This idea had been in my head for a little while. Finally one day I was at a shoot with a model, and we were trying to decide what the theme should be. We were kind of stuck, when she asked me if there were any ideas I had been wanting to do, but hadn’t got around to yet. I reluctantly pitched her the idea of the girl and the doll, thinking she would find it too kitschy. To my surprise, she was more than game, and off we wen to find a Ken doll with a suit. Hours later, after looking  at every toy store and Target in the area, all we found was groom Ken (that looked more like he was attending a prom in the 80s) and beach Ken. At one point we stopped by a grocery store to pick up some coffee, when the model randomly came by a doll of Patrick Dempsy from the film Enchanted (which wasn’t due out for at least another month) that had the full suit and trench coat. At the grocery store!!! So we grabbed it and went back to the house, where upon I remembered i had some dolls in my closet, that I had purchased at a swap meet for another project that had never come together. The doll we ended up using, was ultimately chosen because it featured more movable joints and looked a little more manly (sorry Patrick).

Since this is the only shot where the model and the doll have to actually look like they are physically interacting, I stood in initially for a reference for her arm placement, and a reference for how his reflection would break up between the mirrors

I then stepped out of the frame and shot the model by herself

Then I held up the doll to the right position, while she was still standing in her position, to make sure the proportions would work. By doing this it takes away a lot of guess work later, if the doll were to be shot at a different time and locale. In most cases, this helps also keeps the lighting consistent. Unfortunately, where we had to place him for the camera, it put him out of the direct sun light that had been used for her. We decided to use this as a reference shot and move the doll to better light.

Before we moved the camera, we made sure to grab a clean background plate. I can’t emphasize enough how important this is if you are blending multiple layers into one photo.

We then moved the doll to where the light would better match him to  the light from her shot.

Even if the concept is made up as you go, take the time to think out all the details you will need for the final project, and try to account for them during the initial shoot. It will make your job easier in the long run, and the photo will look more consistent.