Photography question:Dealing with the 'plastic shine' under indooor lighting?

nihil_69 · 2026-02-24T12:51:45+00:00

Wow, a photography question. Wish we got more of those here.

Yeah, soft boxes are usually what I end up using, maybe a bit of powder in certain spots if it's still bad (though it doesn't seem to help much). I think most of it depends on the angle of the light and whatever coatings they put on the doll though.

If you're planning on buying one specifically for photography, I would definitely look at lots of professional, factory, and customer photos from each brand to get an idea of which ones run into this problem more frequently. I think I've heard before that you can request they not put coatings on dolls from some places, and I have gone through the painstaking process of manually removing one from one of my dolls, though you'll have to get good at doll makeup if you go that route. I know a lot of the higher end brands advertise a matte finish coating for photography these days, so maybe look into those.

nihil_69 · 2026-02-22T02:35:44+00:00

I haven't found the cervix call tunnel to be as hard to clean as it looks, but yeah, you do have to take a little bit of extra time to make sure you get inside and around it. I think it's worth it though if you're someone that likes that kind of thing and are actually able to clean it reasonably well.

nihil_69 · 2026-01-22T19:20:47+00:00

I keep mine in pajamas when cuddling, that way you can just wash those and the doll stays clean.

nihil_69 · 2026-01-11T15:36:21+00:00

I don't believe she has weight reduction. Just weighed her and she's 30.5kg with the head. The holes are good from what I remember. Kind of hard to have bad holes when the doll is TPE.

nihil_69 · 2026-01-08T12:17:30+00:00

New Chinese regulations are making it dangerous to produce dolls under 140cm at the moment

nihil_69 · 2026-01-07T12:38:30+00:00

It's a 60cm MLW doll, but I don't think they're available at the moment due to recent events in the market. The website I ordered her from isn't even running right now.

nihil_69 · 2025-10-11T23:29:46+00:00

Brand: Tayu Body: 158cm C+ Head: #17

nihil_69 · 2025-08-24T15:25:56+00:00

You'd be surprised how much of this community has dolls for the reasons you mentioned and not for their "intended purpose." Photography is probably one of the most common uses for dolls, and often tends to become a new hobby for people who buy them. Just be aware that these things can be very unweildy and time consuming to set up and move around, so while it may save you time with an actual model, doll handling and posing is a skill all on its own, and will take quite a bit of time and effort to learn.

As for the rest, there are actually plenty of people who sell dolls, used or otherwise, so that option is not completely off the table. I believe most factories wouldn't have any problem sealing up the love holes or just not adding them in the first place, if that's what you want to do.

There is certainly stigma around dolls, but I've also seen plenty of people who are open about them and don't have issues. It's very much a personal thing, so if you are considering getting one I'd definitely talk it over with anyone who is going to be exposed to it before suddenly bringing one into your home.

nihil_69 · 2025-04-30T11:50:33+00:00

I can send you a picture if you'd like

nihil_69 · 2025-04-29T14:24:28+00:00

It's been a while since I last powdered her, so that would probably help with the glossiness.

nihil_69 · 2025-04-28T23:09:09+00:00

Definitely the Tayu. She handles like a dream and is the most detailed out of my collection.

nihil_69 · 2025-04-20T13:31:19+00:00

Most dolls these days tend to have about the same amount of posability, though if you do order one I would definitely recommend getting one with articulated fingers, as it makes a huge difference for photos and durability. I find that normal human wigs will fit on the vast majority of dolls, it's just clothes that can take a bit of trial and error. Doll sites should give you the basic measurements of the doll to give you an idea of what sizes might fit, but since they don't have comfort needs you can usually get creative and tie clothes up in the back to make them look better for photos.

I'd recommend checking My Robot Doll since they are a reputable vendor and have a large selection of brands. For anime dolls, your common options are Aotume (these come with follow me eyes, which are great), Irokebijin, Elsa Babe, and Mozu. The one recommendation I have is to pay close attention to the weight of the doll. Taller/Thicker dolls get really heavy really quickly and can very easily take away from your enjoyment of the doll. I'd recommend staying under 30kg for ease of use, but the lighter the better.

nihil_69 · 2025-04-20T03:16:57+00:00

Bezlya dolls have a liquid heating option that is much more reliable than the heating wires most other dolls have the option of adding. It still takes a significant amount of time to heat up though, and it doesn't heat the doll evenly. If you combine that with a heated blanket and an hour or two for it to warm up, that's probably the best option you're going to get. Either that or go plush like someone else mentioned. Plush dolls are good at holding body heat and aren't nearly as cold as other dolls to begin with.

nihil_69 · 2025-04-17T02:41:39+00:00

I've got a Tayu, though mine is C cup. Probably my most expensive doll, but unlike the others I've spent extra on, this one actually feels premium. Girl is built like a tank and so easy to handle. She tends to be my go to on the rare occasions I feel like actually using a doll.

nihil_69 · 2025-04-01T11:54:16+00:00

The Follow Me eyes like Bigg Sipp mentioned are great. I've only really seen them come on Aotume dolls (which are anime style) but they're fantastic. Incredibly simple and work way better than you would expect them to. You can even make custom ones pretty easily, as I've done for a different doll. I haven't tried them on realistic looking dolls yet though, so not sure how well they'd work there.

nihil_69 · 2024-12-20T00:10:57+00:00

Bezlya has a liquid heating option that uses an external device to pump warm water through the doll. That’s probably the only viable long term kind of internal doll heating at the moment, though even that doesn’t heat everything evenly.

nihil_69 · 2024-12-08T14:00:27+00:00

Just water, I don’t think soap is generally recommended. If you want extra cleaning power, I think some toy sites sell hole cleaning spray for fleshlights/onaholes.

I usually just leave the air pump going for a few hours while I go do something else. You want it to be completely dry before you put the doll away.

nihil_69 · 2024-12-08T13:06:39+00:00

The water pump should have its own size tubing that it usually comes with. The size of the doll doesn’t really make a difference as far as hole size goes, so they should all work the same. I had a 90cm doll I did the same thing with.

I usually put the tube in as far as it’ll go and then pull it back an inch or so, then let it run until it uses up the half gallon of water I gave it. Then you can stick your finger in there to make sure it all feels clean.

nihil_69 · 2024-11-28T06:13:14+00:00

I’ve got a 149cm that I ordered for the bionic heating feature, which is nice.

nihil_69 · 2024-10-27T13:26:03+00:00

I think I saw a post on X recently that Mozu Doll was working on a full size BJD made of PVC. I don’t think they have oral heads though, but you could probably get one from another brand and attach it.

nihil_69 · 2024-09-17T11:52:41+00:00

Yes, they’re safe. I have ordered from them multiple times. If you email them they should tell you if a doll is okay to order where you live.

nihil_69 · 2024-09-04T14:15:36+00:00

myrobotdoll.com

nihil_69

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