Doll photography & collecting

Dolls have snuck back into my life after a chance discovery that Barbies are fully articulated now, and that lots of other doll lines are poseable too. Articulated dolls, dolls with real eyelashes and dolls with hair more like mine has meant an accidental collection, but SO MUCH joy.

They make great models for the quiet days, and also for when I’m caring for my Gran and still want to squish in some photo time.

In 2025 I went to the London Fashion Doll fair, did a workshop on doll photography, and met some new likeminded friends. They introduced me to the London Doll Meet, a monthly meetup for adult collectors at the Toy Project in Archway, and now I have another whole community of fellow mini-obsessed weirdos.

Then things got slightly out of hand and now I have made Barbie-sized versions of me and my friend Lu, with the ultimate aim of doing some stop motion with them. Oh, and she made me clothes for both of them (curvy Barbie struggles with getting normal clothes to fit like real me does!) which only fuelled the silliness and joy!

While it started just for fun, some of my final photographs have made it into my shop and to the walls of my studio, and I’ve loved seeing how people react to them. The nostalgia and love for tiny things is strong.