Photo stack: Asko and Dreamy

I don't really like adding names to the titles because I can have same names in several photo folders at my computer... But anyway, I've been abandoning this blog too long now. My Finnish blogs are quite dead too, not saying I could not use anything of these anymore. Let's go to the thing.

I took these photos some times ago, when I had just got my newest Breyers. This time it's Dreamy (Lil' Ricky Rocker) with one CM doll Asko. Breyer dolls don't work as nicely as those I have made by myself, so this looks a bit ridiculous, I think (and the doll was customized too long time ago, without any skill...).

Anyway. Did force Dreamy to wear a random thin halter that fits him. Hehe. He's perfect for this kind of art photos. (Now some serious photographers there rip their eyes off when they see my "art photos"... Hey, it's just a miniature studio!)

I think Dreamy is a easy horse, so it's just the look why he has chain around his chin.

Yea, the cheekpiece wasn't strong enough for the chain. Stronger halters can't be this flexible, I guess. Older paper-thin (thinned) leather, ha!

Me and the fact that I can't decide which of all places to focus is most important. So I take hundred photos of one thing to make sure I capture all needed.

Some of these got heavier editing to make them lighter. I personally am not a fan of heavy photo editing, after which people still call them just photos, since it's too different from what it was fresh from the camera.

And, as a nice (...?) plus, or bonus, some pics of Dreamy with Roz. And again, I can't focus on two things at same time.

Girl stares to the sky and holds a horse. Clever.

Please understand the fact that I'm Finnish and not the best Finn with English language. Many, MANY, hmmm most of Finns are much better in this than me. And I even don't care that much, only stupidest mistakes need to be corrected.

Artistic info:
I have no idea what was happening in those photos, when thinking in story way. I simply wanted to capture a moment from many angles, to photograph a nice horse while he has halter and rope on. So there's no story in these photos. Others then can have.

The dolls are a couple. Yea. And Roz is really good rider. Compared to her, Asko can't ride at all. Rider doll that can't ride, very ironic!

The halter and rope are older; but they work, so I use them in photos. OK. 

...

I also mention that I have nice stack of photo stories to blog. Be warned. My photo stories are far away from normal, it's a thing I know!

If any non-Finns read this blog, please give me some critique of these photo stories. Or, THOSE photo stories, since these random stacks aren't always them. 

Schleich halters from paper

Thanks to internet, I once got an idea to try another of artist's best friend for tackmaking: paper. Shortly, I made halters for Schleichs and used paper as material.

First tries are never so good as they should. I colored white paper with a blue Copic marker, and then put painter's tape on it. Well, to keep it less weak... And that only because I have no clear tape here right now.

While I cut the taped paper piece to lace, I also colored another area of the paper and sealed it with varnish (only one side...)! That is what worked! I cutted that to lace too. The taped laces got sealed after I cutted them, not so easy thing...

Then I, of course, made halters. They were more OK than good, but I was going to make more and try different papers also.

Next I tried thicker, brown paper. I drew the lines to make it easier to cut, and sealed that from both sides with varnish, before I cutted the laces.

Well, it got four individual halters to see that it works. I now know that this is a good material, if you know what you do. Paper is not similar to leather, it is weaker and sharper, easier to cut but worse with fails. When used well and carefully, it seems to look perfect.

Here are the examples.

First blue halter, pony or small horse size. The noseband's upper part is slightly too long and loose, but better that instead of too narrow noseband. (Narrow nosebands are a big problem in model horse tack...) Could fit better without the 8 -shaped ring piece, but well, I often make those just to make a bit longer cheekpieces. Too much visible mistakes what I don't bother to fix as I fought with this halter so much already.

Second blue halter, with painter tape. Very wide straps, hmm... Not so good. But they are in better length, the halter is too inflexible to show how it really fits. Buckle is bad, blergh.

Third halter is brown. Buckle isn't nice (but it works), the 8 -rings aren't the best for Schleich halters, I see too. Unfortunately, this halter has flaws; folds in areas what aren't meand to look folded!

Fourth looks best and is practically a better version from previous one. This has no folds, no 8 -rings, and it has two hooks and a squared buckle! Well, I really needed to start enjoy of making small buckles with corners... Because it makes life so easy. I also made sure that THIS halter fits to my unfinished hannover mare CM, who is going to be a trotting finnhorse stallion. He has yarn mane (tested... found the idea of yarn from other blogs) who allows halters.

So, if anyone wonders what material to use for Schleich halters... Try paper. I personally find it useful, although leather really has things that make it at the end better material; you can punch holes to leather, not on paper, and adding thin straps to buckles is more safe in leather than paper.

I am making more paper halters at the future. In Schleich scale. 

Portrait attempts

I once (after too long time) got my system camera (Nikon D3100) and photographed "seriously" Cortes and Rämä... I can't say that it worked, I am not that comfortable with photographing larger things than Schleichs, clearly. Or then I just don't know what to do to keep my pics lighter when using that camera and flash (softened). I mean, these are all too black, and yet after digital retouches they seem to look wrong - and too edited.

Many of these are clearly too much retouched, but I better show them than those depressingly dark originals. 

I tried to get artistic portraits, also because of the halter. I like how it works as it's very loose, and only enough strong not to break by the rope...

This is my bad habit in photography: capturing same moment more than once...

Because I don't have that much knowledge in photography, meaning technical part, I struggle with these portraits where is more than one face to show in same time. Or then it is how closed they are to the lens, but I can't focus on both. My problem seems to be just that lack of technical sense; I often say I photograph only visually.

But I still think that sometimes this camera is better for this kind of pics, instead of using that smaller one (with a killer flash, when talking about how well it works with mini sized things). But the reason why I mostly photograph with the small camera is just that fact that it has stronger flash; even when zoomed, the photos are viewable.

This was not a photo story, to know. Just a stack of so-called semi-portraits and document pics. I even noticed how Cortes 'looks' to the left in all of them... Blergh.