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Time sure does fly. It is once again the season for the annual Photography Contest.
"2004 Best Shot! Blythe Photo Contest" winners are introduced as well as their episodes of their photo shooting. Some food for thought in coming up with your own ideas and works.
Click here for details on how to enter the "2005 SUPER PHOTOGENIC Blythe Photo Contest" |
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Miss Popularity
Ms. Asako Koiwa
Ms. Koiwa came all the way from Hyogo Prefecture cuddling her little puppy dog which she found in an antique fair. She had never taken a picture of Blythe before until it came across to her that she wanted to shoot photos of Blythe and upload them on her own home page. She took some photos of Blythe at her home and this was one of them. "Why not give it a try and enter the contest?" she thought, and submitted her work the day before the deadline. And surprise! Her work won the Miss Popularity Award! "This must be sheer luck, but I am glad I went ahead and entered in the contest," says Ms. Koiwa. Yes, taking the challenge is what counts. |
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Katsuhiko Hibino's pick
Ms. Miyuki Nogi
"Actually, the title of this work is called "the Cotton Candy." I used the clouds in the sky to resemble a cotton candy. I earnestly wanted an award from Mr. Hibino so I am so happy he actually chose mine! I am delighted!" She won the Miss Popularity award last year on her first trial and this year, her work was selected as Celebrity Choice. Ms. Nogi says that the wind was blowing very hard when she took this photograph and had a very difficult time. She had to stand her Blythe up over and over again against the pole. Whenever she takes a photograph, she comes up with and idea first as to what kind of image she wants to shoot. Then, she looks for a location which would enable her to materialize her idea. We are looking forward to her amazing works to come.
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Saburo Watanabe's Pick
Ms. Shoko Hara
There is something warm about this image despite the fact it was taken in the snow. The image was taken at the ski slopes in Madarao-Kogen. "What were the difficulties you had encountered while you were shooting?" "Well, I had to ski all day long with my Blythe and my camera in my backpack. I would go into the woods off-course all by myself. I must have appeared to be some kind of a weirdo. It would be nice if I can continue to produce images that can make Blythe herself excited and happy."
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"Vogue Nippon" 's Pick
Ms. Hiroko Ooshima
Blythe, clad in total Gothic-style coordination from her head to toe, striking dynamic poses. Her pose is perfected by the skirt she is wearing and the waving of the ribbons on the bouquet. A finely thought-out image as if it was freeze-framed from a classic film.
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"Cutie" 's Pick
Ms. Jeong Yeon Ju
Ms. Jeong, a college student went out her way and flew all the way from Korea to attend the Award Ceremony. Ms. Jeong's first encounter with Blythe was when she was given "Fruit Punch" as a birthday gift from her sister. Ms. Jeong has been a Blythe fan ever since. Now she owns 9 Neo and 3 Petit Blythe dolls. She shoots Blythe almost everyday with her favorite Olympus digital camera without any particular theme in mind. "There are many Blythe fans out there in Korea, too, observing this Site. I am so happy my work was selected!"
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"Dolly Dolly" 's Pick
Ms. Hiroko Mochizuki
Ms. Mochizuki, a Shizuoka-ite, shot this photograph by sheer accident. "There is a pond near where I live and the lotus flowers bloom in it every year. One day, I walked over to the pond wondering if the lotus flowers may already be in bloom. But when I got there, the flowers were not opening yet. Since my Blythe happened to accompany me, however, I decided to take a photo of her with the lotus leaves in the background. Perhaps the fact the flowers were not yet in bloom worked for me and made me win the Magazine Choice Prize on my first attempt." Ever since she saw Blythe for the first time in a shop in her neighborhood about a year ago, she has been crazy over Blythe. "Blythe dolls are "creepy and cute" and that is why I love them. It is difficult to meet Blythe fans in my neighborhood, so I visit shops and talk with the staff there. I also enjoy net surfing and finding put more about Blythe."
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"beans" 's Pick
Ms. Harumi Horikawa
This is Ms. Horikawa's third time entering the Photo Contest. She was chosen as one of the finalists in the previous two contests, but this time, she has successfully been selected as the Magazine Choice. She usually shoots outdoors but this image was taken indoors. The soft ambient light gave an exquisite touch to the image. "I have been shooting photographs of Blythe for a long time. I would like to continue doing so and come up with images that can make people warm up and feel comfortable."
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"Dolly Bird" 's Pick
Ms. Mari Sato
Ms. Sato's hobby is collecting cameras. This image was shot using her manual classic LEICA. She usually photographs cats aside from Blythe. The lamp in the photograph is her cat's favorite resting place and when she took a picture of the lamp, it turned out to be nice. So Ms. Sato decided to use it as a prop. The card stand tulips and the rhinestone star in the back which was a gift from her sister are all personal belongings of hers. She has successfully utilized such objects to create a fantastic world reminiscent of a page from a picture book. "I entered the contest last year for the first time and was chosen as one of the semi-finalists. But I was surprised I was chosen as one of the Magazine Picks!" said Ms. Sato happily.
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"Mizue" 's Pick
Ms. Yoko Tanaka
The kimono looks very well on Blythe giving her a dignified look. The Umbrella, the flowers and the background hedges all calibrated to match Blythe' size speaks candidly of how much love and affection Ms. Tanaka has for Blythe.
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"MOE" 's Pick
Ms. Usako Kitayama
Ms. Kitayama always thinks of how she can make the real human world look like the Blythe world when taking pictures. She shot this image in a near-by park using her digital camera. She has always been a great fan of dolls and she happened to encounter Blythe while she was net-surfing various sites on dolls. She intends to continue photographing Blythe as is without customizing them out in the nature.
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Gina Garan's Pick
Mr. Rei Matsumoto
Mr. Matsumoto took this picture while she was visiting her friend living nearby the ocean. She and her friend got totally absorbed in chatting over tea, the moment they realized, it was already near sunset. She hastily started taking photographs. She said that the light was lit from behind and that she had a difficult time getting it right. But the sparkles in the background work like a charm, making the image much more fascinating. The mysterious sparkle in Blythe's eyes was the work of her friend who did the makeup. "I am so happy my work was chosen by Gina! I received a wonderful note from her, too!"
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Junko Wong's Choice
Ms. Aya Yamamoto
"This photograph was shot in Maui, so I am so happy Junko chose this," says Ms. Yamamoto. She loves to bring along her Blythe on vacation and she usually takes three of her Blythe dolls. She packs more clothes for Blythe than for herself. She attempted to shoot Petite Blythe underwater when she photographed this image. "I designed and made a mermaid dress for Blythe. I tied a weight on her and tried to shoot but it did not work well. I would like to try it again." Perhaps her next winning may be an underwater shot. We look forward to seeing your shots!
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