If you have been following the blog or facebook page a few months ago, I launched a Thrift shop Challenge to help photographers get out of the winter rut. The challenge was to stay under a 20 dollar budget and use our creativity to create something special. For my challenge I decided to not use humans, but instead use some dolls…… My first design was going to be to create a kite from pieces of scrap fabric, but that quickly changed when I came across a gold mine at my local goodwill toy aisle. I found this Midge Barbie doll brand new in packaging for only $5! My intentions were to keep the doll for my daughter to play with right away, but I had remembered that another photographer created a home birth session with an older version of this Midge doll (or possibly it was barbie she used because her “tummy” was removable) and a few years ago yet another photographer who captured the wedding of Barbie and Ken so beautifully. After being so inspired by those projects, I thought to myself, I ought to create a family session for them! I really could have used any other dolls but my daughter insisted I stay true to character. After doing some research, I realized that Barbie and Ken did not have any children yet. The original Midge, Barbie’s best friend, who’s been out for years is the only doll that has actually had a full family in the barbie line. She was the “pregnancy” doll that sparked controversy amongst toy land. So off I went in search of the other dolls to complete the set. While I was unable to find the original “Nikki” within budget, I was able to snag the father Alan off of ebay for a mere 8 bucks! And the son Ryan for only $3.99. I borrowed a doll from my daughter that could “potentially be Nikki just a little older let’s just say ;) The little red wagon was a local thrift shop steal! Overall I am super happy with the outcome! I am pleased to present to you The Hadley family……… don’t they look like a happy family? Be sure to stay all the way through after the jump to see what the next challengee did =)
Midge is looking fantastic for having two kiddos and her husband Alan seems to be madly in love with her…. I love how everyone coordinates nicely too, shopping for outfits can be so challenging! =)
Go see what my friend Amanda of Arg Photographs did with her thrift shop challenge next!
Also, I love photographing real people too! Contact me here if you need a north austin pflugerville family photographer top help you capture your story.