huke-style eyes which I got from the SQ Lab’s recently established online store.  SQ Lab is probably one of the favorites of custom DD heads.  These eyes are part of a set which also included Black Rock Shooter eyes and trademark eye flame.  I really love these eyes, they are mesmerizing and stunning, more so when make them center point of a photo.

Yamato Nadeshiko style hair makes Lily look even more elegant ^o^

Even if fan blows up a few stray hairs >.<

Hard to see it in these photos, but this wig has some lovely layers to it.  One of my favorite wigs in to date.

In retrospect, Lily looks sad in this shot.

Maybe longing for something…or someone??

She is a “Servant” after all.  Maybe she misses her “Master”

Lily: “Welcome home.  I’ve missed you.”

Lily:  “Please….take my hand”

Lily: “[whispers]”

End it with a Black x White of my favorite image.  I love BxW photos.  I also love adding little dash of color to them.  That little accent draws the eye to that point.

OMAKE TIME!!

If you follow me on Google+ and are part of my Dollfie Dream circle then you got a “sneak peek” of this shoot back when I acquired the wig.  But for those that aren’t, here are those preview photos

This wig is long and so beautiful.  Can see the layers I mentioned earlier a bit in this shot.

Was still waiting on the slips and eyes to arrive when I got the wig.  But I wanted to see how the style fared on Saber Lily.  Needless to say she is gorgeous with any style!

Since the release of the Dollfie Dream Fan Book, there has been whispers regarding the cryptic two-page spread showing Saber Extra’s (Nero’s) signature weapon Aestus Estus with the words “Coming Soon”. Considering Saber Lily was just released in December 2011, could this mean we would see another Saber release sooner than expected? I mean it was nearly two years since Saber Alter and Saber Lily, so the thought of seeing Saber Extra in Dollfie Dream form this soon was a distant thought for me.

But it looks like that is indeed what is happening! Volks has revealed their next Dollfie Dream Web, launching a teaser page for Fate Extra. And since this is a web project, should be able to do direct ordering for the items. So won’t have to worry about the cruel mistress known as lotto results.

Photo of the teaser poster. This brings up another interesting point – Black Excalibur. Those familiar with Saber releases know that when Saber Alter was released she was without armor and Excalibur. She was dressed in her casual black dress. The inclusion of the Black Excalibur in the teaser material brings up some interesting thoughts. Will we see a “second release” of Saber Alter? If we do, will she include her black armor and Excalibur? Will she look like the original Saber Alter or be a “new” head mold? (Possibly a white skin version of Saber Lily or Nero). Will it be a Saber Alter accessory – just sword and/or armor without doll?

One thing is for certain: Being the Type-Moon fanboy I am (not to mention Saber fanatic), this is an exciting development for me. Aside from Yoko, all of my DD thus far have been related to the Fate franchises. Just something about them seem to move me to action more than other releases. This could mean yet another Fate girl will join the troupe sooner than expected!

Update:  September 10th, 2011 – Looks like Volks USA will be participating in the web project as well.  Not that there was any doubt, but the addition of translated material on their site strong indicator.

Guess all that is left is for us to wait for the banquet to begin!

One of the things I love about Dollfie Dream is the ability to customize the girl’s look. And no, I am not talking about strictly custom DD either. All of my girls are what you would call “character images”, DD created in the image of a certain character. But even these girls can have a customized look with a little effort.

Recently I decided that since I plenty of nice outfits for my girls, it was time to focus on getting more wigs. But for me shopping for wigs is probably one of the more difficult things because of all the choices. Lots and lots of choices. Have to decide which wig maker want to go with, style of wig, is it easy to maintain, or maybe I want heat resistant fibers. These are just some of the things I consider when wig shopping.

So after looking around at lot of places, I decided to take my chances with a wig maker that I haven’t seen people really talking a lot about. (I’ll mention where in a later post). In terms of styles, selection probably not as big as some of the more well known places. But the styles they did have I loved and unique. So I took a chance and I must say I am very pleased with them. Quality is excellent, wigs were perfect fit for my girls, and like I mention quite unique.

This is the back of the wig. This is what made me fall in love with this wig. I simply loved the two-tone aspect of this wig. Because Yoko has red eyebrows, I try to stick with red wigs on her. So this wig was perfect because it allowed me to change up Yoko’s look a bit while maintaining constancy.

But not to say I wouldn’t consider putting another color on her, provided the bangs are long enough to cover the eyebrows. When its a color like red or even the purple on Sakura, I try to be mindful of the color constancy if taking photos. This is because for me if color difference between eyebrows and hair is drastic, then it becomes a distraction that takes away from the photo.

Hope you enjoyed this little preview. I got quite a few wigs from this place and they will be making appearances soon in future DD photos. Please look forward to seeing them!!

This weekend I spent some time taking photos of my “newest” Dollfie Dream.  A girl with hair drained of color, eyes that shine a malicious red, and cloaked in the shadows of Angra Mainyu.  Drenched in the wickedness of the world, DD Dark Sakura is born!!

My biggest reason for adopting Sakura was that I wanted the “Sisters of Fate”, meaning I wanted to reunite her with her sister Rin Tohsaka.  But I entered for Sakura, I also tried for all of her alternative outfits, which consisted her Everyday Wear, Swimsuit, and Black Transformation sets.  When the results came in, I learned the only one I was able to obtain was indeed the Black Transformation set.  This was actually the set I wanted most though, because with it DD Sakura can become DD Dark Sakura!  ^o^

The set included wig, eyes, and outfit.  Only thing that would have made the transformation truly complete would be markings for her magic circuits that covered her body when the transformation was in effect.  But don’t get me wrong, this set recreates the Dark Sakura persona wonderfully.  So please enjoy the following photos of Dark Sakura.

Master x Servant – Dark Sakura x Saber Alter.

Corrupted by the power of Angra Mainyu, the just and noble King of Knights is twisted into ruthless tyrant loyal to her new master.

Join her or be consumed!!

One thing I will say about her outfit.  The ribbons at the bottom have an inner wire that allow them to be position in various way.  Very cool feature in recreating the menacing tentacles Dark Sakura uses when she is fighting.

From this point on the photos will get a little bit provocative.  So if dolls dressed in revealing clothing or posing provocatively are not your thing, then rest of this post is not for you.

Decided to revisit the idea I had going when Sakura made her debut.  I wanted to play around with the idea of Sakura being “consumed” in darkness.  The idea also works well if you consider Dark Sakura’s shadow abilities as well.

You may remember a shot similar to this one in that post.  I wanted to recreate that shot again with Dark Sakura.

I really like this shot.  It looks like Sakura is sinking into the darkness…or maybe…rising up??

Overall really like Sakura’s transformation.  She is so cute even when she is evil ^o^  And really even those the change is slight, it really is like having a different DD when you change up their look.  I think I’ll do at least one more set of photos with Sakura in her “dark” persona.

It’s been a while since Sakura has last been seen. Briefly appearing when I was doing the group photos, Sakura’s noticeable exclusion from the followup photos caught the attention of a few of her fans…especially Altsune!!  So I had to promise that Sakura would get some camera time to make up for it.  So this is the first of a series of Sakura-centric photos.

In the past couple of week I’ve picked up a couple new toys for both for me and the girls.  One of those toys in this photo.  Picked up this wonderful “Mirrorbook Air” from Dollfie World, along with another cool item that you’ll see below.  Its wonderful because now I can have the girls helping me around here with projects (or surfing the internet for things they want next).

Seriously though, been working on a small project that Sakura will help introduce soon.

Break out the next toy – the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM wide angle lens!  Been curious to see what kind of use I could get out of a wide angle in terms of my photography.  But wide angle lens are quite expensive!!  Luckily for me that wasn’t too much of a problem because my sister has one!  Its very awesome to have a sibling that shares similar interest as myself.

The wide angle offers an interesting perspective.  But I am not so delusional to tell you I’m properly utilizing such an amazing lens.  This was my first time with it and still have much to learn.  Like I said, definitely want to try more wide angle with my photography so I’m learning all I can about it.  Luckily have access to it often enough for that =)

Sakura decided to switch to the “1pad” so she can get more comfortable in the chair.  Speaking of the chair, its something I picked up a while back but never got around to using.  Mainly because I was finally able to get the chair (one used in group photos) I wanted from Volks USA.  But this one is a pretty nice chair also.  I like the nice high back it has.

PLUS…

…it is also perfect for (sexy??) poses!!

Nothing beats natural lighting!  ^o^  Speaking of natural, Sakura is naturally this hawt!

This is certainly the best time of the day for photos.

I dunno why but I just love the midsections of DD.  Just aesthetically pleasing to me I suppose.  Especially when light hits it a certain way – like this.

My favorite photo from the set.  Just love the way the lighting draws out the definition of the midsection and lovely bokeh brings attention to Sakura.

As you can tell from the title, time again for another Fate girl birthday celebration.  Its May 13th, which means today is Saber’s birthday!! ^o^  Figure it would only be right that I do the same for her that I did for Sakura and Rin!

On a side note its also Friday…and the 13th…see where I’m going with this?  Friday the 13th LOL!!  Personally I’m not much into superstition and believe one makes their own luck.  Plus, how could I dread today…I mean its Saber’s birthday!!

So please feel free to play Saber’s character song while you enjoy the following photos taken especially for Saber’s birthday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMumFk6RCPg

I’ll try some Japanese I picked up recently.  「すっぽんぽんの姿見せて」(Translation: Show me your birthday suit)

…

That didn’t turn out like I thought it would.  Maybe it was my pronunciation?

We have come to the last set of photos related to Dollfie Dream Court Spring 2011.  To finish up the series, Rin is taking center stage again, this time with Chibi Lily (Saber Lily Nendoroid) by her side in what I like to call “Master x Servant”.

Wanted to finish up the series with Rin, seeing she is the first girl to arrive nearly two years ago and started my journey through Dollfie Dream.  Rin and I have had many great adventures since her arrival.  Which makes me think of something I’d like take a moment to share.

I have mentioned (many times) before, I got into Dollfie Dream after seeing Danny Choo’s coverage.  Being a Saber fanboy and her photos I wanted to see what DD Saber was all about.  Unfortunately by the time I learned of Saber, obtaining her was out of reach unless I went through auction sites.  So when news of Rin Tohsaka’s release came out, I was excited because she was my favorite Fate heroine after Saber.  Rest is pretty much history.  I entered for her and won, which made me extremely happy.

But I always harbored the desire to obtain Saber, to the point that getting her became a quest (maybe even obsession).  But I also began to lose sight of what I had with Rin (and Yoko by this time) and started to take what I had for granted.  I continued to do photos with both of them, but I always felt that they weren’t comparable to Saber.  I was unappreciative of what I had.  Even after seeing all of the great things I saw people were doing with Rin and her versatility as a DD, my thoughts always were on how I could get Saber.  It wasn’t until my last failed attempt at getting Saber and discussion with comrade Motoko Yamamoto that it dawned on me.  I was complaining that I didn’t have a certain DD when I have two great DD already that I was neglecting.  Especially considering there were folks out there that would love either one v.v

I hate to admit it, but I lost sight of a fundamental lesson – We should appreciate the things we have instead of coveting the things we do not have.  Especially when there are people out there that would appreciate to have a fraction of the things we take for granted.  Be grateful and be humble.  But after I realized this, I had new appreciation for both Rin and Yoko.

I was also fortunate enough to be able to adopt both Sakura and Saber Lily.  Adoption of Saber Lily also reaffirmed my belief that if something is meant to be.  I did employ the use of “adoption campaigns” for both Sakura and Saber Lily.  I heard some people say it as tacky to campaign, that I was doing nothing more than begging.  Of course everyone is entitled to their option and can believe what they wish.  I personally did not see it as begging, but feel free to look at Sakura’s and Saber Lily’s posts and come to your own conclusion.

Felt like sharing that.  Take from it what you will.  Reflecting on my beginnings in this hobby got me thinking about those things, so thought I share that with you all.

Okay, okay…so back to photos. After the group photos, plan was to have all the girls paired off and then had individual photo sessions.  The sad thing was I had to bump Sakura because it was getting later than I excepted and I had work the next morning.  T.T  So I’ll have to make it up to Sakura big time!!

Originally planned to do two “Master x Servant” sessions.  I was gonna have Rin with Saber Nendoroid and Sakura with Rider Figma.  I opted instead to go with Saber Lily because SME Saber was still rage facing after Saber Lion’s tickle session by Lily.  Though I wish Good Smile Company would make a nendoroid of Archer, that would be super cute to have a chibi Archer for Rin ^o^.  If someone at GSC could make that happen…and send me a sample, much love to you!

May have noticed in group photos Rin was sporting her normal hairstyle.  I wanted to change up things a bit and thankfully I was able to get an assist from my sis who happened to come over the day I was doing this shoot.  She was a big help in setting up shots and gave good ideas on poses.  But most importantly she was able to get this wig cleaned up!!  I tried to clean it up but I couldn’t get it out of its rat’s nest form.  But my sis, having much more experience with wigs than I do said hope wasn’t lost and got it looking pretty damn good!!  In fact, I loved seeing Rin with long hair so much that I didn’t want to take it off her ^o^

I think this series of DD photos was my biggest to date, not to mention longest.  Overall pleased with how they came out.  Got a lot of positive feedback, as well as learned ways to improve via comments here, my flickr, and via my social networking channels.

I hope you enjoyed viewing these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.  You can check out all the other Dollfie Dream Court photos via links below.

• Dollfie Dream Court Spring 2011
• Dollfie Dream Court Spring 2011 – Sisters of Fate - Rin x Sakura
• Dollfie Dream Court Spring 2011 – Yoko Solo
• Dollfie Dream Court Spring 2011 – Bloom! Saber Lily!!

Couple days ago something new arrived at base. Yoko insisted she model it tonight and that I take photos. Of course I was happy to obliged her request =)

Please enjoy. And be warned…it gets ecchi towards the end =D

The next installment in the Dollfie Dream Court series now begins!  This time we will spending time with the newest addition to the court…Saber Lily!!  Even the King of Knights likes to have a little time to herself.  After all, ruling a country or fighting in the Grail War can take a lot of anyone – even someone as strong as Saber.

I like to think of Lily as the precocious version of Saber.  That is I think of her as a young Arthuria, before the duties and burdens of being king began to weigh heavily on her.

Saber has a fondness of lions.  So goes without saying that she took an instant interest to my Saber Lion nendoroid.  Sir Gao being a noble lion isn’t jealous.  Instead he is happy to see Lily happy and enjoying herself.

More chibi Sabers appear!!  But it doesn’t looks like Lily has taken much notice in them ^^;;

Saber Lion looks so happy to have Lily playing with her.  But it looks like the other Sabers don’t care for Saber Lion’s enjoyment at all!  I think this is my favorite photo just because of the rage face lol…it makes me smile ^^;

Play time over, Sir Gao and the chibi Saber gang take their leave.  Lily decides we should get the standard “Saber posing with Caliburn” photo everyone has come to expect when viewing Saber Lily photos.

I have to say Lily was the hardest DD I have had to wait on.  As I mentioned in the arrival post, the joke fellow DD comrade Ken and I had was we were waiting for our lovely Lilies to bloom.  Its a wait I have done three times in the past, but with Lily that wait felt like an eternity.  That last week was the hardest especially, but once I saw her I knew that it was all worth it.

Lily is such a wonderful girl, I adore everything about her!  This crown necklace is something I made while waiting for Lily to arrive.  Its fitting because of her character, but it doesn’t mean I value my other three girls any less.  They all are very special to me and each of them hold a special significance in my heart.  For Lily, it was the realization of a long time dream.

OMAKE TIME!!

They look so cute together don’t they? ^o^  After doing Rin x Sakura thought why not do Yoko x Lily also.

I still have one more sets from this series to go.  You can check out the other Dollfie Dream Court Spring 2011 posts below:

• Dollfie Dream Court Spring 2011
• Dollfie Dream Court Spring 2011 – Sisters of Fate - Rin x Sakura
• Dollfie Dream Court Spring 2011 – Yoko Solo
• Dollfie Dream Court Spring 2011 – Master and Servant