Tag: russian tea time

Photo Set: Russian Tea Service

Photo Set: Russian Tea Service

by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Over the past few months I’ve been lucky enough to borrow a friend’s DSLR and experiment with it. I’ve always liked taking pictures, but I haven’t really had a flair for photography, and I had been too frightened by the settings and dials on SLR cameras to want to give one a try. However, now that I’ve used one, I love it! ♥ I’m saving up for my own, but thankfully I’ve been allowed a lot of opportunities to use the borrowed camera.

I brought it with me on International Lolita Day, the first Saturday in June, and took pictures of the tea service at Russian Tea Time. I know that there are several flaws in my pictures, but I’ve really been trying. I have a habit of making everything underexposed that I really need to get better about! It was really rainy that day, but we were seated near the front window of the restaurant, so the natural light was very nice.

Floral Teapot

Lemon & Sugar

Raisin Scone

Teatime Savories

Almond Cake
Darn, now I want to go to tea again~ Every time I see these pictures it reminds me how much I love scones, tiny sandwiches, and bite-sized desserts accompanied by hot tea. Maybe I’ll bake some scones at home on my next day off~ ♥

Meetup Report: International Lolita Day

Meetup Report: International Lolita Day

by alice ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I really enjoy celebrating International Lolita Day, both the summer and the winter versions. The concept of the day was actually created by a friend of mine, but several years before I knew her well. The summer date is the first Saturday of June, and the winter date is the first Saturday of December. The reason it occurs twice a year was to provide opportunities for both warm- and cold-weather coordinates. ♥ For a hobby based around clothing, I think that is quite fitting! It also allows for people in different hemispheres to enjoy it both ways, as well~

This year the International Lolita Day celebration was relatively small. It was on June 4, and another meetup had already been planned for June 5. I know there were also other girls who had other obligations, so in the end it wasn’t a giant and crazy celebration. I like smaller meetups so that I can talk to everyone, so it all worked out~ I brought the borrowed DSLR with me, so I had a great time taking pictures. It rained while we were in the restaurant, but magically brightened up by the time we got outside!

All Together
There were only four lolita in attendance, but we still had a great time~
Near the Art Institute there are some really beautiful gardens, one on each side. The Gardens to the South are my favourite, and the sky was providing really lovely light, so I asked if the lolita present wouldn’t mind posing for me so that I could practice taking pictures of people. I was so happy that they were all brave enough to not mind the any dampness or puddles from the storms that had raged while we enjoyed tea inside.

Summer Garden

Summer Garden

Summer Garden
I think I like being behind the camera much more than I like being in front of it! I had so much fun taking pictures of everyone~ I definitely have a ways to go, in terms of photography skills, but I’m trying my best. The level of control with a DSLR really enthralls me. It takes some getting used to, but now that I have a teeny-tiny bit of an idea of what I’m doing I want to learn and practice more! I feel very lucky that my friend was willing to let me borrow such a nice camera.

I am also very happy to celebrate International Lolita Day with friends! ♥ I hope that the December date is one where I can spend time with even more lolita. It’s fun to have another excuse to get together and do something frilly. I hope that everyone else had a wonderful International Lolita Day, regardless of how you were able to celebrate it~ ♥ I wish I had been keeping up with my posts so that I could have said such a thing on a date much closer to the actual event… Maybe I’ll be more prepared next year! (Or in December!)