Vanessa's First Photoshoot

Flame Blue Vanessa is pretty close to perfection. All I have to do is glue down the curls on her hairdo and she will be. She is actually better in person as the construction and fine quality of the gown can be appreciated only when holding her in hand. This is her first photoshoot. There will be more as I'm not really satisfied with these images.

Picture of the Week Award ~ Christina Goodison - Shuga Shug

The latest Fashion Royalty doll, Flame Blue Vanessa, that's been causing rending of garments and begging, is beginning to arrive at collectors' homes and Christina, often first on the scene, has posted several gorgeous shots of Vanessa. (Is that a run-on sentence?)
This is the same doll as in my previous post. Christina's photograph is so good one wonders which of them is the promotional shot as hers certainly could be! I like Christina's better.
The camera used was a Sony Alpha DSLR. Shot was made outside in natural light with a black velvet drape. Settings for the techies out there: f/3.5, 200 ISO and white balance - natural. A tripod was used.
Christina told me that she used natural light as she is trying to grow her abilities by challenging herself to do things differently. She usually uses a light set indoors.

I asked her is she had tips for other doll collectors' photography and this is what she said:

"Say NO to your flash! If your photo is too dark then just change your exposure. My suggestions to those trying to improve their photography is to really get to know their camera. Getting a better camera isn't always the solution to getting better pictures. Most people don't even use their camera's capabilities. Learn to change the settings such as the white balance, saturation, exposure until you find what gives you the best photo with the lighting you are using for that shot. "
(I agree with learning to use the different settings on one's camera. But you have to have plenty of light to keep the flash turned off and that's another setting to learn about. Sometimes I use the flash out of doors intentionally in a technique called fill flash. Photographic lighting has a steep learning curve!)

To see more of Christina's beautiful photography check out her blog and Flickr photostream at the links here:
http://shugashug.wordpress.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shuga-shug/

Congratulations on the Picture of the Week Award, Shug!

Good News!

Integrity Toys has come forth with a statement concerning the defective Regal Estate Agnes dolls. If you have a doll that has been affected by the mold issue you must immediately contact PatientCare at patientcare@integritytoys.com. Do not wait. There is a voluntary replacement policy that will expire in May. Alternately, if you have taken care of the mold on your own and can document it, you may be eligible for a $25 gift certificate.

The other good news is that I will be getting the new Vanessa. That will make a total of 22 Vanessas that have been created since the beginning of time. ;-)

Having one of each is an obsession with me.
This is Flame Blue Vanessa a W Club exclusive doll with an ultra limited edition of 300. She is part of the "re-edition" line of dolls that celebrates the best of prior dolls in new editions with similar styles.
Her name is taken from that of "Flame Rouge" Veronique whose gown also consists of a bustier with mermaid skirt plus large train.
I had Flame Rouge for a time and sold her because the dress was just too big. Jason used a similar formula for Lush Life's gown.

I love the new Vanessa's hairdo. It's the type that stays in place forever. No frizzies or uneven ends. Yay!

The doll was by lottery and I'm guessing that pretty much everyone entered. I didn't read a single negative statement about her.

Here's hoping she arrives mold-free and swiftly.

The images in this post are the property of Integrity Toys.