finnleo Posted December 16, 2012 (edited) Prologue Well, since the cat is literally out of the bag, its time to post some photos of the latest arrival. This little lady is a bit of a special case, since she was the ultimate reason why I had to finally upgrade my camera, even if to a base level dslr. This is a first attempt at moody lighting, and if you're wondering was it difficult to make, the answer is no. I've dubbed the two norrow spotlights in the shoot "Bog-roll spots", because thats basicly what they are. a toilet paper roll core taped to a LED lightbulb (DO NOT DO THIS WITH ANY OTHER TYPE OF BULB THAT MAKES HEAT, you will cause a fire.), and including their bases, the budget for lighting is about 40-50 euros. Its a bit ghetto, but Im chuffed about the results. Originally the lady was supposed to be fawning a mechanical gramophone, but that did not make it in time, so the cheap plastic angel is a stand in. Unfortunately it was also the casualty of the shoot, as it became supersonic, and wound up under my leg as I lunged to catch "Eliza" (Based on Eliza Doolittle from My fair lady, as she is a reworked Kotori Shirakawa -- Yes, I like my Hepburn) when she decided to nosedive, and maximum destruction ensued. Being a moody shoot, there was a song that I had in mind while doing it, and while the original photos of this lady braught up Jeepers Creepers by Louis Armstrong, a Duet with Ella Fitzgerald called, "Dream a little dream of me" was the inspiration for this shoot. So if possible, look that one up, put it on, and go through the photos in a leasurly pace .... or just scroll all the way down right away to see what all the fuss was about. Hope you like the photos: The outfit: Eliza's hakama was made by myself last weekend, as she was making her way over the atlantic. Its a bit rough at places, but thats more to do with my knack of picking out fabrics that are a pain in the butt to sew. Im sort of pleased with how the imitation barrel obi turned out though. The model: Eliza herself is of course a special Kotori Shirakawa, given a once over by a certain juu-yuki, that she put up for sale a few months ago. Its been a bit of a wait to get her, with even some out of country work further delaying her arrival, but all in all, it could be said that it was perfect timing for a Santa girl to arrive home. Edited December 17, 2012 by Guest Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pandacornn Posted December 16, 2012 Eliza is such a sweetheart! Congrats~ :> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nehelenia Posted December 16, 2012 She is lovely! Congratulations for this charming lady Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
battrastard Posted December 16, 2012 Eliza is Stunning! And you did a great job on her hakama. The moodiness of your pics just rock! I like the idea of your ghetto set-up, I just call it expediency! Awesome intro! "Madness takes it's toll, Please have exact change!" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
finnleo Posted December 16, 2012 Eliza is such a sweetheart! Congrats~ :> She is lovely! Congratulations for this charming lady Eliza is Stunning! And you did a great job on her hakama. Thank you, thank you, and thank you. The moodiness of your pics just rock! I like the idea of your ghetto set-up, I just call it expediency! Awesome intro! Mmm, its interesting what you can occasionally manage with basicly just spit and bailing twine. To be honest I managed to surprise myself, since there is no post shadowing in the pictures, and mostly their just resized directly off the camera, and only minor brightness and contrast adjustments where needed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hihihellokitty Posted December 17, 2012 I love this Kotori, she is super adorable >u< Congrats on her! ^O^ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
milkytea Posted December 17, 2012 She's very pretty~! Such a sweet face. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
finnleo Posted December 17, 2012 I love this Kotori, she is super adorable >u<Congrats on her! ^O^ She's very pretty~! Such a sweet face. Thank you both, but I guess the biggest applause would go to Juu-yuki waving her magic wand with her. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mitsuki Posted December 18, 2012 Those are beautiful photos! I love how the focus gradually brought her out so she finally becomes perfectly visible. She is just so lovely, especially in those traditional clothes. ❤ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
finnleo Posted December 19, 2012 Those are beautiful photos! I love how the focus gradually brought her out so she finally becomes perfectly visible. She is just so lovely, especially in those traditional clothes. ❤ Thanks mitsuki. The gradual focus was one of the goals of the shoot to tease her identity for just that little while longer. Clothing wise, I guess neo-traditional would be a better description since the top, and skirt are sewn a bit differently than they should (the collar does not continue downards on the top, and the skirt is a straight lined bell type, not pleated.), but I really like how I managed to find the dark metallic effect burgundy fabric for the skirt to match her hair color. For those interested, I'll try and make a Making of post in the photography section, about the staging, lighting, camera setup, and positioning before the weekend... when the big marathon of building the gang photo starts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
atrika Posted December 19, 2012 aww she is beautiful! and so is the hakama Aoife ✙ Tae ✙ Miya ✙ Usami ✙ Misaki ✙ Makina ✙ Yume Kanae ✙ Kanon ✙ Subaru ✙ Juri ✙ Aya ✙ Megu-tan ✙ Kureha Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
salica Posted December 19, 2012 Congratulations on the new girl !! She is beautiful !!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
