Dream of Doll E-an
My first resin BJD (ball-jointed doll) came in the mail today! I could hardly sleep, yet the doorbell rang without waking me up. Her box was outside when I eventually did wake up. I couldn't wait to open it and finally see her in person!
It took me weeks to settle on which BJD to get. There are so many, but the Dream of Doll E-an really caught my attention. I didn't really want to spend so much, but it was better to get what I really wanted instead of something else.
It took four weeks for her to be made and shipped to me all the way from Korea. Since this was my first time ordering such an expensive item from a foreign company, I was pretty nervous the whole time. While waiting I bought a wig, eyes, and some clothes. It was kinda surprising to see how big the clothes are! E-an is a 60cm BJD, which makes her about two feet tall. It's hard to realize how big that is until you actually see them in person. It really gives her a presence, making her feel more alive.
As is tradition with most BJD owners, I took pictures during the box opening. She was so well packaged that it took a long while to get her out. She was wrapped in several layers of bubble wrap, pillows, and more bubble wrap! It made the anticipation of seeing her in person even greater.
The box was bigger than I expected.
Finally! There she is!
After the -many- layers of bubble wrap she was free. She is surprisingly heavy. The face-up (the paint on the face) is so detailed and well done. Here are a couple quick shots I took of her all together with the other things I bought while I waited for her to be shipped to me.
She's so amazing! I can't help but smile. I love her futuristic top and her huge boots! I've decided to name her Jaimee!
Supergirl and Dark Elf!
My new camera is still very novel to me, so I took some shots of two figures I have in an attempt to learn how to take better photos. Even though I took photography classes in high school, it's scary how much I've forgotten.
The first one up is a Supergirl statue made by Kotobukiya. I've always been a Supergirl fan and this statue shows her recent reboot costume designed by the late Michael Turner. I also recommend seeing her in the recent straight to video DC Universe animated movie Apocalypse. It's based on the comic reboot story and watching Supergirl kick some butt is always fun.
The second one is a Dark Elf statue from the Lineage 2 MMORPG. I spent many hours in that MMO. They ran a comic contest some time back and I entered. My entry won and they sent me this statue along with some other prizes. Oddly, in the game Dark Elves are blue, not tan. It's still a great statue.
This is the comic I drew that won the Lineage 2 comic contest.
Canon Rebel T1i / 500D
One thing I knew would be a necessity for this blog was a new digital camera. It was a goal of mine from the start to have really nice and large photos on the site. My small point and shoot wasn't going to cut it. A decent DSLR was always on my buy list and after weeks of research and pouring over review sites, I finally bought a Canon Rebel T1i / 500D!
I had an interest in photography since high school. They had a photography class and there I learned the basics and how to develop my own film. Many years later I bought an SLR film camera, a Canon Elan 7e. It was a great camera, and it cost me a lot of money, but it was not easy for my novice skills since I had no idea if my settings were right until the pictures were developed. Right around that time digital cameras were starting to become a competitive alternative for professionals and hobbyists. My film camera was neglected and eventually replaced by a cheap point and shoot digital camera.
When making plans for this blog I wanted to be able to take good, high-quality, photos. Especially with my BJD on the way. So with that the journey began to find a new digital camera. At first I was going to get one of those mid-range cameras that look like a DSLR, but with the lens permanently attached. However, they typically use a CCD imaging sensor, which tend to have problems with glow effects and low light.
As I read more reviews I kept going up the price range to the more expensive models. Eventually, I finally settled on the mid-range true DSLR cameras that have removable lenes and use CMOS imaging sensors. I eventually narrowed it down to the Canon T1i or the Nikon D5000. The Nikon had a nice flip out screen, but the Canon had a bigger screen with a higher resolution. The Nikon was better in lower light, but the Canon had a wider tonal range. The choice was tough and it took me a while to decide.
Due to my Canon Elan 7e, I already had a flash head and a lens that could be used with the Canon DSLR. So the choice seemed pretty clear.
I bought the camera off of Amazon (thanks to a new store card). Now that I've had the camera in my hands, I can say it feels well built. It's such a large difference from my old point and shoot. The lens it came with is a fairly standard 18-55mm "kit lens." While not the best, it does the job for someone that has to relearn how to use a camera with so many options. I would like to pick up a better lens down the road, especially a 50mm lens—the old standard lens for taking sharp portraits.
The kit lens has a built in stabilizer for camera shake.
The 3 inch screen on the back has a very high resolution, which is great when you use Live View. Live View allows you to see what you're shooting so you don't have to use the viewfinder.
I also bought a high speed memory card. This camera can also shoot HD video, but you need a fast memory card to save the large video files. To top it off I picked up a book to help me learn to use the camera (hopefully) and a small reflector.
The new Canon T1i next to my old Canon Elan 7e. The Elan has the optional grip added on the bottom, which is why it's taller. The grip doesn't fit the new camera, unfortunately.
With a simple test you can tell the difference between the old point and shoot digital camera (left) and the new Canon DSLR (right). From here on out the pictures on the site should look better and more professional!