This is the third image from the mansion Christmas tree event.It features the local doll club display which is always a favorite of mine. A friend always said they creep him out,but I always get a feeling of nostalgia when I see the scene the club creates.You have to see this in person to see the level of detail they put into the layout.I lit this scene entirely with my deer spotlight with a diffuser on it.

One interesting note on this image is I am given a key to get in this place to shoot and I always come around 5 am when it is dark so I can set up my gear and start shooting before the window light overpowers the shot. I arrived this saturday and decided to use the restroom first,which is located down the hall from the doll display. As I rounded the corner here, I saw the huge live tree with all its decorations laying on its side on the floor and all the decorations were scattered everywhere. There is a running joke here about ghosts in the mansion and I have heard a few strange sounds over the years but nothing to make me high tail it,and yet that’s the first thing that crossed my mind. I knew they turn off all the trees before closing up so everything was in order the night before.

I thought to myself there is no way on this earth they are going to believe this tree just fell over on its own and I thought they will think I did it and they will never let me in again. I called the lady who runs everything and she was extremely nice about it and asked if I would stay and help her right the thing. Well as it turns out, we stood the tree up in the stand and I started turning the bolts in the base and the bolt in the front kept turning forever until I realized it was totally stripped. All I can say is thank goodness I could show her that,and more amazing was the fact that the tree fell in the very best possible direction,missing the entire gingerbread area and only lightly hitting the two dolls on the left. I returned the following morning to shoot the now fixed doll display and would you believe the bathroom light and fan were running as I got to the back of the mansion. It was a little weird but it’s just one of those stories from the mansion.