BORROWING FASHIONS - BOHO CHIC

Another trendy BEST FRIENDS CLUB fashion for Sasha to borrow. This outfit is called "BOHO CHIC" and fits Sasha perfectly. The white sweater coat is quite stylish and the little lace trimmed camisole top is the perfect accent for the floral ruffle tiered mini-skirt. Two tone sneakers and a matching shoulder bag complete the look.
This line is not as color coordinated as the Tommy Hilfiger line but the various separate pieces will certainly add versatility to any wardrobe.

BORROWING FASHIONS - TOMMY

Here is Gregor modeling a Tommy Hilfiger outfit. This set was a real find. Usually the Tommy trousers do not fit Gregor or Sasha but this pair is made of stretch fabric and so Gregor can wear them. Check out the cute star detail on the hip. Typically, the Hilfiger fashions feature red, white, and blue details and this outfit is no exception. This set did not include the Tommy scooter or the shoulder bag. However, the shoes fit Baby Sasha perfectly so every item in the set, including the bikini underpants, can be worn by a member of the Sasha family. Baby Sasha even has a Tommy Teddy to hug.
My kids love all the Tommy clothes and accessories because they are trendy and beautifully made.

BORROWING FASHIONS - MANDY

Here is Sasha wearing a delightful floral print dress borrowed from the MY FRIEND MANDY line. This is the second basic dress that Mandy wore in the boxed doll set. The first set had Mandy dressed in a pink, white dotted, dress. That first boxed doll also had a pink floral nightgown included.
All of the Mandy and Friends outfits fit Sasha perfectly and many of the boxed outfits included patterns for outfits that Sasha can also wear. And Mandy's boyfriend had a few outfits that Gregor can wear.

SASHA MODELS MORE BFC

Most of the Best Friends Club Ink. fashions seem to fit Sasha very well. The major problems occur with tight waist bands and very tight pant legs. The plastic shoes are slightly large but fit easily. No problems with dresses and loose jackets. However the pink blouse is a really tight fit under the vest.
Personally, I am not bothered by the tight fit because I can alter clothing, but if you don't sew it might be a problem.

BORROWING FASHIONS - BFC ink.

Sasha is always on the lookout for new dolls to borrow fashions from. Last week she discovered a new doll line called BEST FRIENDS CLUB or BFC ink. This doll is 18 inches tall but her clothes fit Sasha perfectly. Well, almost perfectly because the jeans need to be turned under at the ciuff as they are a bit too long.
The basic doll set comes with a doll and two outfits plus a charming journal filled with delightful pages that can easily be adapted to Sasha's world. If you have a young collector at home the journal will provide hours of fun. Lots of ideas for Sasha and friends to take part in.
TOYS R US is selling this set for $15.00 which is an amazing price (suggested retail is about $35.00) and the separate outfit sets are under $10.00. At other stores like TARGET and KMART the prices are slightly higher but still very inexpensive.
I think this KAITLIN set is the best deal considering even the charming faux suede lace-up boots fit Sasha. Some of the separate fashion sets have plastic shoes that might fit Sasha. I ordered one and will show it on a Sasha when it arrives. The jeans are very tight but are still a good fit.
Overall, this entire doll line is an amazing bargain and the quality of the outfits is extremely good considering the price.
And my Sashas love the styles.

SASHA SUNNY DAYS

We are having a heat wave these days and Sasha has borrowed a sun suit from one of her doll friends -- CRISSY from IDEAL. Not all of the CRISSY outfits will fit Sasha but this one does. Borrowing fashions is one of Sasha's favorite things to do.

TOMMY STYLE

One of America's most popular fashion designers is Tommy Hilfiger who has done numerous collections with a red, white, and blue theme. Several years ago he teamed up with FAO SCHWARZ and produced a charming line of young girl doll fashions that reflected his popular adult fashions. The dolls were created and produced by the Madame Alexander doll company. The fashions are all beautifully designed and crafted which has always been a hallmark of the Alexander company. The dolls were not successful and the line faded away. While they are hard to find, the fashions and fantastic accessories can be found online from time to time and are usually quite reasonably priced. The accessories are all wonderfully conceived and crafted -- from backpacks to hair clips. All of the shirts and jackets fit Sasha and Gregor perfectly. The dresses usually fit if the waist is not too tight. However the pants and shoes do not fit Sasha. The good news is that the shoes do fit the Sasha baby and toddler.
I am constantly amazed to discover new items that pop up from time to time. The boxed sets always contain wonderful accessories. I especially like all of the red, white, and blue outfits that can easily be mixed with a number of fashions from the Magic Attic line.
My Sashas love to borrow fashions from other doll lines. And I often wonder how Sasha herself would dress her dolls today. I think she might have liked the way her dolls look in these contemporary styles.

PHOTOGRAPHING SASHA - INSPIRATION

Inspiration comes in many forms. The artist draws on nature and fantasy -- the real and the imagined. The Sasha photographer has to imagine what a doll's reality might be. It is a challenge but a delightful one.
And inspiration also comes from fellow artists. I have been photographing Sasha dolls since the early 1970s when I first discovered them in a New York toy shop. My first inspiration was the photos on the back of the Trendon outfit packages and in the Trendon catalogs. That was when I first realized how realistic Sasha could look and how many ways there were to photograph her.
In recent years I have been inspired, charmed, and delighted by the work of other Sasha photographers. Each of these women have a distinct style and a very personal approach to photographing Sasha. Two use their skills to sell their Sasha fashions. One uses her skills to present dolls for adoption. And another uses her skills to delight us with images of her wonderful family of dolls.
Andrea of THE DOLL WORKS and Nikki of SASHA DOLL STYLE are both very talented fashion designers. They are also creative photographers who display their fashions in delightful and lifelike poses on their Sasha models. Andrea has even animated them in little online films and Nikki has created a wonderful garden story filled with dolls at play.
Shelly of SASHA DOLL UK has another type of photography genius. She has photographed hundreds of fantastic Sasha dolls that are available for adoption and with just four images she captures the personality and uniqueness of each doll. This is a rare talent and a great challenge which Shelly appears to have mastered. And I can personally attest to the success of her efforts because several of my models came from her.
And then there is Kendal from KENDAL'S SASHA BROOD -- a blog that amazes and delights me on a daily basis. Kendal has a true eye for posing Sasha dolls in the studio and on location. While her photos always bring the dolls to life it is her knack with accessories that always amazes me. Kendal uses props to tell stories and bring reality to each photo.
I learned a long time ago that it is not the camera or the extensive and expensive studio set-up that creates a wonderful photograph. It is the photographer's eye and how that eye sees the subject.
Perhaps the most impressive example of this idea is the world famous photographer, Marie Cosindas who, in 1962, accepted the challenge of creating beautiful images with a basic Polaroid camera. At the time, Polaroid was only used to make quick instant photographs. Cosindas and a dozen other famous photographers proved that it was the photographer, not the camera, that made great photos.
That idea has also been explored by the annual photography competition where only disposable cameras can be used.
Today even cell phones allow us to take high resolution images that can be printed out or manipulated in computer programs like Photoshop.
But no amount of technology, or the lack of it, can ever take a great photograph. That is still the domain of the photographer's eye.

PHOTOGRAPHING SASHA - INTERACTION

"Hi, you must be the new model."

"Don't be nervous, he's easy to work for."

"Just watch what I do and you'll be fine."

"That's it -- keep in step."

"That was fun. I hope we work together again soon."

Another challenge when photographing Sasha dolls is the interaction between two or more dolls. Photography is similar to pantomime in that it is like a silent movie with action and subtitles. Once again all of the elements must work together to create the illusion of reality.
Here are five images that tell a simple story.
The brunette is a popular model who has worked with the photographer before. The blonde is new to the experience of modeling. The brunette whispers that the photographer is very easy to work with. One or two poses and they are in step with each other. When the photography session is over they have become friends.

Even without props or elaborate settings it is possible to tell a simple story with your dolls. And that is part of the fun when photographing them. I find it is even easier if you assign roles for each doll to portray. In this series the brunette is the more experienced model helping the novice. The story could have taken a different turn and they might have ended up pulling each other's hair, but in this story they become friends.

PHOTOGRAPHING SASHA - ADDING A PROP

"Do you want to take my picture with Teddy?"

"Smile for the camera, Teddy."

"Do you enjoy flying high, Teddy?"

"Teddybear? What Teddybear?

"OK, Teddy, let's go home for milk and cookies."

Nothing brings a photograph to life, and create a sense of reality, more than a prop. We are constantly surrounded by everyday props that bring reality to our own lives so it is only natural that Sasha should also have props that make her world seem more realistic.
And a prop is a wonderful tool for storytelling as the pictures above illustrate

PHOTOGRAPHING SASHA - STRIKE A POSE

A few years ago Madonna taught the world to VOGUE and encouraged everyone to STRIKE A POSE. Sasha is no exception. These days it is not enough to be beautiful and have attitude. You also have to strike a pose that helps to tell the photo's story. Sasha is a great model and can free stand in lots of positions. Or she can add a few more poses with the aid of a doll stand.
Essentially Sasha is a little girl and we want to show her taking poses that reflect her age. Little girls are often cute and coy and even a bit clumsy so you can convey that with a turn of her foot and the tilt of her head. If you look at these pictures you will see that even the same pose takes on a different mood when the camera moves to a different angle.

HAVE FUN.

SCIENCE OF LOVE

Today on CBS SUNDAY MORNING they did a segment on the science of love. Researchers discovered that the sensation of pain could be reduced by the patient holding a loved one's hand or even just looking at a loved one's photograph. Apparently there is a section of the brain that is altered and impacted by the presence of a loved one. And even after they are gone the photos can still inspire that reaction -- with sweet or bittersweet results.
That made me think about Sasha and how just the presence or sight of one makes me smile. And how some of us can be made happy with just one Sasha while others keep adding more and more to their family. Just as in the human world there are only children and those with eight or ten siblings.
Apparently our brains are stimulated by many things including love. Studies have examined the effects of pain and drugs and deprivation and demonstrated how each has triggered brain reaction.
I wonder if our reaction to Sashas could be measured as well. Are we addicted to Sasha or just made happier by the sight of one. I suspect a bit of both. But I don't think any of us will need rehab any time soon.
In the meantime I think I'll keep on enjoying the elusive and mysterious quality of each doll and let my brain be happily stimulated by it.

PHOTOGRAPHING SASHA - ATTITUDE

Photographing people is much easier than photographing dolls because humans can change their facial expressions. Photographing Sasha and giving her some emotion and attitude requires a bit of trial and error as well as an eye for what works and what doesn't. While light and shadow help to create a mood it might take a particular tilt of her head to create the attitude needed to convey personality and contribute to the storytelling of the final image.
To begin, the top photo is rather flat which might be OK for a passport but not very interesting as a portrait. The image just below it has soft shadows added (by moving the light source) which adds some dimension to the overall image.
Glamour and fashion photographers usually shoot from just slightly above the subject's eye level and always make sure there is a nice defining shadow under the chin whenever possible.
The rest of these photos were taken with the same lighting system. The differences in shadows and lighting is created by changing the position of the head. Since each Sasha has a distinct personality it might take a number of poses before her character emerges. But patience and persistence will eventually discover her attitude and unique personality.

EASY TO MAKE BACKGROUND

While STAPLES and other stationary stores usually carry a three-fold Presentation Board it is easy to make one in a few minutes.
Typically they measure 36 inches high and 48 inches wide when flat. The basic design has two side panels - each 12 inches wide - and a center panel 24 inches wide. You can create one using heavy cardboard or Styrofoam board. If you can find a sheet of cardboard about 36 x 48 then just score the folds with a knife. Otherwise you can cut the three panels and tape them together.
Sasha dolls don't usually need a background as high as 36 inches so you can cheat a little on the height -- but not too much.
Some stores also sell colored Poster Boards that make good background colors and some even have printed patterns and textures. I have one with puffy white clouds on a blue sky background.
If you want to create fabric background boards you can go to an art supply shop and buy canvas stretcher wood sides by measure and make a background to your own specifications. Art shops often carry pre-stretched canvases that also make excellent lightly textured backgrounds or light bounce boards.

Have fun.

THE RED SHOES

In 1948 a British film titled THE RED SHOES delighted American dance fans with an imaginative interpretation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about a pair of magical red dancing shoes.
The beautiful ballet dancer, Moira Shearer, captivated audiences as the ill-fated ballerina, Victoria Page. Since then little girls and their dolls have acted out the story of the girl who could not stop dancing.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words I thought I'd do a few pictures of Sasha in her red shoes taking a few ballet and modern dance positions using my pipe-cleaner waist gripper. As you can see, now Sasha can not only assume fourth position but also a few dramatic dance steps as well.

And, like Victoria Page, she can't stop dancing.

PHOTOGRAPHING SASHA - POSING

Most Sasha dolls can stand on their own without the support of a doll stand. However, many Sasha dolls have suffered from doll stand gripper dents because the metal piece that goes around the waist is too tight and creates dimples in the body vinyl. To avoid this happening I make my own gripper using soft craft pipe cleaners -- each about 12 inches long. I join two of them by twisting their ends. Then I wrap the piece around Sasha's waist and twist the two sides together behind the back. After that I insert the remaining tails into the metal stand support and turn up the ends in the back piece to secure the doll in place.
I also often use this flesh colored body suit (leotard) to protect Sasha's body from clothing stains if I'm not sure if a fabric is color safe. This one was created by DOLL SECRETS and is discussed in an earlier blog post.

The use of the soft covered pipe cleaner to hold Sasha has other advantages because it allows her to assume poses that the steel gripper does not permit because it is too rigid.

PHOTOGRAPHING SASHA - GROOMING

In the human world of modeling there are make-up artists, hair-dressers, and stylists who fuss and fume over the models who sulk and suffer in the name of fashion. Sasha is a much better model and not given to tantrums or complaints. Her natural beauty needs no makeup but her hair often needs to be groomed before standing for the camera.
I only use metal pet combs with rounded polished teeth to comb her hair. Plastic combs are seldom finished enough and often cut or break hair with unfinished edges.
And I only use NON-ALCOHOL Spray Styling Gel to control the fly-away hairs. I never spray the gel directly on the hair but instead spray a bit on a brush to smooth the top and sides of the hair. I find that a toothbrush works best on the fringe.
First I place a hair net over the head and then a stretch wig cap over that until it is time to pose for photos.
One good thing about Spray Gel is that once it has dried it crystallizes and can easily be brushed out leaving no residue behind. Regular Hair Spray usually contains alcohol that dries the hair and will leave a residue behind that builds up over time.