For this week's ADAW photo I decided to photograph Ruby, my Pullip Victorique de Blois. I haven't taken photos of her in quite some time. I was surprised how good she looked in a darker themed shoot. This girl was the subject of a picfic I started a loooong time ago (but never finished). It was sort of what motivated me to work on Blink for so long. 

When I first got this girl, a lot was going on in my life. I really got into my photography around this time. I met a lot of really awesome people on Flickr and in the doll community, and I finally felt like my work was getting recognized by others. I felt like my photos were finally good enough. I remember getting on Flickr's Explore page several times around this time. Even though my photos were always pretty low on the page (the highest ones were numbers 55 and 56 at different points, but everything else was 100 or lower) I felt so happy about even making it on the Explore page.

Looking back on the photos I took at that time, I must admit I'm a bit embarrassed. I thought my photos were so good, but now I can see all the places I went wrong. I think it's nice to see the growth, though. Without those awful years of horrible photos I wouldn't be where I am today. I think this is why I have such a difficult time letting go of my dolls. They've been with me through the bad and are finally here to be a part of something a little bit better. They were what started my photography journey eight years ago, and I would never have persisted if not for the people I met thanks to them. 

So picking up this girl today and snapping some photos of her outside on this rainy afternoon, I felt nostalgic. I have a pessimistic personality, and it's become all too easy for me to only see the flaws in what I do, so photographing this doll helped me recall a time where I was happy with what I created simply because I loved creating it. I think I need to put myself into that mindset a bit more, and focus less on the negative things. :)