A World Through Lenses » Dollfie http://awtlblog.vitsco.com Our world through the lenses. Mon, 06 Sep 2010 07:31:03 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Figure/doll photography 121 – How to produce white background http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/09/figuredoll-photography-121-how-to-produce-white-background/ http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/09/figuredoll-photography-121-how-to-produce-white-background/#comments Mon, 06 Sep 2010 07:31:03 +0000 phoenix http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/?p=3948 This is another one of my figure/doll photography 121 post. A few months ago, I’ve posted an article on how to produce a true black background without the use of any black background material and/or image editing software. I wrote about the black background because I find most people does not know how light [...]]]> This is another one of my figure/doll photography 121 post. A few months ago, I’ve posted an article on how to produce a true black background without the use of any black background material and/or image editing software. I wrote about the black background because I find most people does not know how light works its magic in a photography sense. The people I talk to tends to instinctively come to the conclusion that if a photo’s background is black, then there must be something black behind it. If you have read my article, then you would see that a true black background actually resulted from a lack of light coming towards to your camera. Today I want to look at the opposite side of the gray scale — how to produce a white background?

Well again a lot of people instinctively think that a white background is the result of placing some kind of white material behind the subject. Below is a photo that I took in front of a white fabric backdrop. However, when compared to the white frame that borders the picture, you can clearly see that the actual background is not 100% white. In fact if you load it into an image editing software, you will see that the background is somewhere between 96% – 92% on the gray scale. On the gray scale there’s only one white point which is at the very end of the gray scale. Anything that’s not 100% on the gray scale, or 255, 255, 255 in RGB value is not pure white. And 255, 255, 255 RGB value is what the background must be if we were to call it a true white background. Anything less is just a different shades of gray.


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Permalink | Tags: , , | Categories: Dollfie, Figure, Photography, Toys, Tutorial | No comment ]]> http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/09/figuredoll-photography-121-how-to-produce-white-background/feed/ 0 New cameras http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/03/new-cameras/ http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/03/new-cameras/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:05:10 +0000 phoenix http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/?p=3259 I’ve just received something interesting. Two mysterious black boxes. Both black cube as a flip top opening with Canon EOS marking on it. Just what is inside those boxes? What is this something that seemingly has to do with Canon EOS, something photography related, here doing in the toys and dollfie category. And just [...]]]> I’ve just received something interesting. Two mysterious black boxes. Both black cube as a flip top opening with Canon EOS marking on it. Just what is inside those boxes? What is this something that seemingly has to do with Canon EOS, something photography related, here doing in the toys and dollfie category. And just where do Kanu Unchou fit here? Well you will just have to read on to find out.

As the myth behind these black boxes are revealed…


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Permalink | Tags: | Categories: Dollfie, Toys | 2 comments ]]> http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/03/new-cameras/feed/ 2 Figure/doll photography 121 – Blurry photos – How to tame the focus http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/02/figuredoll-photography-121-blurry-photos-how-to-tame-the-focus/ http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/02/figuredoll-photography-121-blurry-photos-how-to-tame-the-focus/#comments Sat, 27 Feb 2010 10:01:29 +0000 phoenix http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/?p=3448 This is another figure/doll photography 121 post. I’ve heard from many people as well as seen from many forum posters that they can’t seem to get sharp images for their figure/doll. Some of these people simply didn’t know to use the macro focus mode on their point and shoot camera. However, a lot of [...]]]> This is another figure/doll photography 121 post. I’ve heard from many people as well as seen from many forum posters that they can’t seem to get sharp images for their figure/doll. Some of these people simply didn’t know to use the macro focus mode on their point and shoot camera. However, a lot of them are new users of D-SLRs or have switched from point and shoot digital camera to D-SLRs. In this post, I’d like to explore some of the difference between a point and shoot digital camera and a D-SLR that may cause new and unfamiliar user to get blurry photos. I will also explore a few things on the D-SLR and are specific to D-SLR that may cause blurry photos. I will be using nendoroid, standard PVC figure, as well as doll as my subject. As usual all photos in the post have higher resolution images linked so click on the thumbnail to see better details.

Be aware, this post is image heavy and may take a bit longer to load.


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Permalink | Tags: , | Categories: Dollfie, Figure, Nendoroid, Photography, Toys, Tutorial | One comment ]]> http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/02/figuredoll-photography-121-blurry-photos-how-to-tame-the-focus/feed/ 1 Figure/doll photography 121 – How to produce black background http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/02/figuredoll-photography-how-to-produce-black-background/ http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/02/figuredoll-photography-how-to-produce-black-background/#comments Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:00:21 +0000 phoenix http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/?p=3186 I’m going to call this a figure/doll photography 121. It’s not a 101 because even though what’s presented here is what I know of, it may or may not be correct. It’s not a 123 since I’m not really providing a step by step instruction. So some where between 101 and 123, I hope [...]]]> I’m going to call this a figure/doll photography 121. It’s not a 101 because even though what’s presented here is what I know of, it may or may not be correct. It’s not a 123 since I’m not really providing a step by step instruction. So some where between 101 and 123, I hope this becomes helpful to someone. And through that, the knowledge is transferred from one to another, and hence the name 121.

Black background, there are a lot of myths about it. There are talks about how to use black seamless paper, black cloth, or even black velvet behind the subject to create it. Then there are talks about using post production editing tools such as Photoshop to achieve it. However, neither of these approaches produces what I would call a true black background. Black background material is always visible due to light reflection, even black velvet shows up under some lighting conditions. And then there are many cases where the use of background material is just not practical or not possible. Photoshop on the other hand, will product a true black background, but typical masking technique to mask out your suject will produce an unnatural edge around it, this is on top of the amount of work needed to mask the fine details. In this post, I will try to walk through my technique in creating what I would call a true black background, just like what I have done below for Dollfie Dream Kanu Unchou. I’ve used this technique for many years now, mostly for floral photography but used sparsely for figure photography as well. however it can easily be applied to much bigger subjects such as dolls, real people and even other bigger subjects that you might want to photograph. And it’s all done straight out of camera with no background material and no Photoshop work.


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Permalink | Tags: , , | Categories: Dollfie, Figure, Photography, Toys, Tutorial | 8 comments ]]> http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/02/figuredoll-photography-how-to-produce-black-background/feed/ 8 Chinese New Year – china dress duel http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/02/chinese-new-year-china-dress-duel/ http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/02/chinese-new-year-china-dress-duel/#comments Sat, 13 Feb 2010 05:01:46 +0000 phoenix http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/?p=3092 In cerebration of the Chinese New Year, my dolls are having a china dress duel to see who looks the best in their own china dress. The participants are Kanu Unchou, Saber, and Tohsaka Rin. Kanu’s wearing her brand new official china dress set from Volks. Saber’s see in her pure white long china [...]]]> In cerebration of the Chinese New Year, my dolls are having a china dress duel to see who looks the best in their own china dress. The participants are Kanu Unchou, Saber, and Tohsaka Rin. Kanu’s wearing her brand new official china dress set from Volks. Saber’s see in her pure white long china dress before but she things that’s the best china dress for her. Tohsaka Rin’s been dressed in that pink dress for a while now, but she think that daily dress will make her the winner.

Here a little sneak peek for those anxious to see what the girls will be wearing. :twisted:
Please make sure you vote for the girl looks the best in china dress at the end of the post.


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Permalink | Tags: , , | Categories: Dollfie, Toys | No comment ]]> http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/02/chinese-new-year-china-dress-duel/feed/ 0 Girls with guitars http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/02/girls-with-guitars/ http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/02/girls-with-guitars/#comments Thu, 11 Feb 2010 05:10:48 +0000 phoenix http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/?p=3071 With the growing popularity of the anime K-ON and its related merchandises, it seems girls with guitars are the hottest topics these days. And looking through the up coming figure releases from the Wonder Festival 2010 Winter, the large number of K-ON figures and dolls is a testament to just how well received these [...]]]> With the growing popularity of the anime K-ON and its related merchandises, it seems girls with guitars are the hottest topics these days. And looking through the up coming figure releases from the Wonder Festival 2010 Winter, the large number of K-ON figures and dolls is a testament to just how well received these girls with guitars are. And now Volks apparently want to step on the bandwagon as well, announcing Dollfie Dream K-ON dolls at the Wonder Festival 2010 Winter. I, on the other hand, am not much of a K-ON fan. However, it doesn’t mean I don’t like girls with guitars. And so, here’s my girl with guitar — Dollfie Dream Saber dressed in the Black Skull Cat Dress Set (was showcased before by Kanu in this post) and of course a guitar. :)


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Permalink | Tags: | Categories: Dollfie, Toys | 20 comments ]]> http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/02/girls-with-guitars/feed/ 20 New accessories for the new year http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/01/new-accessories-for-the-new-year/ http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/01/new-accessories-for-the-new-year/#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:10:02 +0000 phoenix http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/?p=3018 It’s a new year and I’ve got a bunch of new accessories for my dolls. SELEN doll stands, lots and lots of new clothing and accessories for my girls, and more importantly, I finally got a piece of furniture for my girls so that they have a place to sit. Here’s a preview picture:

[...]]]> It’s a new year and I’ve got a bunch of new accessories for my dolls. SELEN doll stands, lots and lots of new clothing and accessories for my girls, and more importantly, I finally got a piece of furniture for my girls so that they have a place to sit. Here’s a preview picture:


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Permalink | Tags: , , | Categories: Dollfie, Toys | 2 comments ]]> http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2010/01/new-accessories-for-the-new-year/feed/ 2 Oden http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/09/oden/ http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/09/oden/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:31:32 +0000 phoenix http://blog.vitsco.com/?p=58 We made oden today and invited Rin and Kanu over for a photo shoot. Rin and Kanu both had their miko dress on, perfect for the occasion.

Rin’s modeling in her mini miko dress:

Rin with fox mask Rin with fox mask to the side


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Permalink | Tags: , , , , | Categories: Dollfie, Food | No comment ]]> http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/09/oden/feed/ 0 Tohsaka Rin in miko dress http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/09/tohsaka-rin-in-miko-dress/ http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/09/tohsaka-rin-in-miko-dress/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 06:29:45 +0000 phoenix http://blog.vitsco.com/?p=121 Kanu had her fun with the long miko dress before. This time Rin’s got her hand on the mini miko dress.

The mini miko dress is made by AZone International. The fox mask and shinai is from Little Wonder Wardrobe.

Who's behind that maks? It's Tohsaka Rin


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Permalink | Tags: , , , , | Categories: Dollfie, Toys | No comment ]]> http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/09/tohsaka-rin-in-miko-dress/feed/ 0 Kanu Unchou in miko dress http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/08/kanu-unchou-in-miko-dress/ http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/08/kanu-unchou-in-miko-dress/#comments Tue, 11 Aug 2009 06:28:13 +0000 phoenix http://blog.vitsco.com/?p=160 I’ve got a set of traditional japanese miko dress from AZone International for my dollfie. Who’s better to model in it than Kanu?

Somehow when I thought of mikos I have blonde hair in my mind.

Kanu in miko dress Kanu in miko dress 2


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Permalink | Tags: , , | Categories: Dollfie, Toys | No comment ]]> http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/08/kanu-unchou-in-miko-dress/feed/ 0 Saber with Homurabara Academy uniform set http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/08/saber-with-homurabara-academy-uniform-set/ http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/08/saber-with-homurabara-academy-uniform-set/#comments Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:34:15 +0000 phoenix http://blog.vitsco.com/?p=411 I only got one set of Homurabara Academy uniform set from the web lottery. Saber saw Rin put the uniform on and wanted one herself. Unfortunately they will just have to share.

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Permalink | Tags: , | Categories: Dollfie, Toys | No comment ]]> http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/08/saber-with-homurabara-academy-uniform-set/feed/ 0 Rin with Homurabara Academy uniform set http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/08/rin-with-homurabara-academy-uniform-set/ http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/08/rin-with-homurabara-academy-uniform-set/#comments Tue, 04 Aug 2009 06:33:15 +0000 phoenix http://blog.vitsco.com/?p=186 Homurabara Academy (穂群原学園) is the school that Tohsaka Rin attends. The Homurabara Academ uniform set is a dress set that was released together with dollfie dream Tohsaka Rin. Volks’ official web page (in Japanese) has more information on the dress set. After I got dollfie Rin from Yahoo Japan Auction, I won this uniform set on Volks USA web lottery.

The blouse only with the ribbon has a nice clean look for Rin.

Blouse Blouse close up


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Permalink | Tags: , | Categories: Dollfie, Toys | No comment ]]> http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/08/rin-with-homurabara-academy-uniform-set/feed/ 0 Saber plain clothes set http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/07/saber-plain-clothes-set/ http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/07/saber-plain-clothes-set/#comments Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:10:01 +0000 phoenix http://blog.vitsco.com/?p=309 Saber’s plain clothes set (イバーのお出かけセット) was one of the first cloth set released by Volks for dollfie Saber. Here’s Volks’ official web page (in Japanese) for the dress set. Since it was so old, it took a long time before it was spotted on the auction and finally I was able to get my hand on it. I finally own all of the Volks’ original dress set that was released for dollfie Saber. Looking at the photos, all the efforts are worth it. Saber is just super kawaii in this dress.

This is an old clothing set from Volks so the quality cannot be compared with the later sets. The fit was not spot on and they did not line the dark fabrics. But I have Saber in a body stocking all the time to protect her from the stains anyway so it should be fine.

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Permalink | Tags: , | Categories: Dollfie, Toys | No comment ]]> http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/07/saber-plain-clothes-set/feed/ 0 Dollfie dream Tohsaka Rin http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/06/dollfie-dream-tohsaka-rin/ http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/06/dollfie-dream-tohsaka-rin/#comments Mon, 15 Jun 2009 02:43:01 +0000 phoenix http://blog.vitsco.com/?p=208 Today I’ll introduce my 3rd doll: Type-Moon Fate / hollow ataraxia dollfie dream Tohsaka Rin (遠坂凛). Rin is a limited item released on Dolpa 21, which was held on May 5th 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. She has an MSRP of ¥48,000, I have to get her through a proxy from Yahoo Auction Japan so the actual cost is considerably higher. But since I’ve already got dollfie Saber, naturally I have to get Rin to keep Saber company. She comes with 22mm animetic eyes, original head and original wig. She has a dollfie dream base body II with normal skin color and a medium bust. Volk’s official web page (in Japanese) for DD Tohsaka Rin has more information. It arrived from Japan on June 5th, 2009.

Here’s Rin in her box.

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Permalink | Tags: , | Categories: Dollfie, Toys | No comment ]]> http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/06/dollfie-dream-tohsaka-rin/feed/ 0 Dollfie dream Kanu Unchou http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/06/dollfie-dream-kanu-unchou/ http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/06/dollfie-dream-kanu-unchou/#comments Mon, 08 Jun 2009 06:24:10 +0000 phoenix http://blog.vitsco.com/?p=255 Introducing my 2nd doll: Ikkitousen Great Guardians dollfie dream dynamite Kanu Unchou (関羽雲長). Kanu is released at Dolpa 20 which was held on January 10, 2009 with an MSRP of ¥58,000. I actually never watched any of the Ikkitousen anime, but when I first saw photos of dollfie dream Kanu, I was captivated by her face and decided to get her if possible. I actually found her with a very small mark up on Yahoo Japan Auction, so I place the bid without much thought. Kanu comes with metalic 20mm animetic eyes, original head and original wig. She has a dollfie dream dynamite body with dark skin color and a large bust. This makes her very distinct among all the other dollfie dreams released to date. But it also makes her a bit difficult to pose and care for as there are no hands available that matches her color and can’t get any other optional or spare parts for her because they are either not available for the dollfie dream dynamite body or the skin color doesn’t match. So I will have to get by with the two set of hand that came with her and be extra careful with her. There’s more information on her at Volks’ official web page (in Japanese). She arrived together with my 3rd doll Tohsaka Rin, which I will introduce later. ;)

Kanu in her box.

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Permalink | Tags: , | Categories: Dollfie, Toys | 2 comments ]]> http://awtlblog.vitsco.com/2009/06/dollfie-dream-kanu-unchou/feed/ 2