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This beautiful "London" Sasha is wearing her new bright red duffle coat to go shopping at Hamley's -- London's famous toy store. She has found a delightful stuffed fawn and a Paddington Bear for her younger sister and brother.
Yesterday we watched two of my favorite Christmas films - both set in England. First, the Dickens classic "A Christmas Carol" and then the more contemporary story told in "Love Actually." Both are filled with the spirit of Christmas.
The British have an interesting way of adopting characters from other countries and making them their own. Sasha was born in Switzerland but was reborn in England. The Teddy Bear was born in America, but the most famous Teddy Bear books, Paddington and Winnie the Pooh, were created in England. Happy Christmas to our Sasha friends around the globe.
Where babies are concerned, happiness is a Teddy bear and a warm "woobie"
This Sasha baby has both. His woobie is actually a little quilted pot holder I found at a craft fair. When I photograph dolls I like to add one or two props that help to tell a little story in the imagination of the viewer. Children have been photographed with dolls and Teddy bears since Victorian times. Most little ones have a favorite toy or "woobie" and they are usually more comfortable with them close by.
The Urban dictionary defines "woobie" as "Something very precious and snuggly, like a bunny wunny or baby bankie."
Sasha and Gregor are getting ready to join the carolers for an evening of songs and Christmas cheer. We wish everyone a happy holiday season.
Sasha is playing Santa by sending Christmas cards and packing up a few boxed items with her helper, Rudolph the Bear.
This 8.5 x 11 printable sheet includes a Santa card, a Penguin card, a Snowman card, and a Santa Bear gift box. Easy to print out on paper like Staples Photo Supreme double-sided matte paper.
If you would like a set of cards and a Santa Bear gift box to print and cut-n-assemble just send an e-mail with the word SANTA in the subject line to - SashaStreetNYC@aol.com
The other day I received two DVDs from Marie Morgan that she produced for Sasha festivals in the UK. The first one is titled "English Sashas - the Early Years 1965 - 75" and the second one is titled "The Studio Dolls of Sasha Morgenthaler" Both of these DVDs are amazing and filled with stunning images of our favorite dolls.
The English Sashas features an interview with Brenda Walton who was associated with Trendon from the beginning. It also contains a short film showing the factory workers creating a doll for a little girl. As a collector I was spellbound watching the various stages of a doll's creation.
During the interview with Brenda we learn that Sasha kept one of the very first brunette Gregor dolls on her workbench beside her. In the second DVD we see Sasha at work in her studio and there is the Gregor watching her.
The Studio Dolls DVD has a long interview with Sasha but the translation left me wishing I spoke Sasha's language as the narrator's voice is distracting. Nevertheless, the film not only shows Sasha at work and displaying her dolls, but gives us a tour of beautiful images of her rare studio dolls.
I have only seen two actual studio dolls and had the honor of photographing them for DOLLS magazine. They are amazing in person and even more like-like than in photographs.
These two DVDs are a joy to watch and a treasure trove of images and information for a collector.
They are both a tribute to Sasha and her dolls and a gift of love to the entire Sasha community.
This is Marie's website http://www.sasha-dolls.com/
I love to play around in Photoshop. Living in New York City doesn't really allow me to take Sasha out and photograph on "location" so I create location photos in Photoshop.
Gregor in Central Park is made from two photos. The trick to making a created photo look real is in the lighting. Make sure both images have the same light source. If you look closely you can see the light is hitting the buildings and Gregor from the same side.
Sasha in the Garden is really three images. The background is one photo, the foreground is another, and Sasha is "sandwiched" between them.
It takes a lot of time to make really good photo montages that appear real. These are just what I call "quickies" and not really as good as they could be if I wanted to spend more time.
And they are fun to do.
Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about boys and their dolls -- little boys, not grown up boys like me. My wife, Julie, was the daughter of a flame-haired, green-eyed Irish Mother and a dark-eyed full-blood Cherokee Father. Julie had beautiful red hair, bright green eyes, and dark skin with high cheekbones. She was a very successful model in her younger days. Our daughter, Alexandra, looks just like her. I wanted her named Alexandra because her nickname was supposed to be Sasha. But, she is called Alex by everyone.
When our son, Adam, was born it was as if every single drop of Irish DNA and my German-Swedish DNA had been filtered out and his Grandfather's Cherokee DNA had triumphed. Swimming in the gene pool can often produce interesting results.
People would innocently ask if Adam was adopted because he certainly did not look like either of us.
It was Adam's dark complexion, black hair, and deep chocolate eyes that I saw in my first Gregor playing in the window of "dollsandreams" so long ago.
Eventually, Adam wanted a Gregor of his own and named him WOLF. To this day I have no idea why. They were constant companions and from time to time Adam acquired a few companions (from my toy collection) to keep WOLF company. There was a 1930 velvet elephant with one broken tusk and a felt Alpine teddybear missing an eye. A tiny red wooden horse and a strange rag doll rabbit completed the group. WOLF's favorite toy was a tiny camera that had a button you could push to view images of places around the world.
Adam and Alex were home-schooled so they didn't have to put up with anyone's foolishness about their "different" appearance or their doll companions. They shared an interest in all types of toys -- both had trucks and dolls and wooden building blocks to play with. They shared time but not their toys which they were extremely possessive of.
When our family became bi-coastal, Adam always brought WOLF and his gaggle of misbegotten toys with him. They live with him still and are on loan for this photo. Adam still has a trunk full of outfits and "stuff" that WOLF has worn and played with over the years.
I don't know if Adam saw himself in WOLF or not. I do know that WOLF was his first real friend and confidant. They shared hundreds of adventures together before his sister was born.
As an only child I had many similar companions growing up. Well, I still have them now at 76 because I'm still in the process of growing up. I think toys help us to express aspects of ourselves as children that we cannot share with the adults around us. Children are smaller than adults and I think a doll becomes someone safe, and smaller, to confide in. I know that WOLF is the guardian of many secrets long forgotten by Adam.
That is his job, and he does it very well.
The basic rod and garter system can work out of doors as well as indoors. However, if you want to use it indoors you have to create a wooden base with a drilled hole to accept and hold the rod. This takes a bit of skill and the right tools.
Here is a quick and easy alternative that everyone can make. First, if you don't have the right elastic to make the garter you can used heavy felt. The problem with felt is that it stretches out over time and frequent use.
In the photos above I have made an indoor version. I used a white wire clothes hanger that I cut apart and reshaped to have a support rod and a triangle base. In the photos the base appears free standing, but in order for it to actually work you need to tape it down securely to a flat surface. You can then cover it with cloth or cardboard with just the rod exposed. I prefer to use a plain gray metal hanger because it tends to blend into any background if, by chance, it should show in the photo. The white one was for this demonstration only.
This is a quick and easy way to support your Sasha for a photo and allows for more interesting poses.
If you would like more information and instructions for creating this system just send an e-mail to SashaStreetNYC@aol.com
Most people photograph their dolls using natural light either out of doors or near a window inside. This is what photographers call "single source" lighting and while it gives sharp detail it also creates dark shadows on the "far side of the moon" -- the side away from the source.
Photographers and film makers all use bounce lighting to fill in the dark areas of a photo. The basic technique simply uses a white board that reflects (bounces) the light to the side of the subject away from the light source.
In the two photos above you can see that the photo on the left has a deep shadowed right side which distorts the shape of the doll's face and creates flaws like the wrong color shoe snap. The photo on the right used the same light source but has a white board placed 12 inches away from the doll. Now the lighting is completely balanced and the doll's face looks even as well as both shoe snaps being the same color.
The closer you place the white board the more bounce light you will have. There is an estimated reflect-bounce ratio. A matte finish white board will give you about 40% reflected light. A glossy white board will give you about 50% reflected light. A silver foil board will give you about 75% reflected light and a mirror will give you 100% reflected light.
Now you can photograph Sasha in all her reflected glory.
In 1973 when I adopted my first Sasha family there were not many outfits available to dress them in. Thankfully, Yvonne at "dollsandreams" imported outfits from Europe and bought doll fashions from local sewers and knitters. Looking back it was amazing how those local "designers" totally captured the spirit of Sasha dolls.
The two outfits in the photo above were created in the early 70s by one of Yvonne's local sewers. They seem to capture some of the essence we often see in Sasha's studio dolls that depict local children in everyday outfits.
We are so fortunate today to be able to see many of the studio dolls created by Sasha as well as those created by Trendon and Gotz. And we still have wonderful designers creating new and original fashions for our dolls.
The world has changed a lot since 1973 but Sasha dolls still inspire us with love and creativity.
From the first moment I saw Sasha dolls playing together in the window of "dollsandreams" I was impressed by how much they resembled real children. The ingenuity of their design sets them apart from all other dolls because it allows Sashas to pose in natural ways.
Added to that is the uniqueness of their faces which produces the effect that no two are alike.
When I photograph Sasha dolls I try to pose them to look as natural and childlike as possible. I also try to give each one a distinct personality. In the photograph above it is easy to see that while these two girls are certainly related they are quite different in personality.
The doll on the left has a more determined stance and a casual look about her with tossed tresses and one sock up and one sock down.
The doll on the right is clearly more reserved and a bit shy. Her nervous, turned-in toes indicate a hesitation that is accented by her hands behind back stance. Her expression is wistful. Her hair is brushed back neatly, and her socks are even.
These are all subtle details that give character to the photo and an air of reality to the dolls.
My Sasha kids are thankful for the healthy bounty from their garden. Who says kids don't like vegetables.
The trip down memory lane can be a delightful one if you don't get lost or wander off into the woods. Time often tricks us and leads us off in wrong directions. Looking at this photograph of my first Gregor and his lovely sister I try to remember the exact moment I decided to adopt him. I had been looking at the Sasha dolls playing in the windows of "dollsandreams" for weeks, but I cannot recall why I finally went in to buy this doll. He looked exactly like my son and I thought Adam might find him as delightful as I did. After all he could stand on his head. Perhaps it might be more interesting to remember why I bought another and another until there were dozens of them all over my studio.
Yes, memory lane can be a delightful place if you don't get lost or wander off into the woods.
In our family, everyone reads SASHA WORLD.
This charming 16-page magazine, published in England, is printed in full color and filled with delightful photos, charming articles, and wonderful patterns. The current issue has a 2009 Sasha calendar on the back cover.
For complete details contact - Anne-Marie Willis at lightwood23@hotmail.com for postage costs and subscription details. There are back issues available.
Every Sasha family should be reading SASHA WORLD.
This beautiful "London" Sasha is wearing her new bright red duffle coat to go shopping at Hamley's -- London's famous toy store. She has found a delightful stuffed fawn and a Paddington Bear for her younger sister and brother.
