A day at the park.....
When I first got a kimono for Yoko, I decided that each of my girls would eventually need one. It took a while to find the right styles and such but the main boost I got was from my Mom's friend Anne. She looked at Yoko's kimono and said she could make some similar to it. I was extremely happy and she made me three of them!
So when I finally got all of my girls together with kimonos ( this photoshoot was before I got Mamimi put together ) I wanted to hit a nearby park where all the azaleas were blooming. I took all five girls with me along with a few other camera equipment parts. It was a LOT to carry around but it was so worth it to see my daughters looking so beautiful.
Across the park were lots of large azalea bushes. There were no people around so I had all the space I needed to do whatever posing I wanted with the girls.
Here are Yoko and Rei. Rei is wearing a kimono made by Anne. Yoko is wearing one that I bought online.
Mai's kimono was also made by Anne. I got her little parasol from Hong kong along with another for $20 shipped!
Miyuki has opted for a shorter kimono style than her sisters. It fits her sassy attitude so well! Plus I think she looks awesome with her hair pulled back.
Manami just got her new kimono and it is my favorite! I love the butterfly pattern and colors. The fabric is very reflective and the butterflies change color in the light... its very cool.
Miyuki talking to the flowers....
"Look at me! I am the prettiest flower here!"
Indeed you are Miyuki! =3
Mai out in the warm sun. This was the perfect day to be out here. 70 degrees and a slight wind to cool things off.
Rei wants to play hide and seek! I see you!
"You found me too quick Papa!"
I love this picture of her....
Now Rei is not talking to me because she thinks I cheated in Hide and Seek... silly girl.
Yoko is over in the shade under a Magnolia tree.
You can see that there was NOBODY around here. This was on a Sunday around noon. I figured someone should be around...
I was laying on my stomach here for this angle. Yoko was giggling at me the whole time.
I love my Yoko... she is just so sweet!
My Ichiban Hime is cooling off in the shade with her fan I got from Himeiji Castle.
She looks good against the flowers in the background.....
One of the large Crape Myrtles in the background full of Spanish Moss. Manami wants to go see some up close.
"This stuff feels funny!"
After about an hour and a half of pictures near the flowers, it was time to move up to where the fountain was. There were more people around here but nobody bothered me at all.
The wind was picking up a lot so I had to make sure noone was going to take a fall.
A closeup of my dear Yoko.
Rei decided she was going to be all dramtic for some reason........
I like the light and shade here. The fountain in the background is also cool.
Miyuki trying to keep the sun off her head... not working so well dear. =3
She's too cute with her parasol tho.
Mai is trying to hold her hair out of her face since the wind picked up. You can see more people around out here than before.
After all that posing, the girls were begging me for a break. So I laid out a towel I was using to pad their carrier so they could sit down and relax a bit.
This photo is my favorite of the entire day. I don't know exactly why but it just captured the mood and feeling of the day for me.
The girls look like they are really enjoying themselves here.
Another closeup with me laying down on my tummy. The lady in pink to the far left walked by as I was down on the ground and asked if they were having a tea party. I told her no, we have no tea. Just out enjoying the flowers and the nice day. ^_^
I like Yoko's kimono pattern. It was so bright in the sun. And her little pack on the obi is also really cool looking. You can also see the lacy details of her parasol here.
Mai was getting abit warm in her heavy kimono so she broke out another fan.
My dear Manami looking ever so pretty.
Miyuki again with her parasol. She really liked spinning it around and around. ^_^
Beautiful Rei. She is so sweet in her kimono.
The girls enjoying watching the fountain.
I focused on the trees in the background here, I liked that white dogwood in bloom.
The breeze was really picking up now. The girls were watching the trees sway along with it.
The girls look like they are off in their own little world here.
And so ends our day at the park. I had a great time here with my daughters. It would have been nice to have someone along to help carry them all tho. XD
If you want to see all the pics I took, please check my Flickr page!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/balldylox/sets/72157626438184442/
looks like a great day at the park! Nice pictures!
Thank you! We all had a great day there.
I love this shot. It seems like they're actually in old Japan.
Thanks!
Cuuute! I love them all!
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Lovely, lovely photo shoot. You see, this is the reason why I have a rolling duffel to carry my Furious Five in. And now you've got SIX so you have even more than me. Yeah, many is the time I wished I had roadies to help me with setting up, making sure the dolls don't tip over if there's wind, and perhaps holding a reflector for a bit of fill-in light to get the exposure just right. I'm going to only be bringing Yumiko and Z to Anime Expo this year. Everyone else has to stay home, alas. The toughest one to bring around with me is Sarge because of her wheelchair. I have to haul that in a separate bag... ^^;;;
Thank you very much! I actually DO use a rolling duffle bag for transporting all the girls. Bad part is that 90% of th epaths in this park were that ROC stuff and not paved. So dragging it on its wheels thru that was worse than actually carrying it. My black Volks SD carrybag held all my camera stuffs, tripod and various pieces parts and I slung it over my shoulder easily enuff.
A lackey would have been great but unfortunately, I could find no one willing to participate. Oh well. It worked out fine anyways, I needed the exercise. :)
This weekend is supposed to be warm and sunny for a change in this neck of the woods.. So I'm thinking of taking Maiya out for some pictures...
I so want a black kimono like Manami has on for my girl, but with dragons! ^_^
Awesome set!
If you get the chance to go out and take pics, please do! It's so nice doing outdoor photoshoots.
A black kimono with dragons on it would rock! Very good idea.
And thanks for the nice comments!
You never seize to amaze me! Such wonderful pictures!!! Your girls are just so beautiful in their kimonos. I especially love the pics of all of them on the blanket and in front of the flowers. You really lucked out on such a beautiful day and hardly no people around. Congrats on capturing such beautiful photos of your very lovely daughters. ^_^
Awww, you praise me too highly! ^_^ But I accept anyway. XD
I'm glad you liked the pics, I had a great time doing them all. And I did get lucky to have such a nice day to take pics with no interruptions. I need to go back out and see if I can find more places like this.
How wonderful! All of us just love taking pictures outside...nature and dollfies go so well together!
LOL! When I brought Rei to the con the usual comments that I got were people interested in the hobby.
Thanks so much! I agree the nature and Dollfies go well together. =3
Thats good that Rei is getting people interested in joining the DD hobby. She's quite the pretty spokeswoman too so I am sure that helps! XD
Such a nice outing<3 All the girls look really pretty! I really like Manami's kimono, it's a very mature look for her^^ I have a similar brocade. Is the obi the same fabric on the wrong side, or a different fabric? I can't really tell on my phone^^;
Thank you very much! I agree that Manami is looking much more grown up in this style kimono. Her obi is made from the same material as her kimono, it's just turned inside out. I think it worked out pretty nicely.
LOL Looked like great fun. And, great outfits, too. :D
Thank you! It was a good time for sure. I also love the kimonos.
You're welcome. :D I'm still too overprotective to take my girls out anywhere yet. They are stay at home girls. LOL
I understand being overprotective with your girls. When it was just Manami, I was afraid to damage or stain her having her outside. But as I grew closer to her, I knew she wanted to go outside and enjoy nature. So as my family grew, so did my need to go out.
My girls are homebodies as well and enjoy lounging around as much as anyone else. But they also want to be pampered and occasinally go out for some nice weather and photos. =3
I can understand all that as well. This is all still too new to me yet and being overprotective is just part of the process. I know in time I will take them out and about. I even have the carrier, but it's still in its own plastic bag! LOL
The kimonos are neat. But I don't think the shoes match all that much....
Thanks. I know the shoes don't match well with the kimonos style but there isn't much I can do about it since these are the only shoes I had that looked decent. Sometimes you have to make due with what you have.
Really beautiful pose ,girl and flowers !!!
Thanks! Mai was looking really nice that day.
She looks nice everyday!!!! How can you say ''that'' day ...not impressed !
For everyone else ,I'm just joking ^_^
While it's true all my girls look nice everyday, certain surroundings make them even more beautiful. So quit picking on me!! XD
You are the one who said that !!! Ha!Ha! You had a bad day at work ? Take a beer and relax ,
I'm only joking ^_^
This picture is soooo romantic ....she's dreaming of her charming prince ...or thinking about her daddy ^_^
Why thank you! I just thought it was cute but now I see a bit deeper into what you mean.....
I read your text after about the Hide and Seek , and I'm sure she was right about cheating ,Rei would not lie on these kind of thing !!! Shame on you !
I'm quite in the mood to tease you today :D
Well ,it was going for the next comment ..
Its kind of hard to hide effectively when your hair is blue and your clothes are bright red and you are surrounded by brown. XD But yes, I cheated by actually trying to find her. She gave up being mad quickly tho, especially after we got to the fountain. Then she got all dramatic on me. =3
And yes, you are quite the obnoxious girl today! XD Did you get too much coffee this morning??
Ha!Ha! Yes too much coffee ,and I watched the Royal Wedding for 3 hours ....and I turned out like this , I need a psychiatrist for the explanations ^_^ It's on my good day I'm like this usually .....imagine how I am on bad days !!! I'm messing with you , you know that !
Need a little spices in your comments sometimes ^_^
What's wrong my sweet Rei ?! Come here and play with us !
Heh, Rei was being very playful out there!
AWWWWW She is too cute !!!!
Thank you! I love my little Rei!
BEAUTIFUL!!!
Too much cuteness !!! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!! @_@
Ha ha! I am trying to keep up ith your cuteness levels but I am still far behind. XD
What's wrong with Manami , she looks sophisticated and gentle ....:D
Hey! Be nice! That's my precious First Child you're speaking about! =3
She's not always silly and a snacking machine you know. She can be thoughtful and beautiful too.
So sorry mister , but I'm not the one publishing pictures of her drinking ,eating and scratching her butt !!! Ooooppss ,I' m sorry ,I'm so sorry ,I didn't want to be mean....I love Manami too you know ^_^
Well, you have apoint there dear. XD I know I show Manami to be a bit crude osmetimes and also a bit of a piggy when it comes to snacks. But I find her so especially funny and cute when she is like that I just have to share! But she can't be silly constantly and she likes being more grown up at times. I guess I need to have another sexy outfit photoshoot with her so people can see she isn't always a silly and funny girl. :D
So mature , a sexy outfit .....may be you are the one who's silly ^_^
I'll have to agree that I do get silly quite a lot. XD
Such a good idea ! This picture is fantastic!!!
Really good picture of Manami !!!
Thank you! I was very happy that she got all dressed up for me and behaved like a perfect lady all day long.
Yeah ,a good thing she just got dressed :P
Wow, you are just so mean today! If this keeps up I'll have to ban you from making comments on my posts! XD
I'm just kidding tho.... I wish I could have let her wear whatever she wanted but I asked them all to wear their kimonos for me so she happily agreed to. She's a really good girl when you get down to it. =3
I know she's a good girl soft heart papa ^_^ I told you I like her as she is ,she reminds me of myself when I was younger .....ha!ha!
: O My jaws drops, these photos are fantastic! I love their kimonos and little fans and umbrellas. And I concur about the photo of them sitting on the towel, it just looks and feels like they are having a genuinely good time :)
Thank you for your kind comments! I appreciate them! I really liked the pics of them on the towel too.
Something is sure ,you knows the names of the kinds of tree in this park ! Wow ,did you learn these in the boyscouts ?
Beautiful pictures , your girls look amazing ! I would have never been able to walk around a park with 5 of my girls and my camera !! Must have been quite a job ^_^
Really nice post ,your pictures are excellent !
Hee hee. I actually learned tree and flower names from when I was a landscaper on a private golf course for 4 years. I was their head landscaper for 2 of those years.
Thank you very much for the nice comments! My girls all did such great jobs of posing and behaving for me. It was very tiring carrying them around and heavy too. But it was worth it to get such good photos of them. Thanks again!
Landscaper ,wow ,I could kill many gardens and golf course's greens if I tried to work in this field !!!
You have all my respect for bringing your girls in the park and taking the time to place them everywhere
and carry them and place them again .....wow ,I'm tired just writing about it @_@
Ha ha, that's funny that you think you'd kill everything. It was a really good job and it is still my favortie job I have ever had. I miss it sometimes... but not when its 98 degrees outside. XD
Nice pics. Your girls look happy to be outside. It is a nice day, after all.
Thank you! You're right, I could not have asked for a better day.
What a lovely shoot! I especially like their "tea party" shots near the end; they just felt so candid. Arg, I need to get Agatha some shoes so I can take her places when my summer break comes around in June. =P
Thank you Poofie! I almost didn't get those "tea party" shots either. After the flower and fountain shots, I had been there for over 2 hours and I was starting to get tired. But while changing filters on my camera, I saw a lot of people doing the same thing... sitting on blankets and such. So I figured, let me try to see how it would look. BINGO! Cool shots and another 45 minutes taking them. XD
Well, I think it's safe to say that it was an extra 45 minutes well spent! :)
Ha ha! Agreed!
such beautiful set of kimonos. the sitting to watch the fountain group scene is my favorite. i like how Manami's obi matches her bow.
Thanks so much! I am glad you liked the pics by the fountain. And I am glad you noticed the bow matching up with the kimono! I wasnt sure if it worked as well as I thought it did. =3
this photo is good , the red hair and blue sky contrast, just perfect
Thank you very much! I really like that photo too!
Yoko is such a pretty lady. She looks both innocent and mature on this photo.
Thanks so much! I like your description of Yoko in this picture. =3
oO(All those photos and clean air made me hungry. I look around and see if I can find anything)
I wanted to say "I'll look around" :( I hate the fact that you can't edit your posts. I always make so many typing errors.
Heh. Actually, Manami didn't ask for anything to eat until we got back into the car. They all got drinks for the ride home but had to wait for lunch when we got back home. Manami was extremely good during the photoshoot, I was very happy to see she has grown up a bit.
.>>
(Hm.. whats this over there, I should have a closer look)Oo.
.oO(Remind me of noodles.. but I doubt its eatable -_- pff...)
Ha ha! That stuff would probably taste horrible if you tried to eat it! It's so dry and crusty.... XD
oO(Ahh the sun! It's so beautiful out here ^^)
Beautiful! It looks so nice and warm ^w^
Thank you! It was very nice out there and I am glad we all went!
Such a beautiful day out, the girls look like they had so much fun (^^)
It was wonderful out there and they did have a grand time. They talked about it well into the next day. ^_^
I love this photo ^_^
Thank you! It's also one of my faves too! I love Rei in her red kimono... she's so adorable! =3
awwwww so cute :)
Ah yes, Yoko is quite the cutie! She's so much fun to have around too. Thank you!
Love this photo too ^_^ looks like a really nice day.
Thank you! It was indeed an excellent day to be outside and enjoying the weather.
Such lovely photo's and lovely girls wearing pretty kimono ^_^
I appreciate all your kind comments! I'm very happy you liked my girls and their outfits!
Wow, amazing photos. What a great photo shoot! The girls look perfect.
Thanks so much! You're too kind. =3 I'm glad you liked my photos tho!
Nice shot!
Thank you! That means a lot coming from you! You have some excellent shots of your Yoko.
Great job Balldylox!!! ^.~
Thank you very much Ausra!
the young ladies are enjoying the good days
Yes they are! They all enjoyed themselves.
Great shot!!... Love the water in the air~
Thank you very much!
Really great looking shots of your girls. There's something I really love about seeing DD's out in the world. :D
It's so great that you have Kimono's for all of them. Mamimi will need one of her own now as well!
Thanks! I also love seeing Dollfies outside, it brings out their inner shine.
I was so happy I had kimonos for all of them. And yes, Mamimi needs one and that is being worked on as we speak! ;)