Antique Lilac

More Behind the Scenes

11/26/2022

Continuing on with more Behind the Scenes photos....

In the Scillas

Every spring I like to take several sets of dolls to the field on the town-line which turns blue with millions of blue scillas. I'll position the dolls, get down on the ground, and then direct Jan to make any adjustments...

Then it's all about cropping in close, and avoiding having that little house in the background...

Then with the dolls in another spot along the side of the road...

Taking good doll photos is all about camera angles and cropping in to get the scene I want...

Christmas

Decorating the castle interior for Christmas...

With no dolls in it, it could almost pass for a real room...

Then with the set pushed into the bay window for some natural light coming in through the set window...and Kassia and Adrian 'decorating' their tree....

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Behind the Scenes

11/25/2022

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Now that we've come to the end of the story, it's time to share the rest of my Behind the Scene secrets from all the various photo shoots where I actually remembered to take photos....

Evening Banquet

One of the most important aspects of doll photography is the lighting. This scene for Chapter 3 after Kassia was human again, living in a castle full of cats, was taken way back in October of 2020. It was supposed to be evening, and to get that kind of lighting, I need to take the photos in the morning, with the dining room table rotated and pushed away from the window. The set curtains need to be drawn to hide my French doors.

My dining room faces west, so there's less light coming in in the mornings. Then with the candles, the lighting on set is perfect for a scene that's supposed to be taking place in the evening...

Horseback in Autumn

I wanted to show the passing of time throughout the story, so took photos in all four seasons. There's a short dead-end road up in the country north of here where I liked going to take doll photos.

I'll set up the dolls, then get down on the ground to take their photos, and if any adjustments needed to be made, I'd have to ask Jan to do them for me.

It's important to take the photos at the doll's eye level in order for forced perspective to work...

Unfortunately this spot is no longer usable. They are building a brand new city up there from scratch, and the entire area has been built up with hundreds of new houses. Progress, I guess?

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Epilogue

11/24/2022

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So everyone finally had their Happily Ever After. The Sleeping Beauty woke up, along with everyone else in the castle, and after their initial excitement, the two little Princesses begged to go back to their daycare. The last of the three brothers who had been turned into a raven, was back to his human self, but had so enjoyed the freedom of being able to travel, that he packed his bags and set out to explore the rest of the world. The Frog Prince was his human self again, and immediately had the castle moat filled in.

And whatever happened to Rags, the cat?
Well, he never came back. He had made a new life for himself with the Wizard's two female cats.
Willie would come by for a visit and check in on him from time to time.

"Wow, Rags!"

"You've certainly been busy!!"

And everyone lived happily ever after...
the end

* The entire story is in Favourite Photos 2022, so you can revisit it at any time....

Happily Ever After? A White Cat Sequel

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Happily Ever After

11/23/2022

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With everything they had been through the past year, Adrian had come to realize exactly what Kassia had felt like all those years she had been a cat. He had a whole new appreciation for his beautiful Princess...

..and their love for each other was rekindled...

..and grew ever stronger.

They had finally found their 'Happily Ever After'.

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the Painting

11/22/2022

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Later that morning..."Your cat self was incredibly talented."

"Maybe painting could become a new hobby for you."

He took Kassia in his arms...

'"I don't know about that...."

"I can think of something I'd much rather do..."

"I love you."

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the Spell is Broken

11/21/2022

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It was three days later, and Kassia woke that morning, turning in anticipation to see if the Fairies had undone the curse...

She could hardly believe her eyes!

Adrian ran his fingers across the top of his head. "I have my hair back! And the big ears and whiskers are gone!"

He reached out to touch Kassia..."Am I dreaming, or is this for real??"

"It's for real. You are back!"

But he had to check for himself...

"I can hardly believe it!"

"We're both finally back to normal!", and he took her in his arms...

But then there was a knock on the door, and who should come in, but Lucy, bringing fresh towels, like every other morning...

"Lucy!"

"You're not a cat anymore!!"

"No, your Highness. When I woke up this morning...I was back to my normal self. Everyone in the castle is. "

Kassia gave her a big hug...

"It's so wonderful! Everyone is back to their normal selves againl!"

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Relief

11/20/2022

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With the ruling in their favour, there was a huge sense of relief.

The fairies sought out Kassia...

"We are so sorry for everything that you've been through."

"Not just this past year....but your whole life. You've been an innocent victim through all of it."

"And we sincerely apologize."

"It is our hope that after everything is set right again, that the two of you will finally have your 'happily ever after'."

Adrian's friend Kyle came over to congratulate him. "Maybe once you're back to your old self again, we can do some things together again. I have more horses on order, that I need to go pick up. Maybe you'd like to come?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I think I'm just going to stay home for a while...and spend some time with Kassia. We've been through a lot this past year."

Meanwhile Prince Phillip went to talk to Willie...

"I really want to thank you for that day care recommendation."

"The girls absolutely loved it there."

"They've had a really good time, and have made lots of friends. I suspect that after spending a little time with their Mother and grandparents after they first wake up, the girls will probably want to go back there again."

Then everyone wanted to thank the Wizard for his efforts...

It had been a very challenging year, and they were all looking forward to finally being reunited with their loved ones.

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A Verdict

11/19/2022

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The Court Clerk stepped forward...

Kassia held Adrian's paw in hopeful anticipation...

"We, the Judges of the seven Fairy Kingdoms..."

"..rule on behalf of the claimants."

"It is our judgement..."

"... that they have all been subjected to an unlawful curse..."

"...which by the power of this Fairy Court..."

"... we shall undo forthwith."

"Three days hence..."

"The spell will be broken, and everyone affected will be returned to their normal condition."

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Sales Intermission

11/18/2022

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I have to take a short intermission in my story for some timely announcements. With Christmas quickly coming up, my kids have been busy helping to make Holiday pillows.