In February, D’Ann got her first doll. She’d been wanting one for some time so I hit up Volks to see if they still had any in stock. Fortunately, they still had a Miu available after the DP event so I picked her up. Even though it was still a few months before D’Ann’s birthday, I let it slip that I already had the present. Here’s what happened…

Early birthday present

Of course, Miu wasn’t the only doll to join our family this year. I had also acquired the newly released Saber Lily as well as Reimu! On the custom front, we brought in an MDD and another DDS (Umi and Kitsune). With the new dolls, we had to rethink our strategy for displaying them all…

With all these new dolls, the logical thing to do would be to take pictures of them. What better way to do that by traveling with them? They went everywhere with us this year, including to Raleigh for Animazement and our road trip to Saratoga Springs, NY, Ithaca, NY, Niagara Falls, and Louisville, KY.

Of course, we had a good time too…

Maid of the Mist in Niagara Falls

Niagara at night

Lobby of the Seelbach Hilton in Louisville, KY

Horse racing at Saratoga Race Course

Dolls weren’t the only thing we took into our home this year! We also adopted a a Flame Point Siamese cat from a local animal rescue. His name is Dakota and he is a total sweetheart! His mellow temper really lets him get along with Sophie.

On the photography front, I started dabbling in the world of film again. Since we have a few classic film SLRs laying around, I started shooting a few rolls of film here and there instead of using the D7000. I’m pleased with the results and I’ll keep doing it! Taking away the crutch of digital really forces me to be a better (and more frugal) photographer. XD

My two “new” cameras, Canon AE-1 (left) and Nikon FE (right)

So far I only have samples from the Canon, but I’m looking forward to shooting with the Nikon in 2012! It’s significantly more advanced than the Canon in terms of features and it’ll also take the majority of my lenses!

Finally, the big news of the year is that D’Ann and I got engaged. We found the perfect ring in Louisville while browsing the estate jewelry section and knew it was the one for us! It has some beautiful details and features leaf patterns around the diamond.

Unfortunately, this is the only picture I know of that shows her wearing it… XD

That’s it for 2011… I hope 2012 brings us just as much excitement!

Happy New Year!

You can choose from pink or silver for your part, as well as for DD or MDD. They’re also reasonably priced at about $40 and ship from Taiwan.

Packaging is also very simple, all that comes with it is the joint and a spare set of screws for if you lose the original ones. So how does the joint compare to the Volks original joint?

At first glance, they look about the same. The upper portion of the ball joint is slightly taller than the Volks one and there are not as many ribs in the portion that goes into the head.

When moving the joint around, we can start seeing the differences. The range of motion is much larger and can go a good 15 degrees more in every direction.

When mounted to the body, the difference becomes even more apparent! This should translate to a decent amount of head movement.

Here Rin has the new joint while Haruka has the original. Rin is able to tilt her head back a bit further and maintain that pose while Haruka will snap back to a much straighter position. It’s also important to note that the shape of the head will impact the angle that can be achieved, as the back of the head may prevent using the full range.

From looking at the design of the ball joint, it doesn’t appear that cutting the neck will yield any more motion as the ball comes almost completely flush with the top of the neck. A cut may give you a slight bit more, however you may already be limited by the back of the head hitting the neck.

Since making the initial purchase, I decided to replace all of the girls neck parts! The Cool Cats joint is much easier to pose with in every direction and gives much more flexibility in moving the head. At $40, it’s much more economical than the Dollfie World version (which is also not always in stock) and they are extremely reasonable with shipping. There is a downside with this version though, since the stem is mostly smooth, the head does not grip as well and detaches easily.

For more information on the Cool Cats Neck replacement part, visit their web site. You can also find them at their eBay store for the same price (plus $4 shipping).

For more information on the Dollfie World neck joint, visit their web site.

I’ve been lusting after a wide angle for some time now and I’d been considering this lens. At an MSRP of $399 for the initial AT-X Pro version ($499 for the AT-X Pro II) seemed a bargain compared to the $1000+ price tag of the Nikon equivalent. Even better, I got mine used from a local camera shop for less than that! A sucker for a good deal (and even nicer glass), I went ahead and picked it up. This would be my second piece of glass from Tokina, the first being the 100mm AT-X Pro Macro lens.

First things first, I noticed how well the lens feels to hold. It’s fairly weighty and gives nice balance to the D7000 body I’m using. Both the focus ring and zoom ring are a decent size, making them easy to use in hand.

Both the zoom ring and focus ring goes clockwise for increasing focal length and distance, which is right on par with standard Nikkor lenses. Sorry Canon fans, it’s “backwards” for you.

Another neat thing about some Tokina lenses is the clutch system used to engage manual focus. Pull back on the focus barrel to go into manual mode, push forward for auto. Kinda nice that you don’t have to take your hands off the lens to change, or hunt for a switch on the neck of the lens! The only real issue I have (and it’s really not a fault of the lens), is that it takes 77mm filters. Unfortunately, this doesn’t match any of the filters I already have in my collection so I’d have to get a new set for polarizers (and they’d have to be ultra thin, at that).

So what can you do with an ultra wide angle lens? The obvious answer would be for landscapes, but that’s not all it’s good for!

Here are some examples of wide angle shots. The first is a landscape and the second is a picture of my new desk. Both were shot at 12mm, so I was actually pretty close to both targets. This is a fairly obvious application, “getting more in the shot,” but there’s a lot more stuff you can do with a wide. It seems counter intuitive, but close up work can really benefit too!

In each of these shots, the object was very close to the minimum working distance of the lens (mouse in the first, camera in the second). In both photos, I set the aperture to f/4.0 triggered the shutter remotely. One thing I’ve noticed is the nice depth of field that comes in at maximum aperture, but the other cool thing is the interesting perspective effect that’s introduced. Lines that are supposed to be perpendicular are distorted more than with a standard lens.

Another great use is to squeeze in to those places for shots where you normally can’t. We were out and about one day and found this little bridge, which is pretty much 1/3 scale. It would be perfect for dolls, but how could I shoot from the bridge and look straight on at the girls? Answer? Use a wide angle!

Here’s Sakura and Miu on the bridge, the scale is just perfect! From behind, I could kneel on the bridge, zoom in slightly, and get both girls framed well.

More shots of Sakura, in the first picture you can see a bit of the distortion the lens introduces.

In all, the lens is great for a variety of purposes, from landscapes, to close up work, to doll portraits. And at the price range, practically a bargain compared to the competition!

It’s a great little shopping center with plenty to see. Mandarake operates most of the stores in the 3rd and 4th floor and many of the other shops deal largely in second hand goods. It’s typically less crowded than Akihabara and is completely indoors. Since it’s a bit less traveled, you can often find some interesting little gems!

Before getting on the train and heading out, we had to stop for something to eat. We picked a little restaurant on the way to Ikebukuro station that served a variety of food. I settled on the lunch special.

It was all sorts of yummy with a little fried chicken, cream filled croquet, egg, and miso soup. The bowl of rice was rather large, though the whole meal really hit the spot! After food, it was off to Nakano.

Once out of the station, the Nakano Broadway shopping center is right across the street. There’s a great little Taiyaki stand on the right hand side as well as a lot of good little restaurants inside the shopping area. The actual part we were looking for was the second area. Some of the shop names are oddly specific though…

Very descriptive tag line! Though I don’t see too many socks at first glance…. XD I wonder if they have American-style socks? Nakano Broadway has several floors of otaku goodness. We started at the top on the 4th floor and worked our way down. I noticed that the closer we got to the bottom, the more “normal” stores there were. Coincidence? Probably not. There are several stores dealing in animation cels, production booklets, posters, dolls, figures, and books.

I was particularly interested in the Kenshin cel, but it was being sold for 52,500 yen! That’s a little too much for my blood, and I’ve been trying to keep my spending down on this trip… I’ve been pretty successful so far! So what kind of stuff have I wound up with so far? Well…

Lots of stuff so far! My favorite is the IdolM@ster 360 box, which includes all the extras that were sold with the special edition of the game. The game wasn’t included, but I’m perfectly OK with that!

Yep, that’s rain in the forecast all the way through Tuesday… I’m leaving on Thursday afternoon. >.> Hopefully we’ll find enough to do despite the weather, but it really hinders what I want to do with photography! At least it gives me plenty of time to do shopping…

The flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo was about 4 hours and it was my first experience with a non-American airline. The flight was operated by ANA and it took some getting used to. Firstly, the announcements came in Japanese first, followed by somewhat broken English. Service was excellent and the food was pretty good. I wasn’t expecting to be served a meal on such a short flight, since it’s not something you see with an American carrier.

Getting into Tokyo was a breeze, immigration was quick, baggage claim was slow, and immigration was quick. Once on the outside though, the reality of how expensive the trip would be set in. The currency exchange was trading at 78 Yen per USD. Fortunately, travelers cheques were trading at 80 Yen to the dollar, so it wasn’t as bad. After a little problem with the hotel (they didn’t actually have the room we reserved), we got settled in to an upgraded room with an amazing view of the Tokyo skyline.

Off in the distance is Shinjuku and the DoCoMo clock tower. It truly was a spectacular view! Unfortunately, the weather wouldn’t hold and that turned into clouds the following day. No bother, we would be shopping most of the day in Ikebukuro and the Otaku mecca of Akihabara! We actually found a couple interesting shops in Ikebukuro, including several K-Books locations that dealt in second hand items. I managed to pick up a few artbooks and some CDs as well as browse a shop that handled doll clothing.

I also ran in to Darth Vader, who was looking for Droids, as well as an interesting kind of bar… I want to know what kind of drinks they specialize in!

The walk around Ikebukuro took a bit longer than expected, so we headed out to Akihabara around 3pm. By that time, the trains were starting to get crowded with all the students getting out of school and going to various places. 20 minutes later on the Yamanote train line and we arrived in Akihabara!

The rain didn’t let up at all while we were out there, so photo coverage was extremely limited. We’re definitely planning a second (maybe third?) trip!

First order of business was to get to my relative’s place from the airport. Hong Kong International Airport is huge and very modern. Since it’s on an island outside of the city, it’s connected to the mainland via a very large bridge. Unfortunately, I was *on* the bridge so there aren’t any pictures…

First stop, my home away from home in Hong Kong. I’m staying with relatives in Kwun Tong for the few days I head to Tokyo. It’s a nice quiet area but is a bit smaller than what I’m used to for so many people. The view isn’t terrible, but it’s by no means spectacular… XD

Now would also be a decent time to talk about the camera gear I took on this trip. I recently picked up the new Canon S95 compact digital camera. It’s extremely full featured and slots in well for when I don’t want to lug around the full SLR kit. It fits easily into my pocket and features all the shooting modes I use the most (Program Auto, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority), does HD video, and has some other pretty nifty shooting modes!

This is my personal favorite… the so called “miniature mode.” It’s pretty much a faux tilt-shift effect, which gives the objects a miniaturized look. I’ve been using that extensively where the situation fits… In addition to the S95, I also have the Nikon D50 with me (since the D7000 hasn’t arrived yet) and an array of lenses. For standard shooting, I’ll be sticking mostly to my 18-200VR and 50mm Nikkors, but brought the 70-300 and 100mm macro with me as well. I’m especially looking forward to running the 70-300 through it’s paces!

Enough about camera equipment, it’s time for some sightseeing! Hong Kong is filled with interesting sights. It is home to several “themed” areas, where folks can buy stuff related to specific hobbies. Entire streets are dedicated to things like fish, birds, jade, and electronics!

Jade Market

“Goldfish street”

“Bird street”

I also managed to get myself to the super awesome Dollfie World shop in Mong Kok. I already knew what I wanted to buy, but that didn’t stop me from browsing their stock in person! The shop itself was a bit smaller than I thought it would be though… I guess the pictures on the internet made it look bigger than in person.

Also on the agenda for the trip was an excursion out to Dai O, which is a quaint area on Lantau Island. It has the air of an old fishing village and features a lot of interesting architecture. A lot of the houses are built on the water and supported on stilts.

For more pictures, be sure to check out the rest of the uploads up on Flickr!

With Rin, Sakura, and accessories packed, it was time to hit the road!

I actually ended up carpooling with Balldylox to the meet, who drove up from Charleston. He brought Manami along for the meet and was looking forward to meeting up with the previous owner! Along with Rin and Sakura, the three of them were representing the Dollfie Dream camp in the sea of resin!

There were plenty of gorgeous dolls at the meet and it was the first time I’d had the chance to really look at the resins. They’re much heavier than the vinyl Dollfie Dreams and much more solid feeling. With so many dolls in one place, it was hard not to set them up together for some awesome photos!

Here we have Rin and a new friend. Isn’t she cute?

This was an interesting shot. Sakura appears to be staring at Manami’s assets while Kou is copping a little feel from Sakura…

Rin, Manami, and Sakura welcome you to Doll Market!

Proud owners gather at Patti Lynn’s doll shop afterwards. We picked out several wigs for Manami to try and got her papa to buy it. XD In all though, we had a great time at the meet! For more pictures, see the full set up on Flickr!

It was an exciting day to see both packages in my mailbox!

The artist I commissioned via Flickr/Den of Angels did a magnificent job on the faceup, giving Haruka a slight smile and gorgeous eyelashes! The wig, on the other hand, was a different story. It took almost two hours and several fittings to finally get it right. The wig cap was a touch too big to fit properly, so currently the cap is pulled over both her ears. A little trim to the bangs may be in order as well, as the hair currently strays in front of her eyes.

Without further ado, I present to you Amami Haruka!

For her debut, Haruka will be performing the song “Go My Way!” from the IdolM@ster XBOX360 trailer!

One thing this shoot taught me was that my lighting for shooting Dollfies against a bright background is a bit inadequate. The two spot lamps I had were great for closeup shots, but didn’t provide adequate light for wider angle shots. Also, I discovered that my 60in TV makes for a great backdrop for shooting and I can take a photos without worry of glare as long as the lighting is placed in the right spot. I may have to use it more in the future for other shoots!

For reference, here’s the video that was playing from the XBOX…

And here she is! It was a lovely day out, with the exception of the humidity. Yoko didn’t seem to mind though, she was outside!

Yoko checks out an interesting warning sign… I think she’s a bit too timid to take the chance. She’ll just settle for posing in front of the fountain instead.

Yes, that’s a much safer spot to be in…

There were also plenty of trees to climb. Careful so that you don’t fall out! I don’t have any spare parts if you break anything…

That looks like a lovely spot to sit… Careful not to fall backwards!

Are you tired already…? It’s only been an hour!

It was a short outing, but had a great time! With all the times I’ve been, I finally heard the “That guy is taking pictures of a Barbie doll!” comment. Granted, it came from a kid, so I could forgive the injustice. ^.^ I did actually have someone approach me and ask me if there was a back story to what I was doing and we had a nice chat for a few minutes!

For more photos from the shoot, see the photos in Yoko’s set on Flickr

Isn’t she cute? The thing that took the most time was getting the wig on. It was hard getting it on in a place where her hair wasn’t hanging in front of her eyes. It was also the first time I’d used a silicone wig cap instead of a cloth one, so it took lots of adjustment to get everything in the right place!

Volks had some odd packaging practices. When I cut open the top of the box, I was greeted by another box closure. It wasn’t exactly another box, but rather the inner box was wrapped on 5 sides by another box and taped shut. I’m not quite sure what they were trying to accomplish doing that…

Once I got through the second level of packaging, I was greeted by Sakura’s box. I didn’t win anything else from the lottery, so it was just the standard Volks Dollfie Dream packaging encased in bubble wrap.

Inside Sakura’s box was the standard items, DDII body with L bust, custom Sakura head and eyes, school outfit, apron, wig, and shoes. Also included was a small pamphlet talking about the concept behind Sakura.

The macro lens came in handy with taking close ups of the head and eyes. It even helped me identify that there was some extra glue that needed to be removed…

Before

After

I also never realized the texture that was in the eyes! To clean off the glue, all it took was a cotton swab and a little isopropyl alcohol. With that, her eyes were as good as new and had a little extra polish to them!

Since I’d recently acquired Rin’s school uniform set from a member of Den of Angels, I thought it fitting to dress Sakura in her casual wear. Of course, that outfit had arrived months ago since that was won from the international lottery… Nonetheless, Sakura looks good in her casual clothing!

Unfortunately, the cat decided to check her out while she wasn’t looking… Bad kitty! With the outfit in place and adjusted, it was time for some long awaited reunions!

Rin was the first to notice her and came to exchange pleasantries. I think they were happy to see each other!

There’s a bit of family resemblance, especially in the eyes. Of course, I’m sure there’s a bit of jealousy from the smaller one…. ^.^;; Yoko had also decided to join in the festivities!

Welcome to your new family, Sakura!