run anywhere from $0.33/sheet to $2+/sheet, but it really depends on where you’re looking and what you’re looking for. A dollar store just opened up near my house and it carries scrapbooking paper for $0.50 each, which is a fairly good deal considering that’s their blanket price for all of their paper and that includes anything from the very plain to the glittery types. You can also use other types of paper, if you have it, like printed stationary, lined paper, wrapping paper. It can get expensive, if you decide to go for the pricey variety, but there are a lot of inexpensive options out there.
3. Wood “Things” – Here I’m thinking of closet doors, bedroom doors, perhaps a dining room table that you might have or any other kind of furniture. Wood grain things have a very ‘earthy’ feel to it, which may or may not suit the look that you’re going for. It’s a great way to utilize something that you already own (who doesn’t love a ‘free’ backdrop?). You can also opt to go outside and put your doll up in a tree (it seems to be very popular on Flickr) or in the garden. Where else would you put your Blythe when they’re dressed up like a garden nymph or fairy?
4. Mirrors – I think photos with mirrors can be exceptionally beautiful. It gives your doll an air of realism, you can learn how to use angles to your advantage to make sure that you and your camera are not in the shot. It helps reflect the light onto your doll to brighten her up as well. Even small handheld compact mirrors would be great, if you can set it up for your doll to use. I think mirrors are a very underused item in people’s houses for dolly photography.
5. Kitchens – There are a lot of things you can use in your kitchen for doll photography. You can have your doll trying to climb out of pots and pants. You can have them help you hold an egg or measure out sugar. You can put your doll on top of a scale or in the bin with the vegetables. There’s a lot of things you can use in your kitchen. I’ve taken photos of my Blythe while I’m looking and she’s ‘supervising’ and it’s a lot of fun. What you do need to be careful of is keeping sharp objects away from your doll and to keep her away from the heat – last thing you want is to cut her hair, make scratches or (worse) melt her. So for the love all things Blythe, don’t put your doll in oven. But it’s okay to have her sitting on the counter giving you pointers.